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The Commoner.
JULY.. 24,. 10
5
AT FAIRVIEW
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As soon as it was announced that Mr. Korn
liad been nominated this telegram was sent:
"Hon. John W. Kern, Denver, Colo. Your
nomination gratifies mo very much. We have a
Bplendid platform and I am glad to have a run
ning mate in such complete harmony with the
platform. Stop off and see us on your way east.
"WILLIAM J. BRYAN."
At 9 o'clock Friday morning a largo number
of Lincoln people accompanied by a band, board
ed special motor cars and visited Fairview. The
crowd comprised republicans as well as demo
crats and was intended to be a non-partisian
greeting to a neighbor. Mr. and Mrs. Bryan greet
ed their visitors and Mr. Bryan delivered the fol
lowing address: ,.,,,, ,1.
"Ladies and Gentlemen and Neighbors: It
is very kind of you to come out to indicate
your good will at this time when great honor has
come to this family, and I want to express for
Mrs. Bryan and myself gratitude and apprecia
tion for these evidences of your friendly interest
and good will. The esteem of one's neighbors is
a priceless asset to any one. The honors of pub
lic life often come through circumstances for
which the recipient is not entirely responsible.
There are sometimes waves that carry into ofilce
those who have little expectation of being
elected, and carry out of office those who
have every Teason to expect a continuance of
public favor. I may recall two of such
within the memory of all of us. You will.tfc
member that in 1890 there was a great democratic
tidal wave that swept into office many who ft ho
time of their nomination had little expectation of
success. Four years later there was another tidal
wave, a republican wave that swept out of office
a great many democrats and Into office a great
many republicans, who hardly expected to suc
ceed. Circumstances are potent in the political,
success of people. Therefore you cannot build se
curely upon honors- that come without necessarily
much effort or merit on your part. But the affec
tions that are formed between man and man,
strengthening day by day, and knitting the past
more closely together as the years go by, the3o
are permanent these are more significant.
"I want to say to you, my friends, that we
appreciate the cordial friendships that have been
growing up between us and our associates In this
community during the last two decades, and it is
generous and gracious on your part to come at this
time to Increase that gladness of this day: I do
not know what the future may have In store for
us; a kind -Providence conceals from us the book
of fate. Wa learn each day what each day Is to
bring forth and we must be prepared for what
ever comes, but I will say this to you, that I
apreciate thfe generous good will and the affection
that so many of the American people have shown
more than I could appreciate any office that could
come to me. I would rather have the lovo of
those who know me than any other thing on
earth (long applause and cheering, the band play
ing 'Dixie' and several cheers and tigers being
given by the crowd.)
"I am not going to make you a political
speech. I kind of wish I could go through this
campaign without making any political speeches
hero at homo (applause) because I hate to say
anything that could cause the least bit of antag
onism in this community, but it may bo necessary
after a while (laughter) for mq to say just a fow
words that would indicate my'politlcal leanings
(laughter and applause). It may bo necessary
for mo to discuss platform utterances and to dis
cuss principles, and I want to ask forbcaranco of
republican friends if I do not always express my
self in the language that they would use if they
were speaking on the same subject.
"But I want to assure you now, "before the
campaign opens and before I have to make a po
litical speech, I want to assure you now that
whatever I may say on the subjects that divide us,
whatever argumonts I may advanco in support of
those policies which to me seem best for the
country, I want you always to know, and never to
forget, that I believe that the things that bind us
together as citizens are more Important and more
numerous than our political differences. I want
you to know that howover earnest I may bo In
the presentation of my political Ideas, I recognize
at all times the equal right of every other citizen
to hold opinions, and as I respect you no less for
candidly stating your views, I hope you will think
nono the less of mo if I candidly state my views
when occasion calls for a statement. I like to
believe that every American citizen prefers the
triumph of that which he may believe to be right
if he is in fact mistaken. And, my friends, build
ing on this basis, we can be both earnest and char
itable, for if Wo love our country more than wo
love our party, if we desire the triumph of justice
more than the triumph of erroneous opinions wo
are prepared for either victory or defeat, for if we
win, we know that the victory can only be per
manent If it is a deserved victory and if it re
sults in tho advancement of the common weal,
and we know that if defeat comes it can only be
temporary if we are in fact right and those who
win are wrong, and thus believing in the omnipo
tence of truth, we are propared to meet each oth
er upon an honest footing, discuss our differences
honestly, but submissively to the will of tho peo
ple, and pray that whichever party wins, the
country 's good will be preserved.
"My father was a devout man. He did not
leave so much in the way of money, and I am
not sure but it was better for me that he did not,
for I believe that great wealth is more often a
curse than a blessing to the young who inherit
it. A prospective fortune large enough to remove
one from the necessity of toil Is more apt to par-
alyzo one's energies than to bo a source of Inspi
ration to him. But whllo my father did not leavo
mo a fortune, he loft mo something that has been
worth more to mo than air tho money of any
mllllonatro could have boon. lie taught me to bo
Hevo that every righteous principle would triumph.
Ho told mo when a boy that I could afford to be
in tho minority, but that I could not afford to bo
wrong on any question; that If I was In the mi
nority and right, I would some time bo In tho ma
jority, and that if I was in tho majority and wrong
I would some tlmo bo In the minority. I say to
you, my friends, that that advice given mo by my
fathor has boon worth more to mo than any
amount of monoy could havo been, and I bellovo
that it Is a principle that wo should Imbed In tho
minds and hoarts of all, confident of the triumph
of righteous cause. If ovlls como, lot us havo con
fidence in tho intelligence and the Integrity and
tho patriotism of tho people. I am an optimist. I
bollove tho world Is growing better. I hellevo that
tho great movements for tho uplifting of society
are going forward with roslstloss forco. Wo can
not stop tho triumph of tho truth. We may accol
erato It; we may retard It; wo cannot stop It.
"But If I wore to talk too long on principles llko
those I might be tempted to apply them to condi
tions and to the Issues, and that Is not my purpoao
this morning. A great honor has fallen to ua.
Tho voters of a great party havo made mo tholr
standard bearer. I need not toll you that I did
not buy this nomination. I need not toll you that
I had no way of coercing people. Why, my friends,
I have no way of coercing the peoplo who llvo
about mo no way of coercing the peoplo of Nor
mal or of Lincoln or of Lancaster or of Nebraska,
much loss tho people of tho United States. It Is
not for mo to say whether they have acted wise
ly at Denver or not; I am glad that tho responsi
bility Is tlioira, not mine. Tills I know; I appra.
elate it because it has been a free will offering
presented by some six million of my countrymen.
We aro going to do tho best wo can to present to
tho public the issues of this campaign. Wo arc
going to meet you as wo can, and then wo aro
going to believo that whatever the result is on
election day, and it Is going to bo good, and if it
is for us, wo will feel that wo aro going to bo per
mitted to put Into practice tho principles which
will bo presented; and if it Is against us, wo will
know that wo can learn by tho mannor in which
our opponents apply their principles whether
they were right in advocating them or wo right
in opposing them.
"You have come out at the beginning of tho
campaign. Come out just as often as you will.
And there Is one thing about It; the pleasure of
success will be moderated by the fact that It will
take us from you, and the sorrow of defeat will bo
softened by the fact that it will leave us with
you.
MR BRYAN TO LABORING MEN
On the evening of July 17 a delegation
from tho Lincoln, Neb., Central Labor Union
visited Mr.. Bryan atFairview. Mr. T. C. Kelsey
delivered an addrefir, reading tho Resolutions
adopted by the Central Labor Union and pledg
ing support to Mr. Bryan. After the presenta
tion of tho resolutions Mr. Bryan addressed tho
delegation as follows:
i'l am very grateful to you for this gen
erous expression of confidence and this" pledge
of your support. The resolution is the more
pleasant to mo because it comes from you, among
whom I have lived for now a little more than
twenty years. Among the testimonials that have
been given by neighbors and friends, there are
none that I prize more highly than this volun
tary -proffer of your support this expression of
your confidence and of your good will.
"It is truo that our platform endorses a
number of remedial measures, and I am in
hearty sympathy with the platform endorse
ments. There is not a line in that platforms
declaration in favor of the laboring men that
does not havo my most cordial approval.
"This is not the timo or tho place to elab
orate uppn thoso planks. There is one plank
there that I was veryr anxious, to have In tho
platform; it was in tho platform of eight years
ago; the plank that proposes. a, new cabinet posi
tion, a department of labor, with a secretary at
its head. I have for many years believed that
the great body of our population known as
wageearners pught to bo represented in tho
counsels of the chief executive. I have long be
lieved that you ought to havo a representative'
of the toilers in tho shops and factories, a rep
resentative sitting at the president's table, shar
ing in his deliberations, and speaking forth there
on those questions in which labor has an espe
cial interest. And I am very much gratified
that that plank is there, and that the party has
made this promise, if entrusted with power, to
givo to labor that high honor to which it is
entitled.
"I think, too, that it is very important that
we should have an amendment to the anti-trust
law, that will draw a distinction between thoso
who associate themselves together for mutual
benefit a lino between those and thoso who as
sociate themselves together in an Industrial cor
poration for the purpose of monopolizing somo
article of commerce. There is a distinction so
broad between these two classes of organizations
that it seems to me everyone ought to be able
to see it, and that distinction ought to bo drawn
by law. I am glad that that is in the platform.
"I am glad that there is a provision in
there in regard to a trial by jury In cases of
indirect contempt. It is now something like
thirteen years ago, I. believe, since I first had
occasion to discuss that subject. It was after
I went out of congress and before I was nom
inated for tho presidency tho first timo. A bill
was before the senate, and as I recollect tho
history of it, It was about llko this. It was re
ported back from the committee of tho senate,
and in the form in which it was reported tho
judge could permit a Jury. When I read that
report I at onco criticised it and said that tho
bill should not provide merely that the judge
might permit a jury, but a jury should bo de
manded as a matter of right by the accused, and
my recollection is that Senator Allen of this
state Introduced an amendment to that effect
and it was adopted, and that went through tho
senate by so unanimous a vote that no ono
called for the roll. It is now more than twelve
years since that time, and yet tho Influences
which have been opposed to this legislation havo.
been so strong that up to this time that measure
of justice has been defeated. I am very glad
that in our platform there Is a provision de
manding a trial by Jury in cases of indirect
contempt.
"I am glad, too, that wo are able to agreo
upon an injunction plank that was satisfactory
to the leaders of the laboring men and the mem
bers of the resolutions committee. I was much
gratified, and I think the form in which tho
party's position is stated upon that subject
ought to bo satisfactory to all. You will find
that thero is no attempt to interfere with tho
t44 (Continued on P.ago 9)
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