Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1900-07-06

territory. into every foot Of which Is car
dsealoEue, and over the shoulders q
Of the rob sda of
citlsenship. it IS growth that has add:
ed eighteen stars to the field OF blue IN
the "banner Of the free to symbolixe
territory, annexed to the domain Of this
nation, by the wisdom and craftsmanship
Of the democratic party; this Is an ex-
by the constitution Of the United States,
on the east by the Monroe doctrine, on
the south by. the Declaration OF lnas ,,
How different this from the bandit pol
lev OF the republican Imperialism with its
standing army and bayonet rule Of con-
quered provinces: Its government OK SUI.
and fraud: it's denial to them of the pro-
lection of either the constitution or the
command which says Ihou shalt not
steal'-a policy that would send our IN
Gle Sam off his American range with
cowboy hat, rope and branding iron,
to rustic and brand, over all the lesser
islands of the orient, while hypocritically
chanting the long-meter doxology: IT.,
Democratic skies are tinged with q
roster hue today, than when we met IN
convention four years ago. Then a finan-
cial cataclysm had spread over the coun-
try. and although Its every inducing cause
was easily traced to the errors and fol-
lies of the republican party, yet we were
in power when it came, and were wrongly
held responsible for the wreck OF shat
tered fortunes which followed In ITS wake
Torn asunder by dissensions within, and
disasters without, our party raced a
gloomy and foreboding future which
seemed to augur its dissolution: The prob
lem then was to select standard bearer
| bold enough to cover the rear OF retreat.
and save the party from destruction, If
not from defeat.
While discord with her flaming torch
confused the counsels there, from out the
sunset realm a champion came and bade
defiance to the oncoming host. With the
strength Of youth. and the wisdom of
age, with knightly mien and matchless
speech he lowered above his peers and
all who saw him then with one accord did
hall him "Chief," and gave our party's
banner to his hand. Slowly despair gave
way to hope: confidence took the place
where timorous fear had been; the broken
and shattered columns formed again. and
behind him singing came $4,000 valiant
men to that unequal fight.
And the story Of how well he fought,
how fearlessly he fell. and how dearly the
enemy's victory was bought, has all gone
Back from his "First Battle" he came.
a baffled but unconquered hero Of the
rights Of man. Conscious of the rectitude
chat no issue is ever settled until it Is
settled right" he cheerfully acQuiesced
in the result of that campaign, and girded
his loins for the next great contest be-
tween the dollar and the man.
For four years he has waged an un-
ceasing warfare against the peoples en-
envy; for four years he has held up the
party's standard and his voice has cheered
territory. When the trusts began to in
crease under the protection of repub-
lican administration, he was the first to
point out the danger and prescribe
remedy.
When the alarums Of war for human
ity reused the heroic spirit of our land.
he offered his sword to his country's
cause on the day that war was declared.
departing from the ancient landmarks Of
our institutions, in its enchanted dream
Of empire and militarism. he was the first
to raise a warning voice. and resignine
peace was signed, he threw himself into
| the contest for the rescue of the republic.
Realizing that imperialism. like the IA
| bled Artseus, was born OF earth, and that
plane of greed and gold it was of giant
| strength, and If thrown down would rise
again refreshed from contact with its
mother element. he, like the mighty Her
from which its strength was drawn and
on plane of lofty patriotism he stran-
! gled it..
With the issues now clearly drawn, no
OOuDt remains as 10 the name OF our CAM
| didate. On that question we are a re-
| united democracy.
Already worthy allies differing from us
rather in name than faith, have shouted
for our gallant leader again, and every
state and territory has instructed its del
egates to this convention to vote for him
here. So 1t only remains for Nebraska
to pronounce the name that has been
Numbered forth from the foot of Bunker
Hill, and echoed back from Sierra's sun
set slope, and that reverberates among
the pine-clad. snow-capped hills of the
north, and rises up from the slumbering,
f1ower-scented Savannahs of the south !;
and that name is the name of William
Jennings Bryan, her best loved son.
| Mr.. Oldham caught the fancy Of the
convention by his statement that the
government Of this country is bound
ed on the north by the constitution, on
the east by the Monroe doctrine, on
the south by the Declaration of Inde-
pendence and on the west by the Ten
Commandments"
address he raised both hands high
over his head and spoke slowly and
with an energy that caused his voice
to penetrate into every corner OF the
hall.
| The Answering Cheer.
| and that-man- Is William Jennings
| bryan, ne cOdlCluQeQ, bringing MS
hands lower with each word until the
last had been uttered, when he brought
them up with q sweep, but quicker
than his motion was the answering
cheer that swept across the convention.
It was a simultaneous roar from all
paris of the hall. Up went the dele
gates upon their chairs, over their
heads went the flags, and above them
all scared and rang the cheers fe-
Bryan. The band Loyalty permorm,
its share, but the noise Of its creation
was but q drop in the torrent. The
men from the state Of Nebraska flung
up large banner bearing the likeness
of Mr.. Bryan.
Round the hall started the Nebraska
men with their huge banner, and catch
ing up their state emblem the other
delegations took 10 the march, wav-
ing flags and hats and cheering at the
top Of their voices without cessation,
save for the breath necessary to a
fresh outburst.
The two women delegates from Utah
joined in the parade, one of them car
rying a small silk banner OF white,
upon which was inscribed "Greetings
to William J. Bryan from the Demo-
cratic Women OF Utah."
1t was a demonstration fully equal
in fervor to anything that had preced-
| Cd Twenty-eeyen minutes had ELAPSED