Omaha daily bee., 1908-01-16
Lauded by Speakers and Cheered by
People at Board,
ELECTION AN ASSURED FACT
Orator After Orator Sees Only Sure
Victory Ahead.
ROsEATE DREAM OF DEMOCRATS
Annual Dollar Dinner the Occasion of
Great OutpourinE Of Fervent
Abuse for RepubIicanisn, ana
Praise fer Bryan,
lFrom a stnff CorrcsnondentN

CFrom staff Corrcspondent)
! LINCOLN, Jan Especial Telegram.)-
Under the name Of Fourth Annual Ban
quet Of the Democratic state Committee
democrats Of half dozen states met TO
night aud pledged their support to the can
didacy Of William J. Bryan for president
predicted unanimously his election. ana
agreed without dissent that the republican
party Is unable to manage the affairs o.
the government In the interest Of all tho
people
The meeting was held in the large audi
torium and seats at the banquet tahh
were prepared for l,CO2, and every seat was
occupied and many were unable to gair
admttance. even to the gallery. which
necessitated the holding OF an overflow
banquet at the Lincoln hotel From a. c.
Shallenberger the toastpaster, down the
long list of speakers, each brought mes.
sage of love and encouragement 20 the Ne.
brsskan. who closed the speaking with hii
ever optimistic assertion that never before
were the democrats so united and harmoni'
Gus as now. The occasion brought out E
magnificent crowd of democrats, with a
few populsts. who have become so scarce
since George W. Berge became democrat
that they were almost unrecognizable, but
they were there Hon. NJ. r. Harrington
representing them on the speakers list,
The arrangements for the banquet were
by no means the best in the world, but even
that could not disturb the beautiful day
dreams INDUCED in Long tables run the
length of the auditorium from east TO west
while on the stage were tables for the
speakers and a few leading manipulators
of democratic politics and distinguished
guests The banuueters were seated with
their sides to the speakers but the party
had become so used to twisting around In
it's various positions no one was seriously
disturbed by that. The applause was gem
erous throughout and though several OF the
speeches were longer than the Bryan road
] 10 the White House the name Of the peer
less leader was thrown in often enough
to keep the crowd worked up to the ideal
pitch.
} Governor welcomes Governors.
Notwithstanding one OF the prominent
democrats from out in the state said the
reception accorded the visitors was cold
and cIammy. Governor Sheldon tooli a hand
late in the day and showed the visiting
governors from Oklahoma and Florida that
western hospitality is par with that
of their own beloved southland. The gov
ernor entertained William ]. bryan, Gov
ernor Haskell and Mrs. Haskell of Okla
homa, Governor Broward of Florida and
Senator Wrightson of Oklahoma at the
, executive mansion for an hour. At this
, meeting politics for the moment was laid
aside and the beauties Of Nebraska as can
be described no better than by Governor
and Mrs Sheldon were discussed. The gov
, ernors had met before and this reunion
Z was of pleasure TO them all.
Governor Broward reached Lincoln last
night, while the other speakers came in
! during the day. Colonel Bryan met Gov
: ernor and Mrs Haskell AT the station and
drove them at once to Fairview, where
, later they were joined by Governor Brow
ard of Florida and Senator Wrightson Of
p Oklahoma for lunch, Later I'm the after
, noon Mr. Bryan drove his guests over the
city and at 4:30 called at the executive
: mansion, where tea was served.
I Democrats in Droves.
The active crowd began to arrive last
night and the Lincoln hotel, whicch is the
2 democratic headquarters turned away peo-
I pie as early as o'clock During the day,
I while the democratic state committee was
! holding forth behind closed doors, other
democrats roamed around the corridor OF
the hotel, predicting the election Of Bryan
The fact that 8 number of railroad men.
including William Canaday Of the Union
Pacific. war horse democrat; Superin-
tondent Rogers of the Burlington, together
with number of freight agents who are
here TO attend proceedings before tho
Interstate Commerce commission, mingled
with the crowd and discussed politics failed
10 scare them one bit. It discovered
E at a late hour that inasmuch as A. C..
s shalIenberger had been chosen postmaster,
n other candidates for the democratic nom-
$ nation for governor had been sighted Ar
A rangements were then made TO have the
D toastmaster call upon Mayor Dahlman OF
[ Omaha and George w. Berge Of Lincoln
j to make short talks-just to keep up tho
harmony dream. Berge kicked at first
when he was told he could have only five
! minutes, but later consented to talk II
; called upon.
e ROasts for RepubIicaniEm.
S The one great note that sounded through
70 all the speeches was Bryan. The speakers
Z dwat lovingly on the name and from Iowa,
s Indiana Florida, Colorado, oklahoma,
+ came prophets to tell the people of Ne
braska and to tell the Nebraska himself
that Bryan was going 10 be elected. Even
In Nebraska, where the last republican
majority was 50 large Il WAS almost too
. big to count, came a prophet saying Bryan
would carry the state. The rest was de-
nunciation OF republican principles. II was
a case OF the wish being father TO the
J. thought-hopeful predictions in the face of
. stubborn facts And the magnificent crowd
Q liked IT, The people paid their dollar each
= to hear beautiful metaphors, roasts served
j. up hot from good speakers and about the
d good time a-coming-that Is what they
j., heard-from the beginning 20 the cnd-snd
i ali those prophecies made in 1895 ana In
3 1900 about the abolition OF the Fourth OF
n July, the great paramount issue Of 1890
! dire things that were TO happen and didn't
!. they were forgot
d The bill OF fare contained "a large car OF
c corn suspended from the husks, out OF
n which appeared the head Of the presideu-
tiaI candidate. Then followed the list Of
n speakers on separate page and the lost
z Of edibles, all cold.
III In An. Il