The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1906-09-26
BRYAN IN COLUMBIA.
LARGE NUMBER OF SOUTH CARO-
LINIANS HEAR HIM SPEAK.

LARGE NUMBER OF SOUTH CARO-
LINIANS HEAR HIM SPEAK.
He Discussed Some Of the Issues
That Are Now Receiving Attention
From Public Men, But There Was
Nothing Particularly Striking In
the Address
Columbia, Sept. 19.-The welcome
that W. J. Bryan received today in
the Capital Of South Carolina, the
number of representative citizens who
came from all section Of the State to
greet him and hear him speak, is
the best and most convincing evi-
dence that the eloquent Nebraskan is
still regarded by many Democrats Of
the State as the leader and mouth
piece of the party. He was given a
cordial and hearty welcome, and his
address was heard win the closest at
tention.
Mr.. and Mrs. Bryan arrived in Co
lumbia at $50 q. m. and We're en-
tertained at Wrights Hotel. After
breakfast Governor Heyward and
other citizens called at the hosel, and
laer took them for a. motor trip over
the city.
After the drive the party proceeded
to the campus Of the University Of
South Carolina.
After the invocation by Bishop
Ellison Capers. Mayor T. Hasell
Gibbes briefly bade the distinguished
visitor welcome to the city, and in
troduced Governor Hayward, who
welcomed Mr.. Bryan to the State.
Mr.. Bryan's Speech.
Mr.. Bryan faced a crowd of 1900
or mere. It was hor-sweltering;
and now and then there was a
shower. But nobody minded the dis
comfort. Mr.. Bryan spoke for an
hour or more, and every word was
heard with the most intense interest.
His recent world tour and the les
sons hereof; free silver; government
ownership of railways; Secretary
Shaw's recent Southern trip; the
tariff and the presidential campaign
of 1908 naturally were the chief top
les. AS touching his government
ownership plan. Mr.. Bryan declared
that he believed in it; that he thought
every man who gave the subject suf-
icient thought and was not personal
ly biased by money considerations
would believe in it also; that it was
two wears until the presidential cam
paign, and he did not propose to
waste two good years of his life wait
ing for an uncertain presidential
election. In other words, he init
mated pretty strongly his determlna-
ton to continue speaking and work
ing in behalf Of government owner
ship. But he did not say that he
would not be the candidate Of the
party on a platform from which the
government ownership plank was
missing. Mr.. Bryan reiterated his
we'll known statements with regard to
labor and capital and arbitration be-
tween them. To President Roosevelt
he gave due credit for his efforts at
settlement of strikes by arbitration,
but said the president got his plan
from 7the Chicago Democratic plat
form. He said also that the Republi-
can party now has only one man, ac-
cording to its own admission, who
can secure without desperate strug-
gle the nomination for president, and
the basis of his great personal popu-
larity is not his Republicanism, but
the fact that he has forsaken Repub-
iican practice and principle and
adopted some of the distinctive Dem
ocratic principles.
Mr.. Bryan declared his unchanged
belief in the inherent Righteousness
and economic expediency of free sill
yer, but said nothing about injecting
the old question into the next cam
paign.
"The tariff question" he said. will
probably be introduced, and I for one
shall not object. I've been discussing
the tariff for twenty-six- years" He
went into mastery analysis Of pro-
tective and revenue tariffs and de-
clared that he had never heard Re
publican tariff speech a ten-year-old
boy couldn't answer. The present tar
if he declared, collecting money
from all the people and giving it to
a few. Of course, the few like it.