The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-01-25
DINNER TO BRYAN.
Given Warm Greeting by Jersey city
Democrats.

New York, January 24.-Col. W. j.
Bryan was banquetted by the Robert
Davis association at Its club house in
Jersey City tonight after which he de-
Iivered a political spe sob before q large
crowd In st. Mary's hall. The dinner
was informal and no speeches were made.
At So'ciock Col. Bryan and tn ose who
sat with him at dinner, were led by d
drum corps to st. Mary's hall, q short
distance away. The hall was crowded.
Mayor Hoose presided over the meeting
and In brief speech eulogized Col.
bryan as the man who stood for all that
was just and right,
Mr.. Bryan r~csived most hearty re-
osption from 900 Demoorats-all that
could possibly ges into the hall. and he
spoke for nearly two hours and Ia half
upon all the topics which he has usually
included In his most rsosnt speeches
Hannaism, the silver question. the trusts
and imperialism. MIR. Bryan appeared
somewhat surprised by the warmth of
the greeting which he encountered when
he walked upon the stage.
When In the early part Of his speech he
said that IL had been said that the silver
question had been buried. a large portion
of the audience rose and drowned the
voics OF Mr.. Bryan with cheers.
Mr.. Bryan as II recovering himself,
said that he was not sure at fret whether
the audience was cheering because they
thought the silver question had been
buried, or becauee they did not believe
that that was the case. Daring the ar
rangements for Mr.. Bryan's appearance
in Jersey City, considerable had been
printed In the newspapers concerning the
objection OF certain OF New Jerseys
Democratic leaders to MIR. Bryan's silver
ideas of attempts which had been made
to get him to eliminate that subject
from his speech In Jersey City and OF
his emphatic refusal to do SO and when
no evidence Of any great antipathy to the
subject was manifest tonight, Mr.. Bry-
ana surprise may have been genuine.
In beginning his spssch. when the
cheering and noiss had subsidized, Mr..
Bryan said that he was almost sorry that
he came. He had supposed that the
Hudson county Democrats needed to be
leotured, but he was made sad to see
that he was wasting time; that he ought
20 have gone some where else. But If ne
could not do his hearers any good; he
thought they might be able to do him
some good and impart to him some Of
their enthusiasm that he might carry 1t
to other parts of the country where the
people might not be SO earnest in the
fight as they seemed to be In Jersey.
[ Referring to the remarks of Mayor
Hoos, who introduced him. Mr.. Bryan
said that when man INDUCED In the
pleasant prophecy that he was to be the
next President of the United States. II
did net make his heart beat so fat as 1t
used to when he first began to hear 1t.
He did not want the people to think that
he was expecting to be the candidate Of
the Democratic party In the next cam
paign or that he was striving for any
thing In tho way OF Office, because he
said he was in politics for many years
to come, He then criticized the Repub-
lican party for its allegiance to "Han-
naisIn," and said that his tlrst critic SIN
OF that party Was on the fact that today