The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1906-09-29
Mr.. BRYAN ID New Orleans.

last October. The contrast between
the two demonstrations was painfully
apparent, even after making all due
allowance for the fact that Mr.. Roose-
velt was president OF the United States
and making his first visit TO New Or
leans since becoming a prominent hg-
ure in public life, while Mr.. Bry an IS
only a twice beaten aspirant TO the
presidency-withf fair prospects OF ad-
ding third defeat to his record-and
had been seen and heard in the Louis
lana metropolis on two previous occa-
sions-in 1896, when he eXpounded the
beauties of 16 to l, and again In 1898,
when he addressed the constitutional
convention and gave the members a
deal of good advice which they rellg-
ious1y failed to follow.
Fair-sized crowds greeted Mr.. Bry an
cordially but with no particular en-
thusiasm when he arrived at the Union
Station from Jackson, Miss, and
again when he reached his hotel at the
conclusion of the carriage ride through
st. Charles, Camp and Canal streets.
but there was a conspicuous lack OF
crowds on the streets and a seeming
want of interest in the presence and
parade of the Great Commoner that
was manifestly disappointing to him
and his friends.
The public reception held in the
palm garden of the ST. Charles Hotel
was attended by very few persons in
addition to those holding tickets for
the banquet, a circumstance that found
convenient explanation in the state
ment that sit was understood in some
In.
tended merely for the participants in
the banquet though the distinct an
nouneement OF the public and informal
character of the function had been
made in all the city newspapers.
The banquet was non-partlsan al
fair and perhaps the most successful
feature of Mr.. Bryan's visit. Albert
Godchaux, president of the New Or
leans Progressive Union, officiated as
master of ceremonies and introduced
Gov. Blanchard, who delivered a brief
and eloquent address Of welcome which
closed with these words: Colonel
BRYAN, Democrats and Republicans
alike are here joining in this recep-
ton to you. They vie with one an
other in showing respect for public
man of principle and conspicuous abil-
ity-a statesman and orator whose
merits are recognized and appreciated
wherever his country is known. Tn
the name OF her people | bid you well
come to Louisiana and to New Or
leans.
In an address of twenty minutes Mr..
Bryan told something Of his trip
around the world and of the increased
admiration and love for his own coun-
try engendered by what he had seen
and learned abroad. He studiously
avoided partisan politics in Difference
to the non-political character of the
Progressive Union and to the presence
Of Republicans as we'll as Democr ats
among his hosts, but announced that
his speech to be delivered at the City
Park just after the banquet would deal
with politics.
The mass meeting on the City Park
polo grounds was by no means the
great affair that had been anticipated,
but it was SO much better than the
forenoon's tame demonstr alton til at
the meeting might ae termed decidedly
successful in comparison. A liberal es-
innate of the attendance would be 5000.
The Picayune placed it at 5000 to 1000,
the Times-Democrat sacrificed judg-
ment to enthusiasm or excessive hos
pitality by estimating the crowd at
about 1900, while Gov. Blanchard,
who sat on the speakers platform
where he could get an excellent view
of the audience, was authOritatively
quoted in the press as saying that Mr..
Bry rams speech was listened to by 1000
people.
Beginning at 4:30 o'clock, Mr.. Bryan
spoke for an hour on the same topics
covered by his addresses at New York
and number of other points since his
return from his foreign tour four weeks
ago. He said the Republican party
has been enabled to retain control Of
the government for the past ten years
because benehcent Providence opened
the gold mines and gave the people
plenty Of money and blessed them with
bountiful crops: that sad comment
airy upon the character of this party S
administration and its public men is
pers in the declaration that there is
only one man who could be sure of
election on the Republican ticket
President Roosevelt, who has gained
his greatest fame and popularity by
carrying into effect the avowed princi-
Piles of the Democratic party. Mr..
Bryan detailed the things which he
charged the Republicans with flching
from Democratic platforms, and dis
cussed the trust questions at length,
repeating his well-known shibboleth
that every species of private monopoly
should be crushed out of existence.
He reiterated the views expressed in
his New York speech on the subject of
government ownership of railroads,
declaring that he spoke for himself
alone and made no pretepsion of COM
hitting the Democratic party to this
or any other policy. He admitted th at
the country was probably not yet
ready for such ownership, and that he
did not know how far the people had
gone into the question; but he pro-
claimed his Individual opinion that
mere supervision Of the railroad
would not prove satisfactory-though
he favored giving it a fair trial-and
that national ownership OF trunk lines
and state ownership of state lines
would be found the only proper and
acceptable ultimate solution of the
problem. MIR. Bryan expatiated briefly
on the Philippine question, declaring
that the retention Of the islands was q
blunder and that they ought to be re-
linquished to the control OF their own
people at the earliest possible time,
and he enumerated some of the big
things, including the digging of the
Panama Canal, that could have been
done with the $500, 900, 900 the Philip.
pines have cost US. The distinguished
orator ELECTED frequent laughter and
applause but no very marked enthu-
siasm, the heartiest outburst OF cheers