The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-02-17

CAllCi Twill III OCAdl1 vi f1llldll II.
Hearst, and a bitter attack on alleged
deserters from the democratic party
by William j. Bryan, were the domi-
mating notes at the barbecue given to-
night by the Observation-Disclosures
coin league, organized a year ago by
former Congressman John J.. Lentz
and others. Twelve hundred men
and women were present. Ex-Congrss-
man Lentz was POSTMASTER. Clarence
s. barrow, leading counsel for the
United Mine Workers, who was to
have responded to the toast, "The In
dustrial Slave" t~elegraphed during
the day that owing to his speech be-
fore the strike commission in Phila-
delphia today, he would be unable to
come. The invocation was pronounc-
ed by Rev. Herbert S. Bigelow, the
Cincinnati clergyman, who made an
unsuccessful campaign for secretary
of state on the democratic ticket
last fall.
Plain People and Champions.
Former Governor James H. Budd of
California, responding to the toast,
'"The Plain People and Their Cham
pions," said in part:
Il might say that l have no objec-
ton to any people asking those to
be leaders who, though not openly
supporting the parties of trusts and
tariff e%xactions, have split the ranks
of their friends and led to a victory
that ought not to have been at any
time carried. l want them in the
ranks, l want them to fight with us,
but l want the banners in the hands
of such men as Lentz or Bryan or
Johnson OF Bill Hearst Of New York.
Each locality has it's men that it
looks upon as champions, and l find
in the far east those conservative
men who desire to lead the democ-
racy again are picking out their cham
pions. But l have not seen a name
mentioned by them under whose
smirk of labor you could now strike
the iron breastplate of trusts. Not
n of them. In this state you have
champions like Lentz. You have
champions like Tom Johnson. whom
we have all heard of. And we in the
west have our champion.
Boom for Hearst.
"The man that we believe next to
OF the common people; the man who
in the fight when the trailers desert
ed you came to your succor and stood
an able lieutenant under your orders;
the nan who has fought all his life
for a national eight-hour law, for an
income tax for education, for national
appropriations for schools, the doc
trines preached by Bryan and the
fathers; the man who was born in our
state and a native sol whom we re-
gard as M of the greatest of the
times is William Randolph Hearst,
are others, many others, but for me
these are enough. | do not wish to
go further, because l know that l
might fare worse.
in every city of Ohio there should
be a club of the plain people, who
should adopt as it's constitution the
constitution of the league that has
given this magnificent dinner tonight,
and if that is the case Ohio in the
next presidential election, in my GER
tain judgment, will cast it's vote for
president of the United States for
one eff four gentlemen who | have
named as its champions q
Hearst Sends Regrets.
w. R. Hearst, who had been invited
to address the banquet, sent his re-
grets in a telegram in which he said
in part: The history of a country is
really the history of a few great men.
In THESE men are cryStallZed the cOun-
try's real life and worth. Theirs is
the genius which gives expression and
reality to the convictions and princi-
pies of the people whom they repre-
sent. The three anne that you have
chosen to be represented in unison
are the greatest names in the Ameri-
can peoples history, save, of course,
the foundation name of Washington.
washington stands apart. He
represents the struggle against for
eign supremacy. The three men whom
you meet to honor are the representa-
tives of plans and thoughts and be-
liefs of the American nation as a
Eo1 ,,@%.--