Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-08-31
BRYAN OUTLINES VIEWS
TO CHEERING THOUSANDS

Justify cheered. Twelve thousand per-
sons, many of whom were women,
were seated by seven o'clock and an
hour later not a vacant seat was TO be
seen.
AT eight o'clock, when Bryan had
not yet arrived, Harry w. Walker on
behalf of the Commercial Travellers
Antitrust league, called the assem-
blage to order. He presented Governor
Folk, of Missouri
Governor Folk was given an ovation,
and it was several minutes before he
could speak When he finally secured
silence he asked the audience to be
as quiet as possible, otherwise none of
the speakers, not even Bryan himself
could be heard. The mention of Bry-
ans name called forth renewed cheer
ing Then, when quiet had been restor-
ed, Folk proceeded.
Cheers for Hearst.
Folk concluded by introducing May
or Tom L. Johnson of Cleveland, as
chairman of the meeting The applause
was deafening as Johnson came for
ward on the speakers platform. AT
this same moment William Randolph
Hearst entered the box which had
been set aside for him. For two min
utes the crowd cheered without inter-
ruption. Many rose and waved hats
and handkerchiefs in the direction of
Hearts box Then there We're more
cheers for Johnson.
When this joint demonstration had
but partly subsided, Bryan, accom-
panied by his wife, entered the garden
and appeared on the platform. The
crowd. which had been so free in its
cheering before was now fairly beside
itself. Men shouted and jumped on
seats. They cheered and threw their
hats into the air, apparently caring
as to the ultimate fate of their
headgear. Women waved handker-
chiefs and cheered as loudly as they
could.
Augustus Thomas Speaks.
Five minutes after Bryan appeared
on the platform the crowd howled,
cheered and screeched but eventually
Johnson secured comparative quiet and
Augustus Thomas, whose
every reference to Bryan called for ad-
ditional cheers. Thomas was cheered
for several minutes after he had con-
cluded and bowed many times in ac-
acknowledgement
Johnson then arose to introduce Bry-
an. Bryan was presented at $40. AS
aezafose the aasfience was on it's feet
as one man. The cheering which be-
gan at the instant did not end till S:4S
and then only after Bryan had waved
his arms frantically in an effort to still
the waves of noise which rolled in
from the audience. and beat upon the
speakers platform. At first the man
for whom the demonstration was plan
ned stood bowing and smiling. Then
his attitude was one of appeal This
at last prevailed, and as the cheering
died away in reverberating echoes
along the girded roof. Bryan began
Hits Popular Chord.
Bryan reiterated his well known
declarations concerning the Philip
pines, for the election of senator's by
the people, for the income tax, for in
ternational arbitration, and on trusts,
by injunction. and ques-
tions affecting labor The utterance
that seemed to attract most attention
and brought forth the greatest cheer
ing was that of government owner
ship.
Il favor the control of only trunk
lines by the national government"
said Bryan, land the ownership of all
other railroads by the state govern
ments," he declared, and one of the
demonstrations of the even.
ing followed
Bryan declared trusts were the issue
of the day. He favored the closest
supervision of organization of corpora
tions He called for enforcement of
the clause of the Sherman antitrust
law and the placing of trust controll-
ed on the free list. He went into the
question of government ownership of
railroads at length and declared that
what he had seen in other countries
had served to strengthen his convic-
tions on the subject. He saw danger
in Capitalization, however, and for
this reason advocated ownership of
trunk lines and the state ownership
of the local lines.
Would BE Optional.
I'm those states" he said, where
people are ripe for a change local
lines can be purchased or new lines
built at once. while private ownership
can continue in the state in which
people still prefer private ownership.
Some states have been more careful
than others to prevent watering of
stocks and in private roads the state
can act according to the situation
which it has to meet"
The speaker scored republican con-
gress for not passing legislation urged
by President Roosevelt: for giving pub
licity to campaign contributions. He
gave the president some praise, how
ever, for what he termed his adoption
of democratic ideas. Bryan said he
hoped the income tax might some day
l. k..t hEa