The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1904-05-12
despite thesdanger of gaining disfavor
with the controlling wing of his party.
He smoke in na rt as follows. q

with the controlling wing of his party.
He spoke in part as follows: -
feel that l ought to say word to
| you, inasmuch as am in certain sense
a representative of the democrats of
| this state. Tam going to be very brief
in what shall say, which shall be en-
tirely consistent with the position
which have taken in this matter from
the inception of this campaign. Much
that have done has been misinter-
preted and misunderstood. | believe
it is due to myself and the democrats of
this state that | should state my posi-
/, tion npon the question which is now
before this convention.
| represent no presidential candidate.
| went to Washington last fall, looked
the ground over, sympathized with some
of them, pitied some more, and finally
set about work, and it wasn't very long
until the question was raised as to who
the countrys democratic candidate for.
president should be. Men came to me
representing Mr.. Hearst, men whom L
respect. ! sat down with them and
talked matters over. My mind went
back through the past ten years of
democratic struggle in this state.
called to mind the contests in this room
where these questions were fought out,
where bitterness and personalities
were indulged in. / remember being
whipped, seeing other fellows whipped
and remember, too, the campaign of
1902 when men who had been whipped
and men who did the whipping-when
silver men and gold men stood on the
same platform. When knew in my
heart that some were friends OF Mr..
Hearst and others were not, and that it
was something to come to my careful
consideration. TheneI looked forward
to the campaign in behalf of any man
who might be put forth as a candidate
of the state, and ! looked forward to
this day, to this convention. saw 6fe'
bitterness and the passion which would
be stirred. saw condition reached
where passion and prejudice would lead
democratic convention to pass, per-
haps, majorit; of its votes against the
noble tribune to the people who made
the most wonderful campaign in this
state, last year, that ever was waged in
a losing cause.
ARGUMENT AGAINST INSTRUCTIONS.
After hearing what they all had to
say and considering the matter, said
to these men, NO" Parker men also
came to me. I.toId them my views and
said, mo" My position from this time
on will be unalterably& opposed to in
structing for any man. | told Mr..
Hearst's friends that l was satisfied
that there was a large portion of the
state of Iowa which was not in favor of
his candidacy, and that would protest
in this convention against any effort to
defeat the will Of those districts by in
strncting for Parker or anybody else. Il
said to my democratic friends throughs
out the state thatI thought the eight
or ten votes which it meant to Mr..
| Hearst or anybody else in the conven-
tlon at st. Louis was not of sufficient
Importance to warrant us in disrupting
the lines, in breaking down old friend
ships and in separating the united forces
which we had about attained last year.
J L defy any man to say have used any
/, argument or arguments against any
candidate. There are two months yet
before the convention. When say that
was opposed to instructing fora candi-
date, do not wish it to be understood
that did not have any opinions of my
own on the subject, but knew, too, that
other democrats had opinions of their
own, and l mean that my individual
opinion should not control until it was
measured in the light of the opinions of
others and until could hear the argu-
ments and the reasons presented by
every state. That is one of the reasons
that this early in the year am opposed
to instructing this delegation.
| WANTS ONE VICTORY.
| would like to see one more demo-
cratic victory if it were for no other
purpose than to warm the hearts of
these old veterans of democracy who
kept the party together when every
thing was against them. l would like
to see their eyes lighted, would like to
see them waving aloft a banner of
democracy once more before they pass
to the great beyond. l tell you that
this matter doesn't involve the question
of what we want to do, it is a question
of what is our duty to do, what will be
the best, not only today, but tomorrow,
because in all this conflict let us not
take our eyes off the old flag. 1t is
standing up there, waving in the breeze
and it has never once in all it's history
been pulled down, but tell you that as
gaze upon it, can see above it dark
clouds. can see written in letters of
flame upon those dark clouds these
words of danger, "Imperialism, Trusts,
Combines of Capital, and Excessive
Taxation, Deprivation of Human Right
and tell you it is not what we want to
do, but tell you it is duty we have to
do to try those clouds and keep the old
flag untarnished when we are making
| this struggle.
ANY ONE WILL DO.
In making this struggle, don't let us
be too particular about examining the
antecedents of the man who is willing to
vote with us. Away back in 81, when
they called for volunteers they didn't
ask him when he came, where he was
born or what he had voted; all they
wanted to know was whether he could
carry gun and knock hell out of a
rebel. Are you ready to get in line
here and help
My friends, want to make this state
ment, in justice to myself and in justice
to another who in his discussion of the
question of the minority report on the
seating of delegates said that certain
lgentleman had received telegram. /