The semi-weekly messenger., 1908-03-10
HIS NAME WILDLY CHEERED
Number in Attendance Unprece-
IDENTITY LaIpe
Harmony Marked Proceed;ngs-Was
One SenLblance OF COntest-ROutine
Business Transacted without Hitch
Platform Adoptet-ResOlUtion Pass
ed Endorsing Bryan's Candidacy.

| Omaha, Neb, March 3.-AIthougn
J William Jennings Bryan aDpe0red on
ly as spectator at the opening seS-
sion of the Nebraska state democratic
! convention this afternoon the pro-
I ceediAgs were filled with a spirit OF
! loyalty to him that left no doubt as to
| the attitude of his party members
in this his hoLae state. From the time
that Chairman A.. II. Hanks made his
first reference ta, Bryan as the next
presidenE of the United States" in the
opening address, until the convention
took it's recess, every mention OF
BryaE's name OF principles waS
greeted with roaring applause
Not even the tedious work of Sc
lecting delegates 1t large 70 the na-
tional convention Of the party that
is to meet in Denver in July could
, lessen the enthusiasm the members
of the conve ntion shouting themselves
hoarsl with: each mention of their
leader.
Harmony was the keynote of the
proceedings and the only senfblance
OF contest same wien thes task Of
choosing delegates at large to the ma
tional convention was reached,
T. J. Dunn, OF Omaha d.. Y. Steph-
ems. of Fremont; F. w. Brown, OF
Lincoln, and Felix J. Halle, were the
delegates selected.
Nominations for all tHe' other places
at the disposal of the convention were
practically settled befo~a the proceed
ings began.
Dr. P. L. Hall, of Lincoln was
chosen national cor -1itteemaT for
Nebraska, to succeed r lyor Dahi;Han
OF Omaha, who declin~d to- run
The district delegate to the Den
yer convention were elected by the
state convention delegrtesr from eacn
congressional diatric Twelve men.
two from each distri:>, were then
chosen.
The convention was ones OF the most
largely attended in the history OF the
party in this state. More than 1000
pronounced party men are in the
city
Owing to the contests ii} the district
conventions the delegates were slow
in reaching the city auditorium. At
2 O'Clock the hour set for the gather
ing, there were more vacant than OC-
cupied seats in the big hail ard 1t
was ga minutes later before, r. s. AT
len, chairman of the state central COM
mittee. called the meeting to order.
The convention lost no time i'm get
ting down to business. The report OF
the committee on resolutions was the
first matter to come before the ever-
ing session. After the cheers which
greeted its reading had subsided the
report was adopted as the official ex-
preston of the convention. Three
former members of the party who
have died recently were remembered
by resolution.
Another 'declaration> in favor Of
the issuance of $500 100000 in govern
ment bonds in order to- provide funds
with which to prosecute public works
titus giving work to many unemployed
persons, was also carried. The con-
vention then endorsed the work of
Congressman G. H. Hitchcock, the on
1y member of the party In the Ne
braska delegation at Washington.
Mr. Bryan entitled his speech, "A
Word of Encouragement" and de-
voted his remarks to the producing of
evidence to show the growth of
demcratic policies and principles and
the basis for democratic hope.
The platform as whole was large
ly Mr. Bryan's own work.. That it re-
f1efected the leaders, view as to what
should form the issues upon which
the party should go before the coun-
try next fall, was not denied.
Mr.. Bryan, however, said that the
declarations of the platform were
necessarily incomplete, that some
Subjects undoubtedly will be included
in the national platform, were omit
ted, while others were treated in the
Nebraska document In purposely
/ brief manner so as to allow ampli-
| fication at Denver.
The platform in full is as follows:
PLATFORM
We, the representatives of the demo
cracy of Nebraska, in state con-
vention assembled, reafirm our faith
! in, and pledge our loyalty to, the
| principles of our party. We rejoice at
the increasing signs of an awakening
| in the United States The various in
| vestigations have traced graft and po-
| litical corruption to the representa-
tives of predatory wealth and laid
| bare the unscrupulous methods by
which they have debauched elections
and preyed upon a defenseless public
| through the subservient officials whom
| they have raised to place and power.
The conscience Of the nation is now
aroused and will, IL honestly appealed
| to, free the government from the grip
of those who have made 1t a busi-
ness asset OF the favor-seeking cor
porations. 1t must become again "a
government of the people, by the peo-
pie and for the people" and be ad-
| ministered In all It's departments &C
cording to the Jeffersonian maxim,
equal rights to all and special pri-
vileges to none"
This ;s the overshadowing issue at