Omaha daily bee., 1910-05-22

dates. During this time they nave called
me a leader.
| have not attempted to think for these
people. l have been content TO think with
a EN-. l have never asked them to do a
thing that their conscience and their iudg-
] mort did not approve. / owe TO this people
all that j am In the world. II ! can travel
through every land and be welcomed as a
Representative Of, American citizenship. IL
| is because these people of Nebraska gave
me the prominence that enables me 10 enjoy
these distinctions. / owe all to these peo-
pie, and when they asked me II would run
for the senate / said, no; l have a greater
work to do; owe more to these people OF
Nebraska than TO receive an honor at
their hands and to draw the salary that
would come to me. / knew that as a
candidate for the senate l would have to
either evade this question, or, II l spoke my
sentiments / would have people telling me
that 1 was inJurlng the democratic party.
1 therefore preferred to make this fight
an a private citizen. 1 owe you more than
to desire you to help me- l owe you So
much that desire to help you. All 1 ask
row is that may have your condolences
and your ears that l may tell you what
I know and what you yourself know. l
have said to the opponents OF county option
what I have said to you. my friends
have told them what I knew was going
on and what is their answer? Why, they
say, that has been going on for years
They don't deny It, Nobody denies II,
Nobody can deny it, And their only an
swer is, well, they have done 1t before
Well, my answer is, they will not do il
again. (Applause)
I enjoy having your confidence. and
would have enjoyed tonight being met by
a committee of friends and escorted up
here and having this stage filled with
friends, but was not willing to embarrass
a friend.
] don't know what your situation is.
don't know how free you are to speak. But
/ am free. can speak what l please.
do not have to ask anybody for the right
to live or the right to speak, and / shall
exercise that right to speak.
Down in Otoe county, that I carried when
! was a candidate, they would not let me
have the court house to speak in when
went down there TO speak, but 1 spoke there
just the same, and 1 had a larger hall than
the court house They got IT there and in
vited me to come, and had three times as
many to hear me as l would have had II
they had given me the court house.
know the people of this state believe
in free speech; l know they believe In free
government, and because they believe ir
free government they believe in the intla-
tive and the referendum as a means OF
bringing the government within the reach
OF the people. l know, too, that they be-
lieve In county option They don't have
to say they are for the saloon or against
it: All they have to say is they believe the
people Of the county have the right to DC
what they please upon the subject. That
Is all 1t means, and that is all / am asking
for, and The Bee knew 1t when 1t said ]
came here to make a prohibition speech
that 1t was false 1t knew that was not
coming to make a prohibition speech.
knew that county option does not mean
prohibition; and 1t is cowardly for a paper
to hide behind prohibition because it dared
not answer the arguments in favor OF
county option. prolonged applause.)
am going to put 1t to vote here. You