The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-08-09
Railroad Men Estimated that Fifteen
Thousand People All Told
Came to the City.
PARADE LACKED NUMBERS
AND WAS LATE IN STARTING FROM
THE GRAND HOTEL.
The Committee Had Decorated ths
Downtown Streets i'm Honor
of the Occasion.

<Afnlu the WHOOpinS anu uuIrdulHS Oi d
crowd numbering about 5000 people
William Jennings Bryan, of Nebraska,
was yesterday notified of the action of the
Kansas City convention in selecting him
for the Democracy's presidential candidate.
Mr. Bryan was quite we'll prepared to hear
officially of the conventions action and re-
piled in ''well-chosen words Mr.. Bryan
read his speech from the platform at Mill
tary Park and his utterances were cheered.
On the same platform Adlai Stevenson. of
Illinois, also received notice of his nomi-
nation for the vice presidency. He, too,
graciously accepted the honor thrust on
him.
Yesterdays event may properly be termed
the opening of the Democratic campaign
in Indiana. William ]. Bryan sounded the
keynote of the Democratic national cam
paign, and that keynote is imperialism" I"
From a Democratic standpoint Mr.. Bryan
made a great speech. The arguments Of
the party will perhaps not again this cam
paign be placed before the people in such
forceful utterances-in such masterful En-
glish. Mr.. Bryan is a word painter, and
his work yesterday was certainly artistic.
His personal appearance. too, is in his
favor, and he was indeed good to look upon.
He came upon the platform well groomed
and prepared to thrill the hearts of his
beloved ''plain people," who surged about
the platform like storm-tossed sea.
NOT A WILD CLAMOR.
But the people did not clamor after Mr..
Bryan as violently as the managers of the
meeting expected. Neither in point of at
tendance nor enthusiasm was the meeting
the big success it was claimed it would be.
The $4,000 people that Chairman Martin
was expecting did not come Why they
did not rush into the city in large numbers,
the Democratic managers are trying to
find out. Thinking Republicans who wit
messed yesterdays demonstration are
smiling 1t looks, indeed, as if the people
were not running after Mr.. Bryan this
year as they did in 1896.
Yesterdays events may be summed up
briefly. They chiefly constituted an ordinar-
lily early breakfast by the Bryan party, a
morning ride about the city. parade in the
afternoon prior to the notification exer-
cises and a meeting at Tomlinson Hall
last night. In addition to this rou-
tine there were some committee meet
ings of a subcommittee appointed to settle
contests in the national committee. 1t was
a hard days work and everybody who had
a hand in the proceedings was glad when
it came time TO retire last night
Mr. Bryan was UP early and Mrs. Bryan
was not long in Joining him. They both
arose about $3.50 o'clock. During the morn
ing Mr. Bryan had himself photographed
with party of gentlemen and also made
call at the home Of the late Thomas a.
Han ndri0 had cfa TOD
down town, however, and missed the call
ers Mrs. Bryan was given reception by
committee of women appointed to enter
tain her.
EARLY TO THE PARK.
AS early as II o'clock yesterday morn
ing people began drifting into the park.
The weather was warm-hot it might be
called-and the shade of the park early at
tracted visitors who came with a deter
mination to see all that transpired If pos
sible. BY / o'clock the crowd was packed
about the stand in the southwest corner of
the park. Thousands missed the parade in
order to be OH hand promptly when the
ceremonies began.
1t was nearly 8 o'clock when the noti-
fication party arrived at the stand. Colonel
Martini, SeIS6dIl-dl-cfIiS VI lnt
Democratic convention, was the first of the
party to step on to the platform. He found
q good many people there before him whom
Timothy Griffin was trying to keep in their
seats. Many were women and all who were
on the platform, aside from the members
of the notification party. held tickets signed
by Mayor Taggart. The stand was con-
structed high enough to catch the breeze
and there was canopy over the top. The
stand was gayly decorated with bunting
and flags, and was adorned with pictures
of BRYAN and Stevenson and John w. Kern.
lust below the stand and facing the north
east was the press box, long table capa-
bIe of accommodating fifty or sixty news
paper men. The men prominent in the
newspaper business in the East were at the
table. Among them was Creelman, the
correspondent, and Davenport, the car
toonist. Telegraph instruments were fast
ened to the press table and busy operators
sat before them clicking of the proceed
ings as they transpired to the world at
large.
Colonel Martin was followed TO the stand
by the other members of the notification
party. Mr. and Mrs. Bryan came with
their son Willie. Mr.. and Mrs. Stevenson
sat near them, and Senator Jones. chair
man of the Democratic national committee,
took chair Immediately behind Mrs. Bry-
an. Miss Stevenson sat on the other side
of the stage. The immediate members of
the notification party took seats near the
front of the stage. Very near them was a
dark-complexioned, slender young man who
o>f<r ~ ~lo cr,f II
the Rev. w. B. Hale. former managing
editor of the Cosmopolitan Magazine. He
is an admirer of Mr.. Bryan and may make
. speech on imperialism during the cam