The Democratic advocate., 1908-09-04
THE CALL TO BATTLE
STIRRING APPEAL FROM DEMOCRATIC
STATE CENTRAL Committee
Every Man on the Firing Line From
Now Till November 3.

on Wednesday was read by Insurance
Commissioner Grouse, chairman of the
committee on resolutions, and ap-
plauded enthusiastically. 1t is as fol-
lows:
Fellow-CitiZens: After canvass
covering almost the whole period since
| the Presidential election of 1904, in
which his public and private life, his
professional and political career, his
physical, mental and moral endow-
ments, his experience, qualifications,
party services and personal popularity
have been subjected to the most
searching scrutiny and consideration,
William Jennings Bryan has been
nominated by our National Democratic
IConvention as our candidate for PreSi-
dent.
The nomination came to him as the
free and voluntary first choice of nine
tenths of the whole body of the con-
vention and amid a tumultuous en-
thusiasm without parallel in the po-
liticaI history of our country.
In his selection for this high honor
the will of the great masses of the
Democracy of the whole Union is I'M
questionably expressed.
Beyond controversy he is our candi-
date because the spontaneous voice of
the Democratic hosts speaking with
irresistible emphasis from one end of
the country to the other was heard
and obeyed.
! Chosen in this most gratifying and
authoritative way as the leader of our
great historic organization in this
mighty struggle to recover control of
the executive department of the Fed
eral Government, he has a right to
the support of every man who desires
the triumph Of our party, and no DEM
ocrat who believes in it's principles
and recognizes party organization as
essential to party supremacy can sue
cessfully justify or excuse apostasy
and desertion to the enemy in this
crisis of our party's history.
Men who belong to no party, who
repudiate party ties and party obliga-
tiOns, who take no part in nominating
conventions and debating appoint
ments to office; men who make no use
of party organization to increase their
, prestige, power and prosperity, may
we'll decline to be bound by the action
of political conventions, and in theexe
else of their right to Independent in
dividual action may select their own
. candidate and without subjectins
themselves to criticism, censure OF
reproach, may vote as they please.
But party men cannot act in this
way.
When the properly selected and ac-
credited representatives of their party
in true obedience to party usages and
; party discipline have put the party
i ticket into the field, with perfect fair
: ness and honor, ungratified individual
preferences and personal objections
= and antagonisms must be abandoned
= and at the call of duty every loya
party man must heartily respond anG
do his best to win.
Addressing ourselves to the Dem.
. ocracy of Maryland, We say to you
: the fight in which we are now engaged
> is your fight-the leader you are call.
ed on to support is your leader.
He holds his commission by an in
disputable title derived from the SOW
q ereign source of all political authority
o the freeport on the strength OF hi:
g own personal merits.
V His pure and upright private life
I his high sense of honor, his sturdy in.
dependence, his vigorous grasp of al
q public questions, and his unsurpassed
abilities, mark him as one Of the very
' foremost public men of the age, rich
ly endowed with all the qualifications
= for the discharge, with pre-eminen1
force and distinction, of the diversi-
fed duties of President.
, No one who reads his splendid eX-
) position and defense of the attitude
of the national Democracy upon the
q great issues Of this campaign as en-
bodied in our platform can fail to be
impressed, by his commanding power
+ and his deep and abiding sympathy
with the highest hopes and aspirations
of the people.
I His recent presentation of the case
of the Democracy upon the revision of
the tariff and the regulation and con-
troll of the trusts, whose fragrant
abuses have so stirred our people,
! leaves nothing to be desired on these
, vital questions.
His arguments are conceded by all
fair-minded men to oe most able and
effective, admirable both in form and
substance, and framed in the best style
of public discussion.
AS the campaign progresses he will
vindicate in his own mastery and CO.
gent way the position of our party
upon all the issues of the contest, and
in the maturity Of his powers demon
. strate his just claims to the full conf
dence of the people.
Fellow-citiZens, we appeal to you
to stand by the Democracy in this
momentous struggle.
Those who voted for Mr.. Bryan in
!, the contests of 1896 and 1900 can give
: no good reason for opposing him now,
strengthened as he is by the develop
ment, cultivation and experience of
!, the intervening years.
Those who could not see their way
clear to support him in 1896 because
of his views on the silver question, but
who nevertheless sustained and fol-
lowed him in 1900, cannot sincerely
and consistently fall back upon that
dead issue as a fair and reasonable
: ground of antagonism now.
/ Our practical concern is with the
living, vital issues of the day, not with
the settled questions of the past.
i Upon these living issues our ma
tional Democracy has spoken in no
uncertain tones, and the principles
and policies proclaimed in our plat
} form offer an inspiring hope to our
people for effective relief from the
evils and dangers of continued Re-
publican control.
Reject with the contemptuous de-
rision which it deserves the sugges-
ition, SO insulting to the intelligence of
the people, that the election of VIII