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ho was championing tho people's cause against
plutocracy.
Judge Parker has not been with us; he la
not tho one to speak today.
The democratic party has led this fight until
It has stimulated a host of republicans to action.
I will not say they havo acted as they have be
cause wo acted first; I will say that at a later
hour than wo, they caught the spirit of tho time
and are now willing to trust the peoplo with
tho control of their own government.
Wo havo been travelling in the wilderness;
wo now come in sight of tho promised land.
During all the weary hours of darkness pro
gressive democracy has been the people's pillar
of flro by night; I pray you, delegates, now that
tho dawn has come, do not rob it of its well
earned right to be tho people's pillar of cloud
by day.
THE ANTI-MOKGAN-RYAN-BELMONT
RESOLUTION
At the opening of the evening session of the
Baltimore convention on Thursday, Juno 27,
1912, Mr. Bryan obtained recognition and ad
dressed tho chairman as follows:
"Mr. Chairman: I have here a resolution
which should, in my judgment, be acted upon
before a candidate for president is nominated,
and I ask unanimous consent for its immediate
consideration."
Chairman James "Is there objection?"
"The chair hears none."
Mr. Bryan then read the resolution as fol
lows: "Resolved, That in this crisis in our
party's career and in our country's history this
convention sends greetings to the people and
assures them that the party of Jefferson and
JackBon is still tho champion of popular gov
ernment and equality before tho law. As proof
of our fidelity to the people we hereby declare
ourselves opposed to the nomination of any
candidate for president who is a representative
of, or under any obligation to, J. Pierpont Mor
gan, Thomas F. Ryan, August Belmont, or any
pther member of the privilege-hunting and
favor-seeking class.
"Be it further resolved, That we demand the
withdrawal from this convention of any dele
gate or delegates constituting or representing
the above named interests.
Objection was immediately made and Mr.
Bryan then moved to suspend the rules and
adopt the resolution.
In support of his resolution Mr. Bryan said:
'iThis is an extraordinary resolution, but extra
ordinary conditions require extraordinary reme
dies. Wo are now engaged in the conduct of a
convention that will place before this country
tho democratic nominee, and I assume that every
delegate in this convention is here because he'
wants that nominee elected.
"It is that we may advance the cause of our
candidate that I present this resolution. There
are questions of which a court takes judicial
notice, and there are subjects upon which we
can assume that the American people aro in
formed. There is not a delegate in this conven
tion who does not know that an effort is' being
made right now to sell the democratic party
into.bondago to the predatory interests of this
country. It is the most brazen, the most inso
lent, the most impudent attempt that has been
made in the history of American politics to
dominate a convention, stifle the honest senti-
mont of a party and make the nominee the bond
Blave of tho men who exploit the country.
. "I need not tell you that J. Pierpont Morgan,
Thomas F. Ryan and August Belmont are three
of tho men who are connected with the great
money trust now under investigation, and aro
despotic in their rule of the business of the
country and merciless in their command of their
slaves.
"Some one has said that we have no right to
demand the withdrawal of delegates who come
here from a sovereign state.
"I reply that if these men are willing to in
sult six and a half million of democrats by
coming here we ought to bo willing to speak' out
against them and lot them know we resent the
insult.
"1, for one, am not willing that Thomas F.
Ryan and August Belmont shall come here with
their paid attorneys and seek secret counsel
with the managers of our party. No sense
of politeness or courtesy to such men will keep
mo from protecting my party from the dis
grace that they bring upon it.
"I can not speak for you. You have your own
responsibility, but if this is to' be a convention
The Commoner.
run by these men; if our nomine is to bo their
representative arid tool, I pray you to give u;
who represent constituencies that do not want
this, a chance to go on record with our protest
against it. If any of you aro willing to nomi
nate a candidate who represents these men or
who is under obligation to these men, do it
and take tho responsibility. I refuse to take
that responsibility.
"Some have said that we havo no right to de
mand tho withdrawal of delogates from this con
vention. I will make you a proposition. One
of these men sits with New York and the other
with Virginia. If tho state of New York will
take a poll of Its delegates and a majority of
them not Mr. Murphy, but a majority of the
delegates I repeat, if New York will on roll
call where her delegates can have N their names
recorded and printed, ask for the withdrawal of
tho name of Mr. Belmont; and if Virginia will
on roll call ask the withdrawal of the name of
Mr. Ryan, I will then withdraw the latter part
of the resolution, which demands the withdrawal
of these men from tho convention. I will with
draw the last part at the request of the states
in which these gentlemen sit, but I will not with
draw the first part that demands that our can
didate shall bo free from alliance with them."
Answering a criticism made of him by "Mr. .
Flood, of Virginia, Mr. Bryan said:
"It is not necessary for the gentleman from
Virginia to deliver a eulogy upon his state.
My father was born in Virginia and no one has
greater reverence for that great commonwealth
than I. I know, too, the sentiment of the peoplo
of Virginia. They have not only supported me
in three campaigns, but in the last campaign
they refused to allow their leading men to go
to the convention except under instructions to
vote for my nomination.
"Neither is it necessary for me to defend my
reputation as a democrat. My reputation would
not be worth defending If it were necessary to
defend it against a charge made against me by -.
any friend of Thomas F. Ryan."
Answering an argument made by Mr. Mc
Corkle of West Virginia, to the effect that the
resolution was senseless and foolish, Mr. Bryan
said:
"The resolution is not only sober and serious,
but it is necessary. We plant ourselves upon
the Bible doctrine, 'If thy right hand offend
thee, cut it'off.' The party needs to cut off those
corrupting influences to save Itself."
Before the vote was taken Mr. Bryan with
drew tho latter part of his resolution in order
that honest friends might not be embarrassed'
by the argument that the demand for with--drawal
of the offending delegates invaded the
rights of the state, and in order that the second
part of tho resolution might not be used as an '
excuse by those who desired to vote against the
main resolution. - - f
When the latter part was withdrawn, the first
resolution, pledging the party not to nominate
a candidate who was a representative of, 'or
under obligation to, Morgan, Ryan, Belmont or .
any other-member of the privilege-hunting and
favor-seeking class, was adopted by a vote of
889 to 196.
. & -
. MR. BRYAJN EXPLAINS HIS VOTE
When Nebraska was called on. the .fourteenth'
ballot a poll was demanded and Mr. Bryan, in
changing his vote, made the following explana-'
tion:
"Nebraska is a progressive state. Only twice'
has she given her vote for a democratic candi
date for president in 1896 and 1908 and on'
both occasions her vote wa& cast for a progres
sive ticket running upon a progressive platform.
Between these two elections, in the election of
1904, she gave a republican plurality of 85,000
against a democratic reactionary. In the recent
primary the total vote cast for Clark and Wilson
was over 34,000 and the vote cast for Harmon
something over 12,000, showing that the party
is now nearly three-fourths progressive.
"The republican party of Nebraska is progres
sive in about the same proportion, and the
situation in Nebraska is not materially different
from the situation throughout the country west
of the Alleghanies. In the recent republican
primaries, fully two-thirds of the republican
vote was cast for candidates representing pro
gressive policies.
"In this convention the progressive sentiment
is overwhelming. Every candidate has pro
claimed himself a progressive no candidate
would have any considerable following in this
, convention if ho admitted himself out of har
mony with progressive ideas. - By your r'esolu-
VOLUMB 12, NUMBER 31
tlon, -adopted night before last, you, by a vote
of more than four to one; pledged the' country
that you would nominate for the presidency no
man who represented, or was obligated to Mor
gan, Ryan, Belmont, or any other member of
tho privilege-seeking, favor-hunting class. This
pledge, if kept, will have more influence on the
result of the election than the platform or tho
name of the candidate. How can that pledge
be made effective? There is but one way,
namely, to nominate a candidate who is' under
no obligation to those whom these influences
directly or indirectly control. The vote of tho
state of New York in this convention, as cast
under the unit rule, does not 'represent the in
telligence, the virtue, the democracy or tho
patriotism of the ninety men who are here. It
represents the will of one man Charles F.
Murphy and he represents tho influences that
dominated the republican convention at Chi
cago and aro trying to dominate this convention.
If we nominate a candidate under conditions
that enable these influences to say to our can
didate, "Remember, now, thy creator," we can
not hope to appeal to the confidence of tho pro
gressive democrats and republicans of tho na
tion. " "Nebraska, or that portion of the delegation
for which I am authorized to speak, is not will
ing to participate In the nomination of any man
who is willing to violate the resolution adopted
by this convention and accept the high honor of
the presidential nomination at the hands of
Mr. Murphy. When we were instructed for Mr.
Clark, the democratic voters who instructed us
did so with the distinct understanding that Mr.
Clark stood, for progressive democracy. Mr..
Clark's representatives appealed for support on
no other ground. They contended that Mr.
Clark was more progressive than Mr. Wilson,
and indignantly denied that there was any co
operation between Mr. Clark and the reactionary
element of the party. Upon no other condition
could Mr. Clark have received a plurality of
the democratic vote of Nebraska.
"The delegates for whom I speak stand
ready to carry out the instructions given, in the
spirit in which they were' given and upon the
conditions under which they were given; but
these delegates will not participate in the nomi
nation of any man whose nomination depends
upon .the vote of the New York delegation.
Speaking for myself and those who join me, we,
therefore, withhold our vote from Mr. 'Clark as
long-as New York's vote is recorded for him,
and I hereby notify the chairman and this con
vention that I desire recognition to withdraw
these votes from any candidates to whom New
York's votes are thrown. The position that we
take in regard to Mr. Clark 'we will take in
regard to any other candidate whose name is
now or may be before the convention. We shall
not be parties to the nomination of any man,
no matter-who he may be or from what section
of the country he comes, who will not, when
elected, be absolutely free to carry out the
ahti-Morgan-Ryan-Belmont resolution and. make
his administration reflect the wishes and hopes
of those who believe in -a government of the
people, by the people, and, for th,e people.
','If w nominate at candidate who -fs. under ho
obligation to these interests, , whicli . speak
through Mr. Murphy, I "shall offer 'a. resolution
authorizing and directing the presidential can:
(lidate to select a campaign committee to man
age the' campaign, In order that he may not be
compelled to suffer tho humiliation or act under
the embarrassment that I have in having men
participate in the management, of his' campaign
who have no sympathy with the party's ajms
and in whose democracy the general public has
no confidence."
At the conclusion ' of Mr. Bryan's statement
ex-Governor McCorkle, of West Virginia, ob
tained recognition, and, with Mr. Bryan's con
sent, submitted the following question:
"Are we to understand from what you have
Bald that you will not support the nominee of
this convention if he is named by a majority
made up in part of the vote of New York?"
Mr. Bryan: "I shall be pleased to answer the
gentleman's question and before answering, will
add that if any other gentleman In the conven
tion has a question to ask I shall remain here
and give him a chance to ask it. This is a
democratic convention; we have a right to ask
questions and we should be frank with each
other.
"Answering the gentleman from West Virginia,
I would reply that nothing that I have said 'this
morning and nothing .that I have ever said
heretofore justifies the construction which the
gentleman would place upon my language.- I
distinguish' between refusing to participate in
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