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The Commoner.
NOVEMBER 13. 1908
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Implanted In my heart Iho ideals that havo
guided ray life. When T was In law school I
was fortunate, as I was In my college days, to
fall under the Influence of men of Ideals who
helped to shape my life, and wheL, but a young
man, not out of college yet, I was guided to tho
selection of one who for twenty-four years has
been my faithful helpmeet. No presidential vic
tory could have brought her to me and no defeat
can take her from me. I havo been blessed
with, a family. My children are with me to
make glad the declining years of their mother
and myself. When you first knew me they
called me in derision, "The Bey Orator of tho
Platte." I have outlived that title, and my
grandchildren are now growing up about me.
I repeat, that I have been fortunate, Indeed. I
have been abundantly i-ev arded for what little
I have been able to do, and my ambition is not
so much to hold any ofllce, hov ever great, as
it is to know my duty and to do it whether in
public life or as a private citizen.
If I am elected I shall be absent from you
hut four years. If I am defeated, you will help
me to bear my defeat. And I will say to you,
my friends, that the affectidn that my country
men have shown is to me dearer than all earthly
ofllce. And my highest ambition is to deserve
the continuation of that affection. I have been
touched by the demonstrations that have been
given in other parts of the country, but T will
say to you, my friends, that in twelve years and
in three campaigns I have never had a welcome
anywhere more generous, more enthusiastic than
you have given in Lincoln tonight.
I believe I am going to be elected. More
than that T believe it is going to be more than
a bare victory. I believe that there is a stirring of
the conscience of the American people, a moral
awakening, an uprising that means a sweeping
victory. But, my friends, that victory would
be robbed of much of its sweetness if it were
won outside of Nebraska entirely; that victory
would be robbed jof much of its sweetness' if
Lincoln did not contribute to it; it would bo
robbed of much of Its. sweetness if my little pre
cinct at Normal, did not contribute to it, My
friends I shall be among you. Tt will make-the
stay more pleasant if I can feel that this city
has at last relieved me of the sneers and criti
cism that are cast at me when I travel away.
And, my friends, I simply want to say this, if
you, among whom I have lived, if you who have
known my every word and thought and act, if
you believe me worthy of that high ofllce I will
Bwear in your presence that no one who votes
for me will ever have occasion to be ashamed
of the vote he casts.
in which tho people rule, and under which every
citizen shall draw from society a reward pro
portionate to tho service which ho renders to
his follow men.
MR. BRYAN'S CLOSING SPEECH
The following is the conclusion of the last
campaign speech of .1008 made by Mr. Bryan:
Ladies and gentlemen; I am forty-eight
years old. It is eighteen years since I began
my political career as- a candidate for congress.
I told the people of my district "that if elected
I woUld not try to get their hands Into other
people's pockets; that I would simply try to
keep other people's hands out of their pockets.
For eighteen years this policy has run through
every speech and act. I have tried ttf apply
to government tbe Jeffersonian maxim of "equal
rights to all and special privileges to none." I
have tried to help make this government a gov
ernment of the people by the people and for
the people. For eighteen years you have had
a chance to scan my every speech and act. While
republican leaders have disappeared as the re
sult of investigations, I have invited the scrutiny
of my opponents and have outlived their criti
cisms and their misrepresentations. I know not
what the future has for me; I know not whether
it is the people's wish that I shall be their'
spokesman in the White House or continue to
perform the work; which I have triad to perform
s a private citizen,, but T have not lived tor
vain. I have1 given an Impulse to honest poli
tics; I have helped to create a sentiment In
favor of Teform, and' as a candidate I have but
one thing to rely upon, the confidence of the
masses in my fidelity to their Interests.
My opponent has behind ,bim all those
forces which are considered potent In politics,
but T would rather have the love of the people,
the attection of the multitude in whose behalf
I have fought than to hold any office. If J en
ter the White House I shall enter it free to keep
the pledges I have made, free to serve with
singleness of purpose. If T am elected, I shall
for four years devote whatever energy T have
and whatever ability I possess to the one object
of making this government again a government
REVISED ELECTORAL VOTE
States: Taft. Bryan.
Alabama 11
Arkansas - 9
California ...... -. , 10 v
Colorado '. 5
Connecticut 7
Delaware ..'. .-. . .3
Florida ;...;., ' G
Georgia -..;... 13
Idaho 3
Illinois 27
Indiana .- 15
Iowa . .' 3
Kansas .-.,..-. . . . . . ., 10
Kentucky .'.. '. . . . 13
Louisiana '. . . 9
Maine :... G
Maryland . . . . , 1 . 7
Massachusetts 1 G
Michigan i 14
Minnesota .".... 11
Mississippi . . . 10
Missouri .- 18
Montana 3 - '
Nebraska . . 8
Nevada 3
New Hampshire 4 .
New Jersey 12.
New York 39 k
North Carolina 12
North Dakota ;' ' 4
Ohio 23
Oklahoma , . 7
Oregon : f4
Pennsylvania ; .t ;34" .
Rhode Island .' '
South Carolina ;.." ' ' 9 -
South Dakota ........ J. .-...:..: '4 '
Tennessee V -X'i :f. . i - . ;'.".' ' '' "1 2
Texns .....: v. ; l . '. v .' v . '. J"'' ' '' ' ' 18 '
XJtnh ...:... .v.. '.':.".;'.' 3 '
Vermont .-... 4. v
Vlndnia .....;..'........ f" '' 12
Washington v '.....".. .""s-. ..".". 5-
West Virginia .............'. . .u '7, -n--
Wfsponsin .'.' 13
Wyoming 3
Total 320- 163
fc gfr tfc vyw ijfr , j ''
GOVERNORS
In Nebraska the democrats elected A. C.
Shallenberger. their candidate for governor, and
captured the legislature. An official vote may
be necessary to determine the number of other
offices on the state ticket won by either party.
In Ohio Jiidson Harmon, democratic nominee
for governor, was elected. In Indiana Thomas
R. Marshall, democrat, was elected governor.
In West Virginia Mr. Bennett, democratic nom
inee for governor, was elected. In Minnesota
Governor Johnson was elected for the third
term. Hadlov. now the republican attorney
general ''of Missouri, was elected governor of
that state.
W v O
SEARCHING FOIt THE CAUSE I
In Its issue of Friday, November G, the
Chicago Record-Herald printed the following:
"Treachery toward Bryan on the part of
Tammany chiefs In New York was alleged yes
.terday by Raymond Robins, who took an active
port in the democratic campaign In the east.
Thousands of sample -ballots marked for Taft
and tke. demoeratie afeti ticket WBre circulated;
he said.' by tfce Tnteroaay leaders the day before
election. The eampte ballots, one of w.hich to
in- the poRsesafcHC fM. -Robins, contains only
the first two-eolimwr of the ticket showirbnw
to mark" the ballot. In large tvpe at the top
are the words, 'Vote for Taft and Chanler.' and
a cross- fs printed Jn the. circle at the head of
the republican colnma and crosses In front of
Chanler and the rest of .the candidates on thcr
democratic state ticket. Mr. Robins declares
he has proof that Murphy and Conners called. In
the candidates on the state ticket and told them
to send out the sample ballots among their lit
erature or they conld not have the support of
the orfcanf7ation. The specimen ballot was se
cured by Mr. Robins In Albany In the office of
""a man who has bold a state office for the last
two years and who waa a candidate for re-election
on the democratic ticket. The officeholder
admitted that ho was a party to the scheme to
knife Bryan, stating that ho was forced by
Murphy personally to do It. The work of tho
Tammany chiefs against Bryan was not con
fined to Greater Now York, but tho ballots woro
circulated In every clt, In the atato, and Mr.
Robins declared that tho way Bryan ran bo
ll lnrchanler provod how effective tho work was
with tho voters."
From New York tho following statement
was given out:
Now York, Novombor G. Charles P.
Murphy, londnr of Tammany hall, dictated -x
statement tonight In which he denies specifically
that Tammany hall did not support Bryan.
"It Is silly to accuse Tammany hall of cut
ting tho national democratic ilekot, taking all
tho circumstances Into consideration," snid Mr.
Murphy. "Many persons who are making tho
clinrgo know hotter, but hopo to make political
capital at Tammany's expense. Thuro Is plenty
of proof that Tammany was absolutely loyal.
The fact that the democratic candidate on tho
county ticket rocoivod far Iprs than the normal
democratic majority Is proof enough In Itself
that Tammany was not In any way responsible
for tho Bryan slump. Tho county ticket suffer
ed because of Bryan's weakness. Beforo tho
convention we knew Bryan could not carry Naw
York, and there was nothing until the election
to chango this belief. Bryan ran so far behind
here Just because the pooplo were against hlra.
1 notice hat Ohio, Indiana and Minnesota elect
ed democratic governors, but Bryan lost 'them,
and 1 have not heard any charges of treachery
to Bryan there. Again In Erlo county, whorp
Mack Ib a leader, I notice that tho county wont
for Chanler by a good majority, but Bryan could
not carry It. I have not heard anybody charge
Mr. Malc with treachery. There was no treach
ery. Tho whole result was duo only to Bryan's
weakness and strength of Taft, which pulled
Hughes through."
Mr. Murphy also commented on the
charges or treachery made against Tammany by
Raymond Robins of Chicago. Mr. Murphy eald,.. .
ho had written to Mr. Robins demanding that;
tho later prove his charges. "
tV O TV
A REPUBLICAN VIEW
It Is perfectly safe to say that Mr. Bryan
stands higher In the estimate of all men todays . .
than he ever has before. And this notwith
standing that his electoral vote will stand at..a,.,
smaller figure than in J 890 or 1900.
His position today haB almost i nothing ;tQ.
do with election. It has everything to do with,
the man's citizenship. And today wo venture,
to believe that WilJJam Jennings Bryan has a
position not granted to Mr. Roosevelt nor to
Mr. Taft, tho position of tho first citizen. He- Is
the private citizen; he vill go down to history
as a private citizen. He will go down in Ameri
can history in the class which holds Webster
and Calhoun and Clay; no American or our gen
eration has approached these unelected giants
so closo as has Mr. Bryan; yet these three have
a likeness among themselves, an Intellectual
giantism, and tho greatest dlBtlnctlon of Bryan's
Is almost to be found In a difference from thera.
For Mr. Brvan possesses the passion for
righteousness, which, whatever material skep
tics of tho day may say, gives a man his final
high rank. It Is tho very quality which hs
given Theodore Roosevelt his position, if some
other qualities have given him more immediate
influence, as well as detracted from that influ
ence. It Is the quality which has given Abrar
Tiara Lincoln his place, even though te posr
' :sessed. mom ".'practical" qualities than WMlasj
X Bryan. It is the quality which Is working a
place in history, fifty years after for such a
despised and rejected of -his. times as, Joty
, Brown. .,'
And no man: can -venture to say that Bryan
lis despisca.and rejected of his times.. Ho Is not,
;He may- lose an election. . He. has ,rpn. to u'
esteem-of -bis, fellow Americans. Hewitt wis;,
not only fn the esteem of history, but in the
practical working out of his problefns of today.
Aff Mr. Bryan ffeVTaTed the right before elec
tion, with an- earnest of sublime passion, fce
has "added to the decency and the righteous
ness of this nation." And the very campaign
in which he has just lost so far. as actuality U
concerned, ho has won In eventuality. That
canlpaign was necessary. As belonging to the
successful republican party, we can declare that
the campaign as Mr. Bryan conducted it was a
final necessity. Any other democratic candl"
date would have merely repeated what his oppo
nent was doing. There was needed difference,
and Mr. Bryan furnished that. St. Paul Dis
patch (republican..)
