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SEPTEMBER 7, 190$
The Commoner.
THE HOMECOMING OF MR. BRYAN
government was ever better than the people made
it, or worse than they suffered it to become. The
public life of a nation is but a reflection of its
private life. This government Is no better than
any other, except as the virtue and patriotism of
the people make it so. The people are beginning
to understand that when they undertake to be
their kings they assume tho responsibilities as
Well as the privileges of sovereignty. Thisawak
ening will go on for a while. Reforms some
times die, revolutions never go backward and this
is a revolution that is being wrought in the hearts
of men."
1 Governor Folk concluded by introducing
Mayor Tom L. Johnson of Cleveland as chair
man of the meeting. Tho applause was deafen
ing as Mr. Johnson came forward on tho speaker's
platform. At this same moment William Ran
dolph Hearst entered the box which had been
get aside for him. For two minutes the crowd
cheered without interruption. Many rose and
waved handkerchiefs and hats in the direction
of Mr. Hearst's box. Then there were more
cheers for Mr. Johnson,
When this joint demonstration had partly
subsided, Mr. Bryan, accompanied by his wife,
entered the garden and appeared on the plat
form. The crowd which had "been so free with its
cheering, was now fairly beside itself. The men
shouted, jumped on seats and threw their hats
into the air. The women waved handkerchiefs
and cheered as loudly as they could. For five
minutes the crowd howled, cheered and screamed,
but eventually Chairman Johnson secured com
parative quiet and introduced Augustus Thomas,
whose every reference to Mr. Bryan called forth
additional cheers.
MR. THOMAS' ADDRESS
", Mr. Thomas said: "Colonel Bryan, theanti
trust league of the commercial travelers of the
United States, joined by this representative con
course of your countrymen and theirs, welcomes
you home. The commercial travelers are to the
nation -its quick; personal media of communica
tion. These members assume to voice this wel
come by the warrant on their early discovery that
such welcome was the nation's wish. And the
nation will hold them answerable that the greet
ing be in no uncertain tone. The league and its
associate's, therefore, know that the sentiments
to be uttered demand a rude intimacy that shall
transcend the reserve of the private meeting.
Their appreciation Is meant not to put you in the
pleasant embarrassment of self satisfaction) but
to inform you of the high level of personal con
duct which they believe you have reached and
to fix upon you the obligation of maintaining that
standard. The welcome is not for the politician,
"n but to the man; not by a party, but from a people.
"Therefore, in the faith of this kind and as a
parent lays her hand upon the shoulders of a boy
and-speaks her frank approval and fond hope,
your country greets you. She feels a pride that
an unofficial citizen of the republic has stood
in palaces and Teslde ancient thrones and has
been of man's full stature.
In her call for leadership of courage and In
tegrity your country meets you at her gate with
accolade and "banners; she gives you the proudest
welcome that has ever greeted private citizen in
tho history of tho world, the echo of millions
of American hearts.
"You come alone to take it, but it has been
as steadily deserved, as nobly won, as was ever
triumph that cheered a Roman conqueror leading
his Iron legions through: the Appian way."
Mr. Thomas was cheered for several minutes
after he had concluded and bowed many times
in acknowledgement.
TOM JOHNSON'S ADDRESS
Chairman Johnson then arose to introduce
Mr. Bryan. He said:
"We are met to welcome home the first citi
zen of the republic. Not yet the first official, but
tho first citizen by common consent. He is a
democrat, for he believes in the honesty and
the intelligence of the people. He is a republican,
for he believes in the republican form of govern
ment Men say he is eloquent, and so he is, but
the charm of his eloquence is his sincerity, its
strength is his moral courage.
"He has finished the long journey around the
world, and now we of America know that we
have made no mistake in him; for everywhere
the people have seen him as we have seen him,
and everywhere they have hailed him as the
American leader of ideal democracy. Over that
principle tho thought of the world is agitated to
day. In somo form or other in all civilized coun
tries democracy Is struggling against privilege.
Millions of our people have but just bogun to
learn that this irrepressible conflict Is being waged
In tho United Slates. They are Just beginning
to learn that American democracy must abolish
special privilege or special privilege will abolish
American democracy. They are just beginning
to learn their need for the democratic inspiration
of another Jefferson and tho democratic leader
ship of another Lincoln.
"They are learning it fast. And with it thoy
are learning another thing. Thoy are learning
that thoy have among them a simple citizen whose
qualities' of leadership all tho world recognizes.
They are learning that for ten years they havo
had in-training an able and sincoro leader of tho
democracy of all political parties against tho In
trenched interests of special privilege of every
kind and degree. They havo come to lmow for tho
true man that he is our guest of tonight, William
Jennings Bryan.
"Mr, Bryan: In the name and in the pres
ence of this splendid audience, and In behalf of
that great host of American citizens who believe
in equal rights and abhor special privilege; in be
half of every democratic republican, as well as
every democratic democrat, I welcome you home.
Wo all welcome you as an ideal democrat who
is worthy to lead and competent to lead, we
welcome you as an American citizen in whoso
pre-eminence we have an honorable pride; we
welcome you home because wo trust you, we wel
come you home because we love you.
"Ladles and gentlemen, Mr, Bryan."
Mr. Bryan was presented at 8:40 o'clock. Tho
audience was on Its feet as one man. The cheer
ing which began at that instant did npt end until
8:48 and then only after Mr. Bryan had waved
his hands frantically in an effort to still the waves
of noise which rolled in from the audience and
beat upon the speaker's platform.
At first the man for whom tho demonstration
was planned stood bowing and smiling. Then his
attitude was one of appeal. This at last pre
vailed and as the cheering died away in reverber
ating echoes along the girded roof, Mr. Bryan
began.
There were several outside meetings, tho
principal one of which was addressed by Repre
sentative Sulzer of Now York, Governor Glenn
of North Carolina and Mayor Dahlman of Omaha.
When Mr. Bryan had concluded his garden
address at a few minutes after 10 o'clock, and ap
peared outside the hall, he received another ova
tion. Ho needed no introduction to the vast
crowd which had waited so long to hear him and
spoke briefly.
Mr. Bryan was then driven with Mrs. Bryan
In an automobile directly to his hotel, where
he was greeted by W. R. Hearst The party
then went to the reception rooms, where they
talked for some minutes. Shortly before. 11 o'clock
.Mr. Bryan, much fatigued, retired to his apartments.
IN NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT
Mr. Bryan visited New Haven, Conn., Friday,
August 31. Press dispatches say that he was
everywhere received with great demonstrations.
At 6 o'clock in the evening Mr. Bryan left New
Haven for Bridgeport, Conn., addressing great
gatherings there as in New Haven. At New
Haven Mr. Bryan was greeted by a delegation
from Rhode Island headed by former Governor
Garvin. At New Haven addresses were delivered
by former Governor Garvin of Rhode Island,
George Fred Williams of Massachusetts and John
J. Lentz of Ohio. In his New Haven speech Mr.
Bryan said:
"I have found that the government Is to a
very large extent an accurate reflection of the
intelligence of a people, for where there is great
ignorance there Is usually very bad government.
Where the people are not trained to studies and
do not for themselves understand the issue they
are taken advantage of by those who do under
stand, and T havo been encouraged to find that
everywhere there is a tendency to enlarge the
sphere of education, for it means that there
will also be growth in the government towards
perfection.
"Now, today the democratic party has a
policy. The republican party does not outline
its policy as the democratic party does. The
president today is embarrassed by the fact that
you can scarcely see the platform upon which,
ho was clectod with a magnifying glass and you
can not find ono single promlso of reform on any
subject. It has mado tho president's task difficult.
Tho trouble with tho president has been that
when ho tried to do anything, ho had to whip tho
republican party In lino jfrith tho democratic
platform instead or tho "republican platform. And
tho trouble with tho republican party in this cam
paign is that Its motto Is 'stand pat, defend what
you havo and don't promise anything more
They say stand by tho president. Well, my
friends, tho only way you can stand by tho pres
ident, if ho really wants rofornv, is to give him
a democratic congress to back him up Instead
of a republican congress.
"My friends, I believe that a private monopoly
is an indofonslblo thing. You can not find a
republican platform that denounces the principle
of private monopoly. The lino Is going to bo
drawn. You can not regulato a private monop
oly; it regulates you.
"I tell you that arbitration is a practical thing.
I toll you that tho president of tho United States
has to his credit a great achievement Ho set
tled the coal striko after a loss of $09,000,000. I
glory in tho fact that he settled it I think it fs
ono of tho proudest acts of his official capacity,
but, my friends, I am not satisfied that he shall
havo ono striko settled aftor a loss of nlnoty-nino
millions of dollars. I want a systom that will
make It unnecessary for a man to starve his
wife in order to fix tho price by which ho can
live.
"But no American can travel through other
lands without feeling his heart glow with pride
that his lot was cast In the United States. I havo
never felt so grateful in my life as I hare since
I havo seen tho old world that a kind providence
cast my lot tinder tho stars and stripes."
While Mr. Bryan was receiving callers at
New Haven, a delegation of natives from India
visited -him. This delegation was headed by
Tundit (professor) Mohammed Barakutnllah
They presented an addross to Mr. Bryan in which
they thanked hjm for his reference in his speech
to British rule in India.
Mr. Barakutullah, in his address to Mr.
Bryan, said:
"Wo, the children of Hindustan, residing fn
New York, respectfully approach your noblo
presonce to offer our sincere and hearty thanks
on behalf of three hundred million peoplo of India
for tho great service you havo rendered to that
country by exposing the falsehood and hypocrisy
which characterized the British rule in tho In
dian empire. That you took tho trouble of paying
a visit to our afflicted fatherland, made a thor
ough investigation of the causes of poverty, fam
ine and plague the normal conditions of tho
present India. on the spot, mado genuine efforts
to penetrate the surface of outward glamor of
British administration In India, broke the veil of
well organized system of subtle tyranny, rapine
and plunder, and having discovered the truth
about the ingenious methods of British bureau
cracy at Calcutta, gave it out with impartiality
to tho world at large, has greatly touched all tho
Indians In this country and millions at home,
across the continents and oceans."
Mr. Bryan thanked the committee and said
that at another time ho probably would again,
refer to tho subject in his public utterances.
AFTER NEW YORK
Saturday afternoon Mr. Bryan visited Newark,
N. J., where he was given a cordial reception.
He then visited Jersey City. Mr. Bryan left
New York Sunday evening, going to Detroit where
on Monday ho was given a great reception in
that city. Tuesday afternoon and evening h
was entertained in Chicago by the Jefferson club
and the Iroquois club. He left Chicago early
Wednesday morning and arrived at Lincoln Wed
nesday evening, September 5, at 5:30 o'clock,
where ho was given a great reception; the de
tails of which will be referred to in a latter
issue.
Mr. Rockefeller's latest illness was caused
by eating too much watermelon. This is the nat
ural result of too much wealth. Only a Rocke
feller could get that much watermelon.
"What does it mean to 'stand pat?' " asks tho
republican New York Mall. According to repub
lican ideas it simply means to make the people
cough up all they make and then Insist that they
Iceop on taking a fake "cough cure" in the shape
of a protective tariff.
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