Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1904-08-12
VIM. J. Bryan's Speech
IN THE ST. LOUIS CONVENTION.

IN tit 81. lOUlS OUNVtNllON.
One of the most dramatic scenes eve
witnessed in national convention OF
CURED when William Jennings Brya
seconded the nomination for presidell
of Senator Cockrell of Missouri. Th
convention was in no mood to lister
to long seconding speeches, and ha'
rnthlessly cnt short all the others. bu
the man who had vice been the do mo
Icratic standard bearer was accorded
full opportunity to pay all he desired
He Was given tremendous reception
his third great ovation of the cOnven
tiOn.
Mr.. Bryan said:
| Gentlemen of the Commemorative
nights without sleep and a cold maxi
|! il difficult for me to make myself heard
l trust that it will be easier in mo
ment, but as desire to speak to the
delegates rather than to the visitors
hope that they at least Can hear.
Eight years ago a Democratic con
svention placed in my hands the stand
lard of the party and gave me the com.
mission as its candidate. Four years
Ilater that commission was renewed.
come to night to the Democratic con
lvention to return the commission and
to say that you may dispute whether
| fought good fight. you may dispute
whether | finished my course, but you
cannot deny that l have kept the faith.
(Cheers)
AS your candidate l did all l could
to bring success to the party. Asapri
vate citizen today l am more interest
ed in Democratic success than l ever
was when l was candidate. (Cheers
| The reasons that made the election of
a Democrat desirable were stronger in
| 1900 than in 1896; and the reasons that
make the election of the Democratic
candidate desirable are stronger in
1904 than they were in 1900
| DANGER OF MILITARIsM
| The gentleman who presented New
York's candidate dwelt upon the dan
ger of militarism, and he did not over
state the dangers. Let me quote the
most remarkable passage that ever Oc-
Cured or that was ever found in the
speech of nomination of any candidate
for president. Governor Black of New
York, in presenting the name of Theo-
dore Roosevelt to the Republican con-
vention, used these words: 1.-The fate
of nations is still de ecided by their wars.
Y Ou may talk of orderly tribunals and
learned referees. You may sing in
your schools the gentle praises OF the
quiet life. You may strike from your
books the last note OF every martial
anthem and yet out in the smoke and
thunder will always be the tramp of
horses and the silent, rigid, upturned
faces. Men may prOphesy and women
pray, but peace Welcome here to abide
forever on this ehkth sOnly when the
dreams of childhood are the accepted
charts to guide the destines of men.
Events are numberless and mighty,
and no man can tell which wire runs
around the world. The nation basking
today in the quiet of contentment and
repose may will be on deadly circuit.
and tomorrow writhing in the tolls of
war. This is the time when great fig
ures must be kept in front. If the pres
sure is great the material to resist it
must be granite and iron."
This is an eulogy of war. This is a
declaration that the time hoped for,
prayed for, of perpetual peace will new
er come, thus eulogiZlng the doctrine
of brute force and giving denial 10 the
hopes of the race. And the President,
a candidate for re election, is present
ed as the embodiment of that ideal, the
granite and the iron. to represent the
new ideal of militarism. Do you say
you want to defeat the military idea
Friends of the south. are you trying to
defeat the military idea? Let me tell
you that not one of you, north, east,
or south, more fears the triumph of
that idea than do. If this is the doc
trine that our nation is to stand for, it
rs retrogressi0n, not progression; it is
the lowering of the ideals of the ma
tiOn; it is the turning backward to the
age of force. More than that, it is a
challenge to the Christian civilization
of the world, and nothing less. Cloud
Twenty seven hundred years ago a |
prophet foretOld the coming of one who
was to be called the Prince of Peace.
Two Thousand years ago he came upon
the earth and the song that was sung
at his birth was 'tPeace on earth, good
will toward man." loud cheering and
applause.) For two thousand years
this doctrine of peace has been grow
ing. 1t has been taking hold upon the
hearts of men For this doctrine of
peace millions have given their lives.
For this doctrine of peace thousands
have crossed oceans and given their
lives among savage tribes and among
foreign nations. This doctrine of peace
the foundation of Christian civiliZa
tion, has been the growing hope of the
world.
And now the ex-governor of the
greatest state of the nation presents
for the Office president of the great
est republic of all history, a man who
is granite and iron, and who represents,
not the doctrine of peace, but the doc
trine that the destinies of nations are
still settled by their wars loud ap-
plause) Will you of New York pre-
sent graver indictment against Ires.
ident Roosevelt than that ?? viii you
of the south present a graver indict-
ment against President Roosevelt than
that? do not ask what is the char
acter of the man; he may have every
virtue. He may be exemplary in every
way, but if the President shares the
idea of the man who nominated him;
if the President believes, with his
sponsor at Chicago, that wars must
settle the destinies of nations; that
peace is but dream; that women
may pray for it; that men may prOph
esy about it; that all these talks of
orderly tribunals and all this, are but
empty sounds; if he believes these
things, he is dangerous man for our
country and the world. prolonged
cheering and applause.)
How can you defeat him7 l tried
to defeat the Republican party as your
candidate. 1 failed, you say? Yes, l
did. / received million more votes
than any Democrat had ever received
before, and yet failed.
TELLS WHY HE FAILED.
Why did fail Because there were
some who had affiliated with the Dem
ocratic party who thought my election
dangerous to the country, and they
left and helped to elect my opponent.
That is why failed. I.have no word
of criticism for them. (Applause.) l
have always believed, believe tonight,
l shall always believe, hope, that a
man s duty to his country is higher
than his duty to his party. l hope it
| will always be true that men of all
F! parties will have the moral courage to
leave their parties when they believe
that to stay with their parties will be
H.