The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-02-24
The Auditorium Meeting Sue
cessful I'm Every Sense.
ORATORY ANDTURKEY
A Cheerful Audience Who Dined
and Applauded.
Nebraskan Has Grown Broader
With Passing Years.
Still Smiles and FavOrs Govern
ment Control of Roads.

The Democrats of Kansas have only
cause for felicitation upon the manner
in which their banquet at the AUDITOR
ium Saturday night, in honor OF w. j.
Bryan, was carried out. There was one
little blot, however, in the selling OIL
more tickets than the table seating ca
pacity could satisfy. But as this was
matter of demand rather than greed. in
the general era of good fellowship pre-
vailing it was courteously overlooked.
Otherwise the affair was a success from
the moment the first hungry follower OF
Jefferson dropped against his plate OF
turkey peas potatoes and water only
until the great Commoner glanced at
his watch at thirty minutes after lnlo-
night and ceased his remarks Tor
handshaking campaign. 1t was
crowded house, including the stage and
balconies. Good natured, enthusiastic
men and handsomely begowned women
gave liberal applause to the speakers
as well as the strains of Dixie" and
the Star Spangled Banner" from the
big pipe organ by Prof. Ellenberger.
A novelty in the stage decorations was
q row of tallow candles which carried
many of the old timers back to their
humble cabin homes and days OF youth
The mention of ex-senator w. A. Har-
applause throughout the evening as
did Thomas Jefferson and Andrew
Jackson. AS for Grover Cleveland, no
mention was made Of his name.
w. H. Kemper, of Topeka. opened the
programme by brief Introductory an
nounceInent of the illness of Senator
G. H. Hodges of Olathe. who was to
preside and the substitution Of Hugh
Farrelly, of Chanute, who read Presi-
dent Hodges address, and kept things
moving in good shape.
Hodges commended w. A. Harris for
his law enforcement talk during his
gubernatorial campaign, even if it did
cost him the office. He also thanked
God that the Democracy was no longer
party of resubmission, and declared
the Democracy were law-abiding and
wherever in control 1t was by the will
of the people and not the corporations. |
Speech of Henry Swan.
Henry Swan, of Cottonwood Falls, |
told of ''The Mission Of Political Par
ties" Swan is one of the young
Democracy and halls from Chase
county where he is q law partner of
T. H. Grisham's. He will probably
be his party's next nominee for coun-
ty attorney. With hands in his
pockets Swan paced the stage back
and forth delivering in good voice an
orthodox speech devoted largely to
the fmperfections of Kansas laws and
the recent session extraordinary of
the legislature.
Mr.. Swan said: In the face of the |
record of the Republican party in the |
state of Kansas, it is apparent to |
every fair-minded man that this party |
has failed to perform it's mission, and |
is in the control of the element of
which I have spoken. This condition |
has eradicated radicalism and ex-
treme partisanShip, and given birth to |
an Independent policy in public |
politics. policy against which the I
voice of the demagogue and partisan I
has been directed through the ages
of the past. A policy that freed Re I
publican Ohio from the misrule and !
oppression of Boss Cox and his |
political machine, and will in it's time |
create political upheavel in Re-
publican Pennsylvania and mete out
lie grafters this world has ever
known.
The signs of the times plainly in
dicate that we are at the dawning of !
a new political era, when the party
in power will respect the policies and,
demands of the people and act on all /
matters of public concern without re- /
gard TO their political origin
Demo cracy is the child of no one /
mans brain; it is the crystallized pro-
test of all the ages against oppres-
sion and wrong; it is as old as the |
first denunciation of slavery, and as
ancient as the earliest dream of lib |
erty that ever glorified the horizon |
of the soul. The history of Demo-
cracy is the story of the struggle for !
human liberty, which begun when
man first began to Cypress his |
brother. 1t has been the dream of I
the poets, SageS and statesmen, and |
in every age, condition and cline its |
fires have burned within the breast |
of universal man.
r.. f. Coughlin on ''Young Democ-
racy."
r. e. Coughlin to whom was assign
ed the topic of Young Democracy"
claims Edgerton as his home but in |
every appearance. act and graceful ges
ture he suggested Kentucky. From his |
handsome, educational face his dreamy
dark eyes gazed away to the ceiling to
which he addressed his remarks in flow
cry poesy of the Mary ]. Holmes order |
He told of voices of the night and float /
ed away in dim and mystic cycles of the
past, not once touching solid earth His /
was the address of a student /
Coughlin said in part: Democracy
is the child of no one mans brain; it is
the crystallized protest of all the ages
against oppression and wrong; it is as
old as the first denunciation of slavery |
and as ancient as the earliest dream of |
liberty that ever glorified the horizon |
of the soul. Wherever human hearts
have Ionged for equality, wherever liz,
have uttered an invocation to liberty, |
wherever eyes have swept the skies of |
tyranny and sought a star of hope, there
has been a Democrat. The parent /
snrings that form the source of Democ-
racv are lost in antiquity and In their /
sweep through the centuries they have /
been Redeemed by the blood of martyrs,
<rv,ntynued on Paea Erigbt,