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Commoner.
WILLIATl J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
Lincoln, Nebraska, March 6, 1903.
Whole No. in.
Vol. 3. No. 7.
EKSKil!
The
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DEMOCRATIC OPPORTUNITY
Speech ddlvertdby Mr.
Bryan at Wilmington,
Delaware, Feb. 18, 1003.
Friends and Fellow Democrats: It is very
gratifying indeed to meet the representatives of
the democracy of Delaware about this banquet
board. This gathering is not much like the first
TnnHnir-T had hero. I came to Delaware at u
I time when you did not Know mo, and I did not
:nw von. I -have often thought of the urst
1 speech I ever made in Wilmington. It was not a
large meeting; there was plenty or room in iuo
kail for any others who had aesirea u wm0.
And T introduced myself, because there wasn'fa
man in the community, so far as I knew, who was
twilling to take the responsibility of introducing
That was only, about six months oeiore i
kcamo as a presidential candidate, when they near
ly ruined the building trying to get in.
I have been interested in watching tne growm
of sentiment in this state-and throughout the
-union, and I am not at all pessimistic in regard
to the future. I am confident of the. triumph of
our ideas, never more confident than now.
It gives me great pleasure to meet with you
tonight, as, last night, on a similar occasion, I
'met with some of the loyal democrats of Balti
more. I am glad to meet my old friend, Handy.
There was a time along in the-early hours of the
morning at Kansas City, whence came, in mighty
"handy." They were discussing the platform down
there, and he was loyal when we did not havo
any votes to spare when it came to a vote. I am
also very glad to meet again my friend Gray,
whom I learned to know years ago, and others
with whom I have become acquainted since
.the members of this democratic league, the demo
crats who have convictions and are not afraid to
own them.
The campaigns of 1896 and 1900 brought out
a great deal of moral courage. I havo known some
heroes in my day men who had the spirit of
martyrdom; men who were willing to suffer for
what they believed to be right and a man's con--victions
are better- measured by what he is will
ing to suffer than by what he Is willing to. enjoy
for those convictions.
You who live in, .hese eastern states havo had
much more to fight igainst The power of wealth
is greater here thar 'it is out in our country. You
have had much mc re to contend against than we.
You know we sometimes speak of those who como
op "through great tribulations." That phrase can
be applied to the democrats of Delaware, Maryland
and other eastern states, for you have certainly
come iip amid great tribulations.
Thereis no doubt of the ultimate triumph of the
principles for which you and I contend.
I do not come here tonight as a candidate for
office; I do not come as a leader even, for, I am
glad to say, the democratic party Is in a different
condition from that of a few years ago. Ten
years ago leaders In the democratic party had
more influence than they have now. We had
leaders then, and we followed them, often fol
lowedythem blindly. I remember a time why.
It was when my boy was born when I was such
an admirer of Grover Cleveland and John G. Car
lisle that If TUhad named my child after publio
men, I would have called my boy Cleveland. Car
lisle Bryan. You can imagine how I would feel
now if I had given him that name.
Now, these were our leaders, and, my friends,
we havo learned a lesson in regard to leadership.
We have found that a leader ceases to bo a leader
when ho ceases to havo followers. As some one
has remarked, the real leader is the man who is
going in the same direction that the people aro
'going, but is just a little bit ahead. That is what
a leader is, ho must be going in the same direc
tion as the people. In fact, a great many people
make a mistake when they think that the people, -going
in the same direction as they, aro following
them. If the man who thinks ne is leading will
just turn and go the other way ho will be sur
prised to find how few of the people will turn
back when he does. And so when people tell me
that a change has taken place In the democratic
party in the last few years, when they talk about
the "remnant'' who believe in the principles of
the Kansas City platform well, I havo had too
much experience to believe what they say, for I
have spont now more than twenty years trying to
change the minds of republicans, and I know what
a slow process it is. I know also that tho repub
licans havo been trying to change. the minds of
. .demoCrati,,and Xt 3Wm'JIl
I know that a man who talks about 0,500,000 peo
plo, turning around suddenly and going in tho
opposite direction does not know what he is talk
ing about. Those who went down to defeat with
us went down because they believed in the things
that they fought for, and I know that they were
willing to suffer defeat and fight for what they
believed, rather than surrender their convictions
on great questions in order to win any nominal
victory, however great, that might be promised
as a reward for that surrender.
I know that these havo not changed and will
not change their opinions on great fundamental
principles. When J hear that people have met at
some high-priced hotel and decided to nominate
a candidate for tho presidency who will accept the
nomination only on condition that the platform re
pudiates the platforms of 1896 and 1900, it does not
worry me. I say, "Wait until the fellows at tho
threshing machines; wait until tho fellows in tho
shops; wait until the fellows who do the working
and tie voting; wait until these get together, and
they will not ask such a man to accept a nomina
tion for the presidency.
My friends, I wanfto predict that no man in
your lifetime or in mlno will ever be a presiden
tial candidate on the democratic ticket "who will
be ashamed to admit that ho stood for the prin
ciples set forth In the platforms of 189G and 1900.
If victory were the only thing wo were con
tending for; if wo would put our argument on tho
low plane of trying, to get the offices only, we
could not afford to surrender our convictions.
If a young man comes to me and asks mo
how he can succeed in life, I tell him that first he
must be honest; that, second, he must be indus
trious, and that if ho Is honest and industrious,
his success will bo measured by his ability. If
he asks me If I can assure him success immedlate
y, I tell-him no; tha't no person can. guarantee
--.J!
anything in tho futuro, either for himself or for
anybody else. But I tell him that ho cannot af
ford to build for today or tomorrow; ho must
build for life. And no man has an ideal that is
worth following that is not high enough to keep
him looking upward until ho dies. No man has
an Ideal that Is worth following that is not so far
in front of him that ho cannot overtake it while
ho lives. The young man who will build his lifo
upon a firm foundation, who will bo honest, up
right and faithful to every trust, cannot live In
any community twenty-five years without being
called upon to act as tho representative and
spokesman of his fellows.
And so it Is with the democratic party. If wo
attempt to build for tomorrow, wo build in vain.
If wo attempt to catch a little temporary popular
ity by selling our principles on tho auction block,
or buying policies at a junkshop, wo will not only
fail of Immediate success, but wo will fail of ulti
mate success.
There never was a time when this country was
more-in need of a real democratic party than it is
today. Never in this country's history did we need
a more complete application of democratic prin
ciples than now.
i We havo suffered for ten years nccauso In 1892
WliaS victory! ror iW&'mmo, wlthbuf'a victory
for tho principles of the party. In 1896 tho demo
cratic party was disorganized. Why? Because
wo had won a victory in 1892 thai betrayed tho
hopes of the peoplo who gavo victory to tho
party. )
' Every little while I see by tho papers that
they are going to have a harmony meeting; that
they are going to bring together the men who
have fought each other. I do not believe that wo
ought to risk a harmony meeting unless we com
pel the people who attend to leave their revolvers
at the door. Thero is no use in having a har
mony meeting between people who dislike each
other more than they dislike republicans.
I havo been invited to one or two meetings
where Mr. Cleveland was invited, and I have re
fused to attend. And I havo refused on tho
ground that he twice helped to elect a republican
ticket, and that he has never intimated in tho
least that ho Intended to be a democrat again.
I would rather meet at a democratic board an
open republican enemy than a hypocrite who pre
tends to be a friend of the party while opposing
its principles.
But I havo about made up my mind to ac
cept the next invitation that I receive to a har
mony banquet where Mr. Cleveland Is to be
. present, but I shall make my acceptance, condi
tional upon being allowed to take as my 'toast
"Grover Cleveland and His Democracy." I think
I can handle that subject in such a way that ho
and I will not be present at any more harmony
banquets.
And I have a right to speak of Grover Cleve
land's democracy for I have borne his sins In
two national campaigns. He has made the demo
cratic party tho scapegoat for his political crimes,
and his record still hangs as a millstnue about
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