The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-01-11
NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC
 LEADERS BREAK BREAD
BRYAN AND TAGGARP AT JACK
 SON DAY BANQUET.

He Had Faithful Support of Execu- tive COmmittee-Eyerythin at His
 Command but Could Not Win-Those
 in Battle of 1898 RevoIted-Adyice for the Future-Bryan Says Roose-
 welt Should Have Support of the Democrats.
 Lafayette, Ind, Jan. 10.-Several na- tional leaders of the democratic party
 and many prominent state democrats
 broke bread tonight at the eighth an-
 nual banquet of the Jackson club. held
 in honor of the memory of Andrew Jackson. Following the feast there were addresses in which William J. Bryan l received the largest share of applause,
 but National Chairman Thomas Tag gart was also accorded an ovation. | There were many prominent Illinois,
 Ohio and Michigan democrats present, and nearly every county in Indiana
 was represented, more than 800 per-
 sons sat down at the first table. The l Coliseum was elaborately decorated with banners and portraits. When the
 banquet was over and the public was | admitted, letters of regret were read from several prominent men who were not able to attend. One of these was from Melville F. Ingalls,, president of the Big Four railway. In his letter MT.
 Ingalls, suggested an income tax as q fr, tn l. ton. After addresses by Mayor George
 R. Durgan of Lafayette, the Hon.
 John H. Kern Of Indianapolis, Owen P.
 Thompson of Jacksonville, H., and Mayor Holtzman of Tndianapolis Na-
 tional Chairman Thomas Taggart arose.
 There was a. burst of applause as he l began speaking. Mir, Taggart respond ing to the Future of Democracy" said in part: .. 44
 As you know, I was elected chair
 man of the national committee by
 the unanimous vote of that body and
 was given authority to name such com-
 mittees as as necessary to conduct the
 campaign. I exercised the authority after full consultation with our distin-
 guished candidate and the executive committee appointed met his full ap-
 proyal. Vice Chairman Delaney Nicoll also selected by me, and the officers of the executive committed, especially Mir. Sheehan, MT. Belmont and Mir Pea body, sacrificed their personal interests, devoting their entire time to the work of the campaign. ~ @ Tt is but fair that should say on this occasion that received from the executive committee not only earnest and loyal cooperation, but from every | member, at all times, courteous, and consfderate treatment. There was never the slightest friction nor an unpleasant incident occurred between any mem
 Der of that committee an dn1yself; not was there ever the slightest attempt
 on its part or on the part of any mem Der, to usurp any of the functions of the national chairman. In view of many publications on the subject by
 partisan newspapers, deem it a duty
 to make this statement. The national committee had not only the co-opera- tion of the executive committee, but | the earnest and loyal support of every state and and county chairman and
 precinct committeeman throughout the United States.
 "The best democratic orators in the 1 country were everywhere upon the stump, and to them on this occasion I wish to extend my thanks and ap- preciation of their valuable services.
 And in this connection I want to say, | than no man in America rendered more valuable service, more untiring, unsel- fish and effective service than did that distinguished gentleman present to- night. the Hon. William Jennings Bry- an. And, as the head of the national organization I want on this occasion to ! make the proper acknowledgment and to thank him.
 But with all this-an apparently compact organization, a candidate whose personal character was ire proacha ble-ample means for all 1egiti- mate purposes, all the literature that could be used, and with the country ablaze with unsurpasseds oratory, we encountered political reverse almost unparalleled, disaster caused by hun dreds of thousands of democrats failing to vote and by many others voting the opposition ticket
 On the 1904 campaign he said: "The results prove that a very large propor tion of the democratic voters are not satisfied with the work of the national convention and on election day they made their protest. Still l do not be- lieve that any other candidate on any platform could have been elected. There
 was no objection to MT. Parker person. ally, but those who were in the battle of 1896 felt that they had been called
 upon to retreat rather than to advance
 and declining to retreat revolted."
 As to the future Chairman Taggart
 said: ITO be successful the people, the
 rank and file must interest themselves
 in the situation and the affairs of the
 party organization. There hold be such
 rules formulated for the holding of
 primaries and conventions as will as-
 sure every democrat that he can and
 will have voice in controlling the des-
 tinies of the party in the future Then
 let every democrat turn out and ex-
 press his will as to candidates and
 platforms. Let the people register
 their wills and let us all follow their leadership"
 William Jennings Bryan was the last
 speaker of the evening. The applause
 that greeted him as he arose continued
 for some time. MT. Bryan said, in