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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1917)
The Commoner x VOL. 17, NO. 1 Hi i,v ceptcd tho principle of peace, of reason and Justlco, aB opposed to tho prlnclplo of bruto forco. (Applause.) If there were no other rea son why tho Amorlcan people should honor our honored guest, that alone should commend him to them and to tho coming generation, and to tho peoples, not alone of tho United States, hut to tho peoples of tho world. (Applause.) I prom ised our toastmaster and I havo broken ray promise, I regrdt to say I promised that I would make my response to the toast Just that long (indicating), because I know that you gen tlemen did not come hero to listen t'o mo; I know for whom you aro waiting; and with a parting greoting to our honored guest, I bid you good night. (Applause) Tho Toastmaster, Commissioner Newman: California was interesting; New Hampshire ia oqually Interesting (laughter) if not more so (laughter) and I am not Irish either! (Laughter.) I take great pleasuro in introduc ing Senator Ilonry F. Hollis, of Now Hamp shire, who will respond to tho toast "Ho Kept tho Faith." (Applause,) it "HE HAS KEPI1 THE FAITH" (By Hon. Henry F. Hollis, United States Sen ator from Now Hampshire.) In all great social movements men of right purpose play those parts which their individual natures compel or permit them to assume. Those who aro weighed down by burdens of property, family, tradition or environment, may long ar dently for tho right and yet lack tho moral cour age to throw off thoir burdens and follow tho flag. Thoso who aro free whon tho buglo sounds, or who shortly achlovo freedom, will And thoir special places. Most of them become private soldiers, serving in thg ranks. Below them are tho armor-bearers and the camp-followers. They ' aro tho forgotton millions, finding their joy in tho success of thoir leaders. Above them aro tho captains. All of these havo an idea, more or Iobb definite, ot tno cause which they support, but most of them aro content to follow the flag of their choice, wherever it may lead. But crlsos arise when decisions must be made New countries are to bo conquered. Old coun tries aro to bo saved. Invaders must be repelled. There is a council of the generals. Who shall carry tho flag? What way shall it go? Shall a now flag be adopted? At such times men divide along new lines. For most of them it is difficult enough to make a sound decision after the new lines aro laid. Moro difficult it is for tho generals to choose the lines to bo followed from tho many that are proposed. Most difficult of all to pierce the mists of the future and discern now lines that are invisible to all but tho few. In such times born leaders of men discover themselves. Their vision is a little clearer than any other. Thoir perceptions aro aquiver: their zeal kindles anew: their enthusiasm is boundless: a subtler magnetism exhales from their tbodies. Their faults aro tho faults of a high spirit, .an Impatience with, laggards, an in tolerance of compromise. Mon lovo them bet tor for these human vqualities. If infirmities, they he, they aro the. infirmities of a noble mind. (Applause.) Glass without a Jlaw permits, tho passage of light and heat without gaining color or temper ature. Wa lovo tho man who receives the light and passes it to his follows reflecting radiant and colorful visions, who receives the warmthand .kindles a glow in the hearts of humanity. (Ap plause.) Of such were tho prophets of, .old, and of such is our. beloved friend. , (Prolonged ap plause and cheers.) No need In this presence torecount his deeds or his prophecies. His deeds are- cemented in the history of his .country. Of his prophecies we are shorty to hear at first hand. Ho is of that very few whoso destiny it is to keep the flag flying, to keep tho flame of democracy pure and unwavering, to "stimulate his comrades and fol lowers to higher aims and achievements. (Cries of "Good,"f and applause.) Other a may compromise their principles for ftw private gain, others may linger by the wayside, others may fall into the ways of ease and in- " dolence, or pursue tlie phantoms of pleasure and luxury It is his lot, like a true prophet, to see th vision, to interpret thp dream, to carry the flag and to keep the faith. While the democracy has its Bryan, it can not stray unheeding from tho true path. (Applause.) Speaking as a New Hampshire democrat who learned tho gospel of progressive democracy from the lips of our friend in 1900, and who has not wavered in his allegiance to him from that day to this, I desire to say in this presence that democratic success in New England In the past campaign was in almost exact proportion to tho loyalty of tho democratic party to Mr. Bryan from 1896 to 1908. (Cheers and applause.) New Hampshire was his most devoted follow er, and Now Hompshire alone cast its vote for tho democratic electoral ticket. Rhode Is.land was a close second and Rhode Island alone elect ed a democratic senator. The democratic victory in this campaign was achieved along the lines laid down in 1896 by our boloved friend. Ho would have succeeded then but for th6 uso of vast sums of money by our adversaries in corrupting tho ballot. They tried to accomplish tho same result in this cam paign by the same methods, and they nearly succeeded. In this campaign Mr. Bryan labored for President Wilson more ardently and more successfully than he ever labored for himself. Ho has kept the faith for others as well as he has kept it for himsolf. At tho St. Louis convention last June the democracy gathered in a somewhat heroic mood. After Mr. Bryan spoke, it found that it loved peace. And it won the fight on the peace-issue. (Applause.) Mr. Bryan has led our party into the paths of peace juBt as he led our nation and the greatest nations of the world to conclude the marvelous peace treaties. I venture tho prediction that his work in concluding the peace treaties will live throughout the ages and upon them his fame will rest secure. At another democratic convention In St. Louis, twelve years ago, our beloved friend gave voice to an utterance, lofty in its sentiment, prophetic in its quality, which applies to him today as it applied to him then. Those of you who were present will never forget the words. I can not close better than by quoting them: "Eight years ago a democratic national con vention placed in my hand the standard of tho party and commissioned me as its candidate. Four years later that commission was renewed. I come tonight to this democratic national con vention to return the commission. You may dispute whether I have fought a good fight, you may dispute whether I have finished my course, but you can not deny that I have kept the faith." (Cheers and prolonged applause.) The Toastmaster, Commissioner Newman: In the absence of tho Honorable Claude Kitchin, who is ill at his home, and therefore unable to be here, we are favored this evening to have as the respondor to tho last toast, before Mr. Bryan, a man who, it seems to me, is particularly in harmony with the subject to which he is to re spond. I used to live in San Antonio, and I used to see the Honorable James L. Slayden walk down Commerce street, around Military Plaza, up Houston street, around the Alamo Plaza, and drop into his office, on a bright spring after noon; and I couldn't help thinking then; -what 1 .have -so often thought since, and what I think tonight, in introducing him to you, that he is truly a monarch of the old southern statesman regime, Hon. James L. Slayden. (Applause.) "SOUTHERN DEMOCRACY" '-(By Honorable James L. Slayden, Member of tho House of Representatives from Texas.) Mr. Toastmaster, Mr. Bryan, and Gentlemen: In defense of my oWn reputation (laughter) and to prevent you from acting under the delusion that perhaps may have been created by the flat tering remarks of the toastmaster, I think I ought to do what every substitute should do, fire ono round and fall back. (Laughter.) I was drafted, as he very frankly states, late this afternoon, by my distinguished friend from Mississippi, who frankly said to me that he knew that I did not know enough and could not ac quire enough matter to talk about to detain you more than two or three minutes between tho date of his invitation and the time when I would bo called on to speak! (Laughter) As usual, he was right! (Laughter.) m MrBryan wu PardA the metaphor, which will perhaps make a stronger appeal to mj friend from California, I will say that good wino needs no bush (laughter); and the loyalty of the democracy of the south needs no eulo gist. It has spoken for itself on so many occa sions, and spoken in such a way that you know now how it will speak again at tho next oppor tunity (applause) and the next. This very beautiful speech made by my friend from California was a wonderful and attractive mixture of metaphor and fact. He spoke of those hours of doubt and uncertainty, when democrats from New Hampshire, and from Cal ifornia in the West, and from Dakota in tho north, down to Texas on the Gulf, were looking about, casting about for the dawn of hope. He said they looked toward the south, and were gratified to see on the horizon the rising sun of a victory won! (Laughter.) Great heavens, sir! What did you expect to find? (Laughtei' and applause.) Why do you cast doubt on what Texas and the south will do? (Laughter.) Just a few hundred yards to the south of us, begin ning with the state that our distinguished friend across this table comes from, begins a region of absolute unswerving loyalty to democracy and to its, principles, and, I say to you now without any peril of my reputation as a prophet, that as it has been, so will it be time and time again. And these gentlemen who describe themselves as progressive democrats, and who speak of this new union between the south and the west, forget that the progress has been from the west, forget that the progress has been from the west toward the south. We struck twelve on democracy a long time ago, and we welcome them, and rejoice in the fact that they describe their march towards us as "progress"! I hope that they will not falter in the faith, that they will absorb Jefferson and finally say simply 1 am a democrat. Then their "progress" wll have come to an end and they vill stand with the south. (Laughter and applause.) Now, gentlemen, I will gratify you by getting out of the way and giving you an opportunity to hear from our distinguished friend, who has rejoiced me on occasions for twenty years by just such speeches as I am sure he is going to make tonight. (Applause.) The Toastmaster, Commissioner Newman: As an introduction to the next speaker, I propose the health of the Honorable William Jennings Bryan! (Whereupon the toast was drunk in water, all standing, amid cheers and prolonged ap plause and the waving of handkerchiefs.) DEMOCRACY'S DEEDS AND DUTY (By William Jennings Bryan.) "Out of the twilight of the past We move to a diviner light, For nothing that is wrong can last, Nothing is immortal but the right." Mr. Toast Master: I can find nothing in the masculine vocabu lary that expresses my grateful appreciation; let me borrow a woman's phrase and say: "It is sweet of you," my good friends, to assemble .about this hospitable board .and cheer my heart .with your smiles xind generous words. The presence of -the chief executive of the capital city as toastmaster the -presence of this commit tee of senators, the men who took upon them selves the responsibility for this dinner before they knew whether anybody would attend, the presence of these members of, the cabinet with whom my relations have always been the most friendly and whom I shall ever re member as& very delightful -group, the presence of these representatives of the official life of our country and of these in unofficial life all com bine .to make this occasion memorable among tho many memorable occasions of the last twenty-five years. I am conscious, of course, that you are guilty of gross exaggeration, but I will not chide you. Language, as well as metal, expands under tne influence of heat, and the warmth of our mu tual regard has quite naturally affected tn speeches. ,,.. It is necessary, too, that, a man in public u should be over-praised by his associates to ma up for unmerited abuse from his opponent, having had my full share of criticism, I neeu u excess of praise. " , ,na You credit me with what others have aou because, you do not know them so well, in i Uhi