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The Commoner.
VOLUME 12, NUMBER 2f
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.:jMdk BHYAN'S SPIMDOJI AGAINST?
JUDGE PAIIKI8U
Following is tho Associated Press
report of Mr. Bryan's speoch against
Judgo Parlcor: Baltimore Md.,
June 25, Mr. Bryan, proposing tho
name of John "W. Korn of Indiana, in
tho convention today said that In
thus "dissonting from the judgmont
of our national committeo as ex
pressed in its recommendation, I
rocognizo that tho burden of proof is
upon mo to overthrow the assump
tion that tho committee can claim
that it Js representing tho wishes of
this convention and of tho party of
tho nation.
"I romind you that tho very fact
that this convention has therlght to
nccopt or roject that recommenda
tion is conclusive proof that tho pro-
gumption in favor of this convention
Is a highor presumption than in
favor of tho wisdom of tho com
m it too.
"If ahy of you ask mo for jny cre
dentials; if any of you inquire why
I suggost to this convention that one
from tho smaller states should pre
sume to present a name, and ask you
to accopt it in place of tho namo they
prosontod, I hog to toll you, if it neods
to bo told, that In threo campaigns I
have boon tho champion of the domo
. cratic party's principles, and that
In throo campaigns I liavo re
ceived tho vote of six millions. If
that Is not proof that I have the con
fidence of tho party, I shall not at
tempt to furnish proof. Confidence
reposed in a human being carries
with it certain responsibilities, and
I would not bo worthy of tho confi
dence and of the affections that have
showered upon me by tho democrats
of this nation if I wore not willing
to risk humiliation in tholr defense.
' "I rocognizo that a man can not
carry on a political warfare in de
fense of the masB of tho peoplo for
sixteen years without making
enemies, and I recognize that there
I lias boen no day since the day I was
'."Tftominatod in Chicago when tho ene-
' mles havo not been industrious in
their efforts to attack mo from every
standpoint.
"The fact that I havo livodis proor
that I havo not deserted the people.
If, for a moment, I had forgotten
thom, they would not havo remem
bered mo.
"I take for my text this morning
tho text that tho committee has been
kind enough to placo upon tho
walls for my use.
" 'Ho never sold tho truth to servo
th hour.' That is the language of
tho hero of Monticello and I would
not be worthy of tho support I have
received if I were willing to sell tho
truth to serve tho hour.
"We are told by those who sup
port tho committee's recommenda
tion that it is disturbing harmony
K 10 oppose meir conclusions. Let
f mo free myself from any criticism
) that nnvone mnv hnvn mnVin VmKafn.
- fore or may attempt hereafter. Is
moiu miy uuior ueiegaio in tins body
" tt mnrn flinti 1 ((( tirlm 4-.l,wl 1t
"'" -" ,vwu nuw uiuu uaiuui
j than I to secure harmony in the con-
vuuuuiif i uegan several weeks
8.KO. I nnnounr.nrl tn llio onit.nmn.
b mlt.fnn Hint- T wmilrl nni- li nnni
m date for temporary chairman. 1
ol '" lVllnrllf ImVA nnlrnJ n.l J-1. ,... 1.
h ., 4hui- . uoivuu, wuuuui reBumn-
tton, at tho end of alxteon vonrn rr
battle, when I find the things I havo
fought for not only triumphant in
my own party but even in the repub
lican party, tho modest honor of
standing before this convention and
voicing the rejoicing of my party.
But I was more interested in Har
mony than I was in tho chanco to
vpoak to this convention. Not only
that but I advised this committee to
consult the two loading candidates,
yho together havo nearly two-thirds
of this convention instructed for
them, and get their approval of somo
man's nomination, that there might
be no contest in the convention.
I
$
;Wliat suggestion coujd I havo made
moro In tho interest of harmony
than to allow two-thirds of this con
vention a voico in tho selection of its
tomporary chairman?
"In the discussion boforo tho sub-
committoo these friends of Mr. Clark
and Mr. Wilson wero not ablo to
agree; one supported Mr. James and
tho other supported Mr. Henry, but
in tho full committeo last night the
friends of Mr. Wilson joined with
tho friends of Mr. Clark in the sup
port of Mr. James. Mr. Clark's
choico, and yot tho committeo turned
down tho joint rule thus made. I
submit to you that tho plan that I
prosontod, tho plan that was sub
mitted, was tho plan for securing
harmony and that plan which the
committee followed was not de
signed to secure harmony.
"This is no ordinary occasion.
This is an epoch-making convention.
Wo havo had such a struggle as was
never soon in politics before. I have
been in the, center of this fight and
I know something of the courage
it has brought forth and something
of tho sacrifice that has been required.
"I know that men working on the
railroads, earning small wages, with
but little laid up for thoir retiring
years, havo defied tho railroad
managers and helped us in this pro
gressive fight at tho risk of having
their bread and butter taken from
them. I havo known men engaged
in business and carrying loans at
banks who have been threatened
with bankruptcy if they did not sell
thoir citizenship, and yot I have seen
them defy these men and walk up
and vote on tho side of the strug
gling masses against predatory
wealth. I havo seen lawyers risk
ing their future, alienating men of
largo business in order to be the
champions of the poor.
"I havo scon men who had never
made a speech before, go out and
devote weeks of time to speech-making
because their hearts wero stirred.
It seems to me now that when the
hour of triumph comes, tho song of
victory could bo sung by one whose
heart has been in the fight."
Mr. Bryan then paid cordial trib
ute to the services of Senator Kern
who, he said, had sacrificed time
and strength and money. Ho de
clared that Kern "stood with me on
that Denver platform that demanded
tho election of senators by direct
vote of the peoplo; that tho republi
can convention had turned it down
by a vote of 7 to 1.
"He helped in the fight for an in
come tax and he has lived to see a
president who was opposed to us
take that plank out of our platform
and put it through a house and
senate and thirty-four statoB of the
union havo ratified it and now ho
is leading the fight in tho United
States senate to purge that body of
Lorimer, wlio typifies the supromecy
of corruption in politics.
"I repeat what better man could
wo havo to represent the American
spirit of democracy. (Applause.)
My friends, when I now contrast
(applause, hisses, cries of "Parker"
.and "Kern").
, Tho Chairman: "The convention
will bo in order." ,
Mr. Bryan: "When I now con
trast "
Mr. Bryan was again interrupted
and the chair again appealed for
order.
Mr. Bryan: "When I now contrast
tho candidate presented by the com
mittee I can do it without impeach
ing his character or his good intent.
(Applause.) But, my frionds, not
every ono of high character or good
intent is a fit man to sound the key
not of a progressive campaign. (Ap
plause.) There aro 7,000,000 of re
publicans in this country, or were
at the -lat election, and I have never
doubted that the .vast majority of
thom were men of high character and
good intent, but we would not Invito
ono of them to bo tomporary chair
man of our convention. (Applause.)
Wo have a great many democrats,
who vote tho ticket who are not in
full sympathy with the purposes of
tho party. I not only voted uio
ticket, but I mado speeches for the
candidate when I was not at all satis
fied with either tho candidate or the
influences that nominated him and
directed tho campaign in 1904.
(Great applause.)
"I assume that no friend of Judge
Parker will contend that ho was en
tirely satisfied in 1908, with either
tho candidate or all of the plans or
purposes of our party. I remind you
that this is not a question where
personal ambitions or personal com
pliments, or the pleasant things are
uppermost. We are writing history
today, and this convention is to an
nounce to the country whether this
convention will take up the chal
lenge thrown down at Chicago by a
convention controlled by predatory
wealth or answer it by putting our
selves under the same control and
giving the people no party to repre
sent them. (Long continued ap
plause.) "We need not deceive ourselves
that that which is done in a national
convention is done in secret, if every
member of this convention entered
into an agreement of secrecy we still
act under the eyes of these repre
sentatives of the press, who know not
only what we do, but why we do it,
and who told us to do it. (Applause.)
Tho delegates to this convention
must not presume upon Ihe ignor
ance of thoso people who did not
come, either because they had not
influence enough to be elected dele
gates or money enough to pay the
expenses of the trip, but who have
as much interest In the party's wel
faro as wo who Bpealc for them to
day. (Applause.)
"And these people will know that
the influences that dominated that
convention at Chicago and made its
conclusion a farce before the coun
tary, the people know that those in
fluences are here and are more
brazenly at work than they were at
Chicago. (Applause.)
"I appeal to you. Let tho com
mencement of this convention be
such a commencement that tho demo
crats of this country may raise their
heads among their fellows and say,
the democratic party is true to the
people. You can not frighten it with
your Ryans nor buy it with your
Belmonts. (Long continued ap
plause ana cneors.)
"My friends, if this candidate se
lected by the committee, waB an un
known man, wo would judge him by
the forces back of him, and not by
you gentlemen who may try to con
vince yourselves that you owe it to
the committee to sustain its action,
even though you believe it a mistake.
"That, my friends, is not the ques
tion. We know .who the candidate
is as well as the men behind him
We know that he is the man clfosen
eight years ago, when the democratic
party, beaten in two campaigns, de
cided that it was worth while to try
and win a campaign under the
leadership of those who had ripfntori
us In the campaign before. (Ap
plause.) The country has not for
go'tten that that convention was in
fluenced to its act by the promise of
largo campaign funds from Wall
street, and they have not forgotten
tho fact that, after the corporation
management had alienated tho rank
and file of the party, Wall streeb
threw tho party down and elected
the other man. (Great applause.)
"They have not forgotten that
when tho vote was counted we had a
million and a quarter less votes than
we had in the two campaigns before,
and a million and a quarter less, than
wo did tho campaign four years
afterward. They have not forgotten
that it is the same man, backed by
the same influence, that la tc bo
forced on this convention to open a
progressive campaign with a paralyz- -ing
speech that will dishearten .every
man. (Applause.)
"You ask me how I know that that
speech would not be satisfactory
Without reading it. Let me tell -you j
tho speech is not so many words; it
is tho man and not tho words that
mako a speech. J '.
"My friends, we have had time-
that enabled us (Mr. Bryan was
interrupted by yells from tho audi
ence.) We have been passing
through a great educational age," and
the democratic movement has been
sweeping all obstacles before it1
around the world. In Russia, eman
cipated serfs have secured the right
to a voice in their government. In
Persia a people havo secured a con
stitution. In Turkey the man who
was in danger every hour of being
cast into prison without an indict
ment, or beheaded without a charge
against him, now has some influence
in tho molding of the laws. And
China, the Bleeping giantof the orient,
has risen from a slumber of tw6'
thousand years, and today is a re
public waiting for recognition..
(Yells.)
"And while the outside world has
been marching at double-quick in the
direction of more complete freedom
our nation has kept step, and oh no
other part of God's footstool has
popular government grown more
rapidly than here. In every state the
fight has been Waged. The man
whom I present has been the leader
of the progressive cause in his state,
and once joint leader in the nation.
I challenge you to find in sixteen
years "where the candidate, presented
by the committee has before an elec
tion gone out and rendered effective
service in behalf of any man who was
fighting the people's -cause against
plutocracy.
"Now, this is the situation
(Cries of "Parker" and hoots and
cheering.) This is the situation
which we have to meet. The demo- .
cratic party has not been the leader-
(renewed hooting, cries of
Parker and cheering for Bryan.)
The Chairman: "Gentlemen, Mr,
Bryan has the floor."
Mr. Bryan: "The democratic
party has led this fight until its aq-.
tion has stimulated a host of re
publicans to imitate them. I will not
say they have acted as they have
because we acted first; I would
rather say that they at a later hour
than we have caught the spirit of
the time, and aro now willing to
trust the people with the control of
their own government. (Applause.)
We have been traveling in the
wilderness. We now come in sight
of the promised land. '
"During all tho wenrv linnra rtf
darkness progressive democracy has
been tho people's pillar of fire by
?Sht. I pray you, delegates, now
the dawn has come, do not rob our
party of the right so well earned to
be the people's pillar of cloud by
day. (Great applause and cheering.)
IUCAD THE PUBLIC
GaIn?,r0J2Onfand i pverty," Henry
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tor l ho Public, Louis F. Post's Weeklv
T? MS?nXrhlt!.00k, Sas of The Public;
T.o the man -Who has had some cllmnqft
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55?5 CWy ot ;roB?eaV and" Poverty -Tho
Public, Ellsworth Bid., OWcatfo
PATIENTS seS?,k
Frco report as to Patentability IWustiJa nLw.
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