Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1908-04-01
Mr.. BRYAN'S ADDRESS AT
SPRINGFIELD. Ill
REVIEWS HIS CONNECTION WITH
DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
Charges of Attempted Dictatorship
Refuted-Will Be Candidate Only
i'm Answer to Call from the
United Party.

MI, Bryan was luNltcu ~ duui coo SA>
meeting, and spoke as follows:
81 appreciate the honor Mr.. Steven
son does me and the sacrifice he
makes in accepting the position OF
president of the Federation OF Bryan
Clubs. and l am touched by the good
will and confidence which you mani
fest at this season of the year to !
prepare for the coming campaign. AS |
YOU have declared yourselves in
favor of my nomination, l can speak
to you frankly and in personal way.
have been called a dictator and yet
you can testify that no one has been
less dictator. / have no inclination
to dictate and no power to dictate
even if l wished to do So nave
had no patronage with which to bride
you, no money with which to hire you,
and no corporate power, believe me,
with which to terrorize you. l was
nominated at Chicago in 1896 without
any organization or literary bureau to
bring me to the attention OF the DELE
gates. was renominated by unani-
nous vote in 1900, after those who
had helped to defeat me in 1896 had
spent four years in trying to drive
me out of politics. Immediately after
| the election of 1900 l announced that
| would not be candidate in 1904.
I made this announcement then so
that the party might test the truth
of the charge that my radicalism had
defeated the party. l did not try
to pick out a candidate or force any
man on the party. l opposed Mr.
Parker's nomination because he re-
fused to discuss the issues and con-
! cealed his views on public questions.
I went to the St. Louis convention
from a sense of duty, feeling that l
owed it to those who had voted for me
to do what l could to secure plat
form that would not sacrifice the prin-
ciples for which the party had been
fighting. l Jared better than l eX-
pected, and we do not have to apollo
gize for the platform of that year
When Mr.. Parker was nominated
went out and did what I could fol-
him. His platform committed him tc
several important reforms, while the
Republican platform did not promise
anything. I worked for him as hare
as I could have worked for myself
and plead for him as earnestly as
could have plead for candidate O
my choice.
: All those who were prominent IL
! support of me supported him, bu
when the vote was counted it wa!
found that his vote was about mil
lion and a quarter short of that o
1900. His vote fell off in the cas-
! and south as well as in the west-il
only two states, l believe, did hi
vote exceed the vote of 1900.
1t was evident the day after tn
election that the Democratic part.
,, would be again a positive, aggressive
reform force. The reaction immediate
.. ly brought my name before the coun
| try again. and my denomination wa
predicted.
In 1906 when l was out of the coun
try and not in correspondence wit
any one, about half the state conven
tons Endorsed me. l appreciates
the compliment, but l waited NOR
J.. than a year to see if anyone woul
appear upon whom the party coul
center with better prospects of sue
cess Finally, last November, in orde
to put an end to demonstrations O
my silence and Misrepresentation o
my intention, announced that woul
be a candidate il the Democrats dc
sired it. l said that I would obey tn
party if it summoned me and would
if the party wished, carry the stand
ard no matter whom the Republican
might nominate and no matter whetl
er the chances favored victory or d
feat This is my position to-day.
If Ihave retained your confidence
is because l have spoken from m
heart to your hearts and have che
ished the same ideals that you hav
cherished
If / am nominated | want the non
ination to come from the voters ratf
er than from the convention. TIL
convention is but the servant of tn
voters-the voters are the master!
Il. They have right to determine bot
the platform and the candidates
. you want me nominated, instruct fo
!. me. Instructions are democratic n
, one has any right to represent other
unless they want him to represer
them.
1 believe in instruction l do nc
care upon whom your choice fall
Whoever he is ne should have del
gates instructed by the people VIII
. elected them. They should represer
!, the wishes of the people.
If am to be your candidate, l war
your delegates instructed for me.
/ am your candidate again it will b
in answer to a call from the part,
and upon that condition only am
. candidate. If the voters of the part
; want me for their candidate they wi
instruct their delegates to that e
feet.