The Nevada County picayune. (Prescott, Ark.) 190?-current, 1912-06-28
Bryan's Speech Nominating Kern

opening Ol luo DelloCldtiS hSA'AohAi
convention here in favor of the Sc
lection of Senator Kern of Indiana as
temporary chairman and against the
selection of Alton B. Parker for the
position.
Gentlemen of the Convention:
rise to place in nomination for tenn
porary chairman of this convention
the name of Hon. John w. Kern of
| Indiana. And in thus dissenting from
the judgment of our national commit
| tee, | recognize that the burden of
| proof is on me to overthrow the as
sumption of the committee that it is
representing in this instance the
wishes of the party and the country.
| call your attention to the fact that
our rules provide that the commit
! tees recommendation is not final. The
very fact that the convention has the
/ right 70 accept or reject that recon-
mendation is a higher consideration
than that of the wisdom of the COM
mittee.
IF that is not proof that have the
confidence of the Democrats of the
nation, ! shall not attempt TO produce
proof.
Il take for my text this morning
the text the committee has been kind
enough to put on the walls for me"
He then quoted the big banner on
the wall. which, under a picture of
Andrew Jackson, read: He neve"
sold the truth to serve the hour"
THAT is the language of the hero
of Monticello. l would not be worthy
the support I have received if l were
willing to sell truth for the hour at
this time"
The delegates smiled at the refer
ence TO "Monticello," for the quota
ton was not from Jefferson, but from
Jackson.
Let me free myself from any crit
icism that anyone may have made or
may attempt to make hereafter.
rs there any other delegate in this
convention of over a thousand who
tried earlier than | TO secure harmony
in this convention ?
AT the end of sixteen years of bat
tie | find the things | have fought for
triumphant, not only IN my own
party, but in the Republican party as
well.
I'm discussion before the sub-com-
mittee the friends of Mr.. Clark and
Mr. Wilson were unable to agree on a
candidate.
Mr.. Bryan said that later the two
factions agreed to support James.
This, he said, was the plan to have
two presidential candidates controll-
ing nearly two-thirds of the delegat es
agree on man for temporary chair
man.
But this the national committee re-
fused to do" he shouted
Il submit to you that the plan that
presented and favored was plan
for securing harmony; the plan the
committee favored was not designed
to secure harmony.
This is no ordinary occasion: this
is an epoch-making convention. 1t
has been a long fight, requiring cour
age and secrifce. | know men in
humble walks of life riskng their DO
sitions with big railroad corporations
to assist us in this fight for progress
i've principles.
John W. Kern has been faithful
every day of that sixteen years. II
has cost him time, money and the
wear of body and mind He has been
free with all he had. Four years age
it was John W. Kern who stood by
me and helped me take the last
stronghold. He helped me uphold
the policy of publicity of campaign
contributions, which now has swept
the country
ut was John w. Kern who stood
with me on the platform which de
manded the election of senators by
direct vote of the people Now he is
in the senate, where he can show the
American people how big an Ameri
can senator should be.
He helped in the fight for that
amendment authorizing an income
tax, and he has lived to see the pres
ident who was opposed to it take thai
plank out Of our platform and make
two houses of congress and thirty.fou
states pass 1t.
Now he is leading a fight in the
senate to purge that body of Lori
mer What better man could we
have to open convention?
When ! now contrast the candi
date presented by the committee,
can do so without impeaching his
character or his good intent. But
not every man of good character and
good intent is worthy TO sound the
keynote of progressive convention
There are seven million Republi
cans in this country, or were at the
last election, and / have never doubt
ed most of them were men of high
character and good intent, but We
would not invite any Of them to be
temporary chairman of our conyen