The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923, March 08, 1912, Page 3, Image 3
t. '. ""y The Commoner. MARCH 8, 1912 Mr. Bryan's Meetings in the West Referring to Mr. Bryan's visit in Idaho tho Boise Capital says: The Pinney theater was far too small for tho great crowd which clamored at all its doors this afternoon to hear William Jennings Bryan deliver his address of tho day upon national questions, urging tho members of his party to work for the interests of a progressive man to lead tho party in the coming campaign. With force and eloquence his wonderful voice rang clear throughout tho building, he laid bare tho records of Taft and Roosevelt showing tho pledges which they had failed to keep and severely flaying Governor Harmon, who is seeking the democratic nomi nation, because of his opposition to the recall. Mr. Bryan held his listeners spell-hound as he appealed to them with groat earnestness to study the conditions of tho country and see the bright ray of hope for the final triumph of tho democratic party in the next campaign. The stage of the theater was appropriately decorated for the occasion and was filled with leading democrats from various parts of the state. Governor James H. Hawley introduced the great commoner to the vast audience, in a brief address, wherein he eulogized him as a great constructive statesman. He spoke as follows: "Ladies and Gentlemen: Nearly seventeen years ago our distinguished guest first honored Boise with a visit. Although then in tho first flush of early manhood ho had already firmly established hip reputation as a public speaker, and, during the two years' previous service in the national legislature, had assured all who had observed his course of his ability as a con structive statesman. The memorable address that he made on that visit made such a favorable im pression on our citizens that when in tho suc ceeding year he was nominated for the presi dency, irrespective of politics, he received our almost unanimous support. Since that time his name has been a household word not only in every part of this state, but of the entire nation, and his influence has extended until today he is the most powerful private citizen in tho world. Ever in the front line of advanced political thought, honest in his convictions and always ready to share such convictions with the public, he has, although thrice defeated for the presidency, still retained his firm hold on tho affections of the American people and his great influence has extended to even the most remote sections of our common country. I consider it an honor and a privilege to introduce him to this great audience. As a member of the political party of which he has been the undoubted leader for so many years, I am glad that he is again with us. As a citizen of Idaho, it is a pleasure to again greet him and welcome him to the commonwealth where all the people re gardless of political opinions, honor and respect him. As chief executive of the state, I welcome him to fair Idaho and assure him that all our people feel honored by his presence here today and -only regret the shortness of his visit. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is mjr pleasure to introduce to you the great commoner, the fore most citizen of the United States, Honorable William J. Bryan." The Capital prints the following epigrams from Mr. Bryan's speech: The era of the brotherhood of man is not coming. It is hero now. There are two parties one that Is opposed to the people and one that is for the people. Roosevelt admitted that he consented to the steel combine to savo the industrial United States. That is an admission that one corpora tion can wreck 90,000,000 of people. I wonder why wo were so prompt to recog nize the republic of Panama and yet are so Blow to recognize the republic of China? Tho direct election of United States senators means that the people will take the control of the senate out of the hands of predatory wealth. If a law prohibiting contributions by corpora tions to campaigns had been in effect in 1896, there would have been a much less fund for the republicans or more men in the penitentiaries. I believe the time has come to turn the spot light on the White house and compel the presi dent, when he makes an appointment, to name those who recommended that appointment. I am for any man for the democratic nominee for president who is in favor of tho progressive ideas and for those ideas for which wo have fought. .. I am in favor of the publicity by law of tho names of tho owners of newspapers. Do you know that some of the most influential news papers are owned by predatory wealth? I believe in a law that will compel publicity of tho contributions to presidential candidates. We have publicity on tho Steel trust, now let us havo publicity on tho Monoy trust. There has not been a campaign in which I was a candidate that I would not havo been elected but for the money trust. When will we havo the example again of a president brought in on the recommendation of one man and going out through tho opposition of the samo man? There is nothing good that Roosevelt promises that a democrat can not give; nothing bad he promises that Taft will not give us if given a chance. I am opposed to a third term, alternately or consecutively. I am opposed to any man heading tho demo cratic ticket who speaks for retreat and who would fight from tho rear. Nearly everybody Is for the initiative and tho referendum, and about the only man who has not accepted it is Governor Harmon. What is the recall? Dragging a man away from the public crib before he is ready to leave. I honor Governor Wilson for his admitting he was wrong in opposing tho initiative and the referendum, and now acknowledges that It is right and favoring it. I am satisfied I am not the strongest man, and I will go out and fight for a progressive demo crat as sincerely and as earnestly as over I fought for myself, and I hope more successfully. A WELCOME TO BRYAN Editorial in Boise (Idaho) Capital-News: Boise today is welcoming a wonderful citizen. It matters not whether wo be political friends or political foes of Mb, we must acknowledge his wonderful power as a citizen and as a construc tive politician. No other man tho country has ever known could survive defeat as he has survived It, and still be acknowledged a greater man in such defeat than he was before perhaps, a greater man In his defeat than ho would have been in his success. Run over the list of defeated men for political preferment and how many are there who have survived to be great in their defeat? William Jennings Bryan is a great man a great common citizen. We do not always agreo with him; we have believed he has been wrong many times, but we acknowledge he has not bjeen wrong so many times as we have been, and when we can say of a man that Is oftener right than we' ourselves are, then we pay our highest tribute to him. We wish he could be a little more compromis ing, because we believe if he were he could accomplish more for the people. But in this we may be wrong again. It might be that the result would be greater accomplished for himself, but less for the people. If he sees it that way and still holds out for the accomplishment of tho greater good for the people, then he is a greater man than the following of our desires in this respect would make him. At any rate, "William Jennings Bryan is a model citizen, and as such we can all afford to extend a welcome to him to our city. MR. BRYAN IN WYOMING Tiie Cheyenne Wyoming State Leader prints the following description of Mr. Bryan's visit to Wyoming: Hon. W. J. Bryan, three times a nominee for the democratic party for president of tho United States, and the man who stands out prominently as one of two or three whom no man can say is dishonest or a grafter, is the guest of Cheyenne. And to'say the people are glad to see his familiar face and hear his silver toned voice, is placing it mildly. Bryan is the same admirable character as ever. Age does not seem to wear on him, and his entrancing faculties shine as brightly now as ever in his whole brilliant career. His is a strange history. The greatest ambition of his life has been to be president of the United States. In this he has signally failed, and the day is passed when he may ever hope -for such distinction. But, as was said of Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, and one or two other characters in American history, Bryan is too great a man for tho presidency a character peculiarly adapted for a work singular to itself that of moulding public sentiment in a manner which is beyond tho pales of tho White house. And when history is written, it will point to William Jennings Bryan as tho loading and moving spirit of this age in all that makes for tho betterment of tho human raco, politically, spiritually and morally. Ho arrived in Cheycnno at 8:35 In tho oven Ing, and was mot at the train by a host of people aside from tho regularly constituted ro coption committee. As ho alighted from tho train, tho depot platform was full of pooplo anxious to get a glimpse of his faco, which is perhaps tlie most familiar countenance In pub lic life in tho United States today. Tho committee at once escorted him to tho Plains hotel, where ho rested until tho hour of the banquet, with tho exception of greeting friends and leading men of tho democratic party In Wyoming, who called at the hotel to seo him. In the morning ho is duo for an address at tho First Presbyterian church in this city. Tho services will commence promptly at 10:45 a. m., and it is expected that long before this time tho church will bo filled to its capacity, and many turned away. Tho nature of this address is not known. Rev. HUls himself docs not know. All ho knows about it is that Mr. Bryan very kindly said "yes" when ho asked him to speak at tho church. But Mr. Mills, however, has the faculty of doing things right, and it is a foregono conclusion that everything in tho way of a church service long to bo remombercd will tako place in his church tomorrow. Mr. Bryan is one of the greatest living pulpit orators, as well as political orator, and his church addresses are among his best efforts. At the banquet were prominent citizens from almost every section of Wyoming, from Now castlo to Jackson's Hole, and from Cody to Pino Bluffs. 110 guests sat down at tho tables in the dining room at the Plains. After the din ner had been disposed of, Hon. John E. Osborne, tho toastmaster,. introduced Governor Caroy, who presented Mr. Bryan to tho audience. Governor Carey spoke of Mr. Bryan as a man who, while he had not achieved the presidency, had nevertheless made a profound impression upon the progressive political thought of tho United States. Ho compared Mr. Bryan to John C. Calhoun, the greatest constructive statesman produced by the south before tho Civil war, to Henry Clay, Alexander Hamilton, and Daniel Webster, all of them leaders in the political and economic thought of their times. Ho said that while none of those men had attained to tho presidency of the United States, they had per haps achieved positions in history and left repu tations far more enviable than had they realized their ambitions. Tho governor, in introducing Mr. Bryan, de clared that he and Theodore Roosevelt, ono democrat and tho other a republican, had had the greatest influence upon legislation than any other men of their generation. Mr. Bryan said, in part: "I am not a strangor to Wyoming. I commenced coming hero back before 1890, and this was one of the first states that indicated through its delegates a sufficient confidence In mo to support me for the nomination as democratic candidate for tho presidency of the United States. "When I make a religious speech I am always accused of talking politics, and when I make a democratic speech I am invariably accused of talking religion. There is a reason, for there Is so little difference between a democratic speech and a religious address that a progres sive republican can not tell the difference. "I believe in co-operation wherever it is pos sible between the democrats and progressive re publicans. Twenty years ago I was advocating co-operation between the populists and the democrats in Nebraska and I used a scriptural reference to illustrate my point. I said that If tho democrats were casting out devils and tho populists were casting out devils, we couldn't be very far apart, though wo invoked different names when we cast tho devils out. You carifc imagine my surprise next morning when I read in the republican paper that I had said If tho democrats and the populists were casting out devils, It must bo tho work of devils! "I havo known reformers who found it diffi cult to act with other reformers because they In sisted upon having action first upon that re form which they thought most important, and this honest difference of opinion among reform ers as to which is the important question often delays reform. I have known some reformers, too, who, when they found what .they regarded as a cure-all and the people would not at onco accept it, have been anxious that conditions might get worse. They have even been willing mrnhMtutnrr-- l AjI w-