The Commoner
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VOL. 17, NO. 1
Hi
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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
