The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-06-25
Tells New York Newspapers
They Have Never Been on
Side of American People
GOTHAM PAPERS TRIED
TO ASSASSINATE HIM
Now That He Is Free From
Limitations of Office He Will
Not Permit Their Attacks to
Be Unanswered

New York, June 24-''Tonight
plead against war with Germany.
Should similar circumstances arise
with France, England or Russia. l
would plead just as ardently against
war with any of those countries"
Those words were uttered by Will
liam j. Bryan, in the course of his
speech on National Honor" at a
mass meeting held under the auspices
of Friends of Peace in Madison
Square Garden. AS MIR, Bryan banged
hts fist on the railing OF the speakers
Tsatf6Fih, his teeth Siirsed and his
eyes flashed. twelve thousand men and
women in the Garden leaped to their
feet. They waved American flags.
They shouted, they whistled. they
stamped their feet, and they shrieked.
Outside the Garden $4,000 more
persons, reused by the emphatic
cheering, and 1t rose and swelled
from the threats of the vast throng
in the thoroughfares surrounding the
building There were conservatively'
between 27.000 and 10000 persons as
|sembled to emphasize the peace move
ment and to voice their approval of
resolutions against war. The chair
man OF the meeting put the number
at 100000; the police inspector In
charge estimated 1t at 10000.
Cheer MIR. Bryan.
For minutes they cheered Mr..
Bryan when he entered the hall They
greeted him impressively when he
was introduced. and kept on cheering
until ne forced them to silence by be-
ginning To speak. They interrupted
his address many times and at the
end they cheered him, The majority
of the people present were German
Americans. with sprinkiing of MEM
bers of Irish and Scottish societies.
also few Socialists.
But while Mr.. Bryan held high the
dove Of peace--and tae received one
with bouquet of roses when he had
fiaished--he had the voice OF hum
CRY wolf for the newspapers. Eio-
quently and Realistically as he plead
ed for universal peace, just as en-
L,hg;ically he assailed the New York
newspapers saying they never had
been on the side of the people in all
the time he has been in politics and
assaifing them for seeking for more
than two years to assassinate him.
A Fighting Bryan. Too.
It was a bitter Mr.. Bryan who
spoke--bitter against the newspapers
for having attacked him as Secretary
of State and as an opponent of Presi-
deIlL NiSbH = peace pfpSfdIH. ~ afSo
was fighting BRYAN. The lines on his
face. the deep-set, melancholy express
sion t.tat came across his face. show
ed that he was fighting not only for
his peace propaganda, sbut to rehabill-
tate himself in the ewes of the men
who disagreed with his act in resign
sii5 his cabinet pSSsfu,fo at stfSsM I.
critical time.
Throughout his speech ne was in
corrupted with side comments with
an occasional hostile remark which
came at intervals in the shape Of
How about Mexicoa, and became 50
persistent that voices shouted OF the
interruptor, Put him OUT" XIII
hint"
1t was not until . o'clock that Henry
Weismann, chairman of the meeting,
finished a long address eulogizing Mr..
Bryan and attacking Colonel RuoEe-
Welt. Then Mr.. BRYAN stepped for
ward to the rafting Ind, though HI
had prepared a formal address. he
! spoke for fifteen minutes before he
reached that. Mr.. Bryan said he
found 1t impossible to measure his