B
TIIE OMAHA SUNDAY BEE: MAY 22. lOW.
Bryan's Washington Hall Speech from the Stenographers Notes
4 'Not by utonoRiaphfr: Mr. nryan ar-1 nary then to meet county option m m f-e, ! 1 A 1 rN .re great on meeting down there. Some they ImtUl their homes they want to gel
Yived at the hull Bt 8:1!0 p. m.. unaccom- Issue, and that T . In favor of a nltfnrm lAl -Cf' TinflP I h O m OfflCflPC fVf t" M P I 1 1 C of our people mere very anxious that the-e a ay from the saloon.
Ianlcd, proceeded Immediately lo the plat-1
form, which was unoccupied, handed out '
from the footlights to the audience, about!
three doxen chairs, carrying them hlmnolf
as far as the footlights, retaining one
-hair for his hat and coat, and another
hair alongside the tablo at which he
spoke. Ha began speaking Immediately,
concluding about 1:30, reading a portion ot
the. time from manuscript.)
Mr. Bryan: Somo of yon take these
chairs, please, so they can be occupied.
fNote: Mr. Bryan then hands out about
:hreo doien chads, carrying them to tbe
footlights, where they were received from
him by people In the audience, the audience
cheering while this whs being done, Mr.
Bryan wearing a broad smile as though he.
enjoyed It.
Mr. Bryan: Mr. Chairman! (Turning lo
the empty chair at his sldo nnd addressing
It In a deferential and courteous manner.)
t (Prolonged laughter and cheering.) Ladles
und gentlemen: Th's Is my meeting.
(Laughter and Mpplause.) I mean 1 ur i nut
i iere at anybody's Invitation. I paid for the
Wnl. I Introduced myself with such Intro
j iluctlon as may bo necessary to the new
comers In this community. (laughter.)
Note: Mr. Bryan here proceeded to rend j
n editorial from The Bee and to iuslify
hlmaelf for hiring a hall over a saloon und
belonging to a brewer this part of his
speech having already been printed in full
' in The Bee.
"ih. Mr. Bryan: I have no disposition to dlc
1te nnd have no moans of enforcing a
command If I desired to Issue one. But 1
am a member of the democratic party; 1
am a citizen of th6 stato of Nebraska, and
besides being In duty bound to m et tho
responsibilities of a democrat and tho
responsibilities of a citizen. I am also bound
to meet those higher responsibilities that
rest upon us as moral belnRS.
I think you will agree with mo that 1
have as much Interest In the dcmociatlc
party as any other member of the party,
and If any of you think that my course
Jeopardizes democratic success, I think you
will not deny that I have as much Interest
In democratic success ns. any other mem
ber of the party. Kven those who ate
candidates for office are not personally
! Interested In Its success more than I am,
for In the national work I am trying to
do I would be embarrassed by the defeat
Nthe party In this state, especially if the
responsibility of the defeat could be fairly
placed upon me. I think you will agree
Avith me also that as a citizen of the state
y have asdeep Interest In the welfare of
the state as any other citizen. I am as
, closely Identified with Its standing, Its wel
fare and Its. progress as any other member
of the party. I am a taxpayer In the state
of Nebraska and cannot be Indifferent to
: anything that affects the state. As an In-
.' dividual It Is my responsibility as well as
: that of others, and I have no more right
I to dodge a question that Is ready for settle-
' nient than you have.
When I returned to the slate after an
absence of some months 1 found a condition
here that I had not expected to find, and I
may add' a condition which I believe the
great majority of the democrats of this
tale are entirely Ignorant of:
L I had announced my position on the sub-
Ject of county option and had said before
leaving It was an Issue that could not be
t avoided unless the Initiative and the refer
r endum was submitted by special session,
: and the submission of the Initiative and
referendum only" avoids 'the issue because
It presents a larger Issue and one which
Includes county option together with other
Issues. '' '
Under the Initiative and the referendum
any question upon which the people desire
to act can be submitted at , the
polls. , If we have the Initiative
and the referendum submitted we can
work this fall for the adoption of the
amendment, and when It Is adopted we can
take up any question upon which the pco
pie desire to act.
That Is the reason I am willing to post
pone, as far as I am concerned, any dis
. cuaelon of the question of county option.
If we can have the question of the initiative
and referendum submitted I am willing, as
I say, because r regard the question of the
Ulatlve and the referendum as the largest
pl Aiiestlon that can come hefnre this
Slate, and because It Includes all other
questions, I prefer to take the big question
first and get the right of the people to act
on these questions, and If we can do that
this fall It Is accomplishment enough for
one year.
When I reached Nebraska I found that a
special session had not been called because
the canvass made did not assure the suc
cess of the amendment.
I found that the lhiuor Interests, which
controlled enough members of the senate
to prevent the submission of the Initiative
and the referendum, were Insisting that
the "unty option question should not be
runiltt a state issue.
They wanted to have the state organiza
tion of both the leading parties
against county option and their argument
was that the matter should be left to the
districts. But I found that these same!
IlnJ'r Interests were at work
candidates for the state senate v.ith a
view to controlling that body. I found
that representatives of the national liquor
organisation had been In the stato and that
they had tried to orranse for tho selection'
of senatorial candidates.
I state that generally and I have tha
proof of It. I have talked with two men
who were called upon by representatives
of the national liquor organization, and
that national liquor orgtnlzatlon was try
ing to secure, and I am not sure but It has
secured, a representative In this state to
elect the state senators to be voted upon,
i I found, also, that representatives of the
Wal liquor interests were acting with the
iiJtlonal organization and that the pl:in
deliberately entered tipon nnd Industriously
pursued was to secure enough i-tato sena
tors to prevent the cnrrjin!T out of the
wishes of the people.
I have this also upon evidence that cannot
be disputed: I assert here and I shall re
peat It attain and again, that the brewers
of this city have been trying to select sen
ators In districts outside of Omaha, and If
the brewers will untie in a statement deny
ing It, I will name the name of tho brewer
Jho called a man up a short time ago
I In a district outslda of the city. (Ap
plause.) I (ound that certain sp.cial Interest
were combined with the brewers and that
an oronslvet and defensive alliance had
, been formed, under the terms of which
the special Interests would act together to
blockyiy legislation to which they ob
JecteflVI Caving fully Informed mytelf and
having secured evidence that Is to my mind
conclusive, t had to decide my duty as a
democrat, as a citizen and as a man, and
I announced that I would attempt to as
certain the sentiment or the democratic
members of the legislature on tho Initiative
and tho referendum, and would ask the
hect Legislation league to ascertain the
flH.Mtlon ot the republicans on this proposi
tion. I said that I had no doubt that the gov
em ir would call a p.clal session if as
sisted t enough votes lo pass the resolution
for t resubmission of the Initiative and the
referent. ainjswtlso announced at that time
that casa (he Initiative and the referen
dum was not submitted U would be neces-
Issue, and that I was In favor of a platform
declaring In favor of It. I at once ad-
dressed letters to the democratic senators
wnd members, and the tiroet legislation
league hn made Inquiry of the republican,
members. While the poll Is not yet com
plete, It la certain that the re solution would
have no difficulty In passing the house.
We have now more than the necessary
three-fifths of the members of the house
who have promised to vole for that. (Ap
plaue.) We have fifty-six democrats, out
of the entire i membership of the house,
fifty-six democrats who say that if the
special session Is to be called they will vote
for the initiative and the referendum, and
v. e have enough republican members to aid
to this to give us six more than the neces
sary constitutional three-fifths of the house.
Hut It Is still doubtful whether It would
pass the senate. Koine of the senators who
voted no aio willing to vote yes In case
they are usked to do so by a majority of
their constituents, while other senators
have declined to promise to vote for It even
if petitioned to do so by a majority of the
voters of their district.
Tho governor has said that he would call
this special session 'If he has written as
ruiancp of sufficient votes to pass the
Initiative and referendum resolution. 1
cannot say yet whither the written assur-
isnce can be given, nor can I say whether
the governor would feel Justified In calling
a special session upon Hsj assuruuee that
has been given. We have reached this far,
however, that we know thl.-. that wo will be
near enough to the nutnbi r. we will have
pledges enough from senators who promise
that they will vote yes on that proposition
if It is submitted at a special session, wo
have enough who promise, to vole yes.
added to those who ar;rco to vote yes If
their constituents asu them, to make the
necessary number, so that It will only be
nicctsary to secure the petitions l:i n few
districts.
I think I can say this much, although the
poll Is not yet complete nd there may
be a difference of one or two votes from
that which we now estimate. But whether
the special session is called or not, I be
lieve that the democrats of tho staU
should know the political situation and un
derstand the sordid Influences which are
attempting to contaminate the politics of
both parties.
If the special session is not vailed, there
Is but one reason for it, and that Is .that
the opposition to the Initiative and refei-
dum, not in the house of representative.').
for we now have a clear three-fifths and
more already pledged, not among the poo-
pie, for the sentiment Is overwhelming,
but solely In the state senate Is sufficient
to prevent the submission of this amend
ment. Whether the senators who oppose the
initiative and referendum represent the
wishes of their constituents or not. Is really
Immaterial, so far as the public Is con
cerned. If those senators do not represent
their constituents, then the liquor Interests
are responsible for compelling the misrepre
sentation of these senatorial districts. If,
however, the senators represent their con
stituents, then we must face a more se
rious proposition.
The reason given by most of the senators
who opposed the Initiative and referendum
was that their people are opposed to county
option and opposed to the .Initiative and.
referendum because It could be' used for
the submission of the question of county
option, In other words, if those senators
represent their constituents, the men op
posed to county option Insist upon making
it a paramount issue. As the Initiative
and referendum are Intended to' give, 0e
people a chance to vote on public questions,
the defeat of this proposition by those who
are opposed to county option means that
rather than have county option submitted
they will prevent the submission of any
question.
If the liquor question must be disposed of
before we. can secure the Initiative and
referendum, then the sooner we dispose of
It the better, for we have no assurance that
the liquor Interests will bo any more will
ing to have the initiative and referendum
submitted by the next legislature than they
are to have it submitted by the present
legislature. We might as well prepare for
the conflict and settle now the fjuestlnn
whether a special pecuniary Interest can
oontrol the policies of the parties of the
state, silence ' conventions on Important
issues, and then set up legislatures by
secret manipulation. I for one am . not
willing that the democratic party shall go
Into the present campaign as the open and
avowed representative of the liquor Inter
ests. (Applause. A voice: Amen.)
I do not know how many of the demo
crats may agree with me. There Is no way
of finding out where our party stands un
' less a fight Is made, and I am willing to
be counted as one who protests whether
those who agree with me arj few or many.
I believe they are many; In fact, I believe
that If the matter can be fairly presented
to the democratic voters a large majority
will record themselves as unalterably op.
i posed to the, domination of our party by the
j liquor Interests. At least I will not admit
until wo urc voted down In the convcntl m
or at a primary, that a majority of tho
democrats) are willing to tako orders from
the liquor dealers who have a pecuniary In
terest in opposing all restrictions and who
have in the past opposed every Important
effort to limit the evIN of the saloon.
The liquor Interests have no politics. They
are willing to act wath any party they can
control and against uny party they can
not control.
A situation r.omcthlng like the pies-tit
presented it3elf onco to Andrew Jackson.
When he was president hi had a fight with
the national bank of that day, nnd you
will remember that Nick Btddlc, the presi
dent of the bunk, called upon him and told
him that the bank had the power to elect
rim to the presidency or detent him, and
what was Jackson's answer? Was It that
he would sec that It was not put In the
platform? Was It that he would dice Ui
question? No. Jackson said to Mr. likldl..
"It your bank has that power It has a
blank Mi;ht more power than It outlet to
have and more loan It will have lr I can
take it away from you." (Applau ci That
is what he said then and every Jucksonian
democrat- ought to be willing to ray the
saniti now. If tlu liquor Interests of this
stale claim that they have the power to
elect governors or to defeat them, to elect
senators er to del', at them, to elect legis
lators or to defeat them, then those liqur
Interests have more power than they oulit
to have, and 1, for one, will bo like Ar.dteiv
Jackson and lake li away from them
(Prolonged applause.) And, my friends, 1
have too much faith In the honor, in the
Integrity, In the high purpose', and In
the democracy of these m-n with whom 1
have been working for now more than
twenty years to doubt that when this Isau?
is made they will stand loyally for the
right of the democratic patiy to sp-ak for
the people of this state and not be spoken
for by those selfish Interests. I care not
what a democrat may think on 'the ques
tion ot sumptuary legislation. I care not
what ho may think about the advisability
of a particular law upon this subject :
When you bring before a democrat who
deserves the name the question whether the
law shall be mad.- by the people, whether
the representatives shall be elected by the
people, or whether the political methods In
this stats shall be open and honest and
Most Striking
tinctly Anti-Omaha Tone and the Note of
Disappointment That Pervade It Almost
Throughout Verbatim Report of Principal
Passages of the Peerless Leader's Address
fair, I have no doubt as to what that
democrat will reply!
I do not believe that these lievuor In
terests can terroi Ize the state of Nebraska
as they terrorize the people of Omaha and
the county of Douglas. (Applause.)
You are but a part of this state; you are
lets than one congressional disirict; you
have to Join with farpy and Washington
to niako a congressional district, and thit
Is only one-sixth of this state when you
have a congressional district.
I know that these liquor Interests have
terrorized this community. I know that
tliesu men have Issued their orders. I
know thnt they have threatened any man
who would speak out against them or act
without consulting them. They have in
sulted tho democracy of this state and our
legislature. They have sent down to tho
city of Lincoln a representative who stood
there to tell people how to vote In the
sei ate and In tho house. If the democracy
of this state has not the manhood to rise
up and spew theso people out of its mouth
it does not deserve to be called a demo
cratic party. (Applause.)
It Is hardly net:essary at this time to
submit an argument In favor of the Initia
tive and referendum.
Note: Here Mr. Bryan went Into an ex
tended argument for tha Initiative and
referendum.
Mr. Bryan: Is It not strange that I. a
member of this party, should come down
lo the city of Omaha to make a speech
on the initiative and the referendum that
wan endorsed in the last state platform
without a dlssenting.vote? Is It not strange
that 1 can come Mere to speak for what
my party btands tot and not a member of
your democratic organization ask If he
can do anything to help arrange this meet
ing for me? Do I need any other evidence
to prove to you that theso great
liquor Interests have descended upon
this town und terrorized ir,to silence
democrats, who under other circumstances
will be quick to speak out on this subject?
That Is the situation, my friends. When 1
come here to speak for the Initiative and
referendum I come to speak for the doc
trine that was endorsed less than a year
ago by the democratic convention of this
state.
They call me a disturber of harmony.
Who is the disturber of harmony? The
man who raises himself against his party
or the man who pleads that the will of his
party shall be binding upon the members of
the party.
I say It is hardly necessary that a man
shall make an argument in favor of the
Initiative and the referendum, for when you
find a man who Is opposed to It you will
find a man that either has no reason or is
ashamed to give the reason that he has.
(Applause.)
There Is no i opposition that can be sug
gested that Is -not autocratic, aristocratic
or plutocratic In Its origin.
Why, this Is the most popular proposition
that there is. When I am asking that this
bo submitted and that our people be per
mitted to make a record on It and take a
vote on It I am not Injuring the demo
cratic party, my friend; I am not jeopardiz
ing its success. Why, this proposition is so
popular that when it was submitted In
Missouri last year and Missouri has two
cities bigger than Omaha (laughter), I find
they are not afraid to speak on this sub
ject. In the state of Missouri that prop
osition carried by 40,000 majority, submit
ted by a democratic legislature, although 1,
as a presidential candidate, was defeated
by some 600 in that state; that proposition,
submitted by a democratic legislature, was
40,000 votes stronger In the state of Mis
souri than I was as a democratic presi
dential candidate. Is this an unpopular
tiling that I anv urging that 1 am asking
my party to stand for? 1 Is so popular
that even In republican suites they have
adopted It. It has no latitude; It has no
longitude; it is popular everywhere. They
adopted it In Oregon, away out west, and
they adopted it In Maine; away down east;
they have adopted It In South Dakota,
away up north, and they have adopted it
In Oklahoma? away eown south. (Laughter
and applause.) You gee it Is not an un
popular thing, my friends.
Mr. Bryan: I want to remind you that
fourteen years ago, before anybody talked
about county option, that initiative and ref
erendum was put Into the democratic plat
form, and 1 was chuu man of the commiucc
that ycur, and it' you will get the rcpub
llcan State Journal of the next day after
lournal of the next day after
3u you JT find something
interesting. The Journal said
the convcntlo
which is very
that when iir. Bryan lead Una p ami of the
initiative and Uiu rclc-rcnJuin that ttic
uclcjjalcs looked at eaUi other in surprise
und that ono eicicsate said to another,
What is thai? (Laughter.) Now, that ' is
wl.al the papier t,a.d. And the paper said
tlita democrat answered, It is a. new kind
of funey di.nk, and the paper uaid it went
through unanimously then. (Laughter.)
And then think ot 1U be.ug unpopular in
Omaha! (Laughter )
But in tho iust fourteen ycani the people,
huvc had a chance) to study tliia question,
and I think more of thes.u understand it,
but for (ear some ot you, may not have:
ueen studying it, although you ought to
l. live mote: time to study il lioev; since tile;
S o'clock closing hour Uauter I have
iuuuiu iwr qunu an increase in political in-
formation aiut study of these public qucv
t.oiis in Omaha during Uie last two years.
1 hope l will not be disappointed in my
expectation.
'the initiative is merely a process by
which li. o people can compel toe submis
sion of a question.
At present if we want a question sub
ill. He'd lo tile people) 01 tills statu it must
be submitted by a majority of the legisla
ture; nut only a majority, but il must b
submitted by ihree-fitlhs ot the legislature.
We will have to have not only a majority
of the senate in favor ot the initiative and
referendum, but we have to have three
fifths of both brandies.
Under tiia initiative and the referendum
a certain number of people can petition
tor the submission of a question, and when
tiie requisite number petition, then the
question must be submitted, but it cannot
be adopted unless a majority of the people
want to adopt it. but when it is submitted
and a majority of the people vote for it.
then II becomes a law. And why ought it
not to beevine a law? Is there anybody
who says that he would rather trust a man
elected, as soma of them are, by secret
manipulation to tha legislature than trust
tha ittopl sillinK la Judgment uyoa uu-
Characteristics
Hons that Interest them, and eaeh one In
terested, not In a private or pecuniary way,
but Interested In the public welfare?
Are you afraid to trust the Initiative and
the referendum?
Why, my friends, this is not a new doc
trine. We have It now. If you want to
change the county site, how do you do 11?
A petition Is circulated, and when It is
signed by a e'ertaln number of people,
voters In tho county, the question must be
submitted, and then tho people, at a refer
endum vote, act upon the question. Tiiat
Is the law in this stato today orv such an
important question as the, changing of a
county site. It is not trusted to tha rep
resentatives, but It must be voted upon by
the people themselves. Isn't that good doc
trine? Isn't that democratic doctrine? Isn't
It In harmony with our Ideas of govern
ment?
And what 'is the referendum? Well, if
the legislature passes a law and any con
siderable number of the people think that
that law ought not to have been passed, a
referendum can be asked and then thai
question is submitted to a vole, and the
voters have Uie right to say whether the
measure sh&fl become a law or not.
Is that not fair? Why, the law gives the
governor a chance to veto, and If the gov
ernor has the right to veto a law that has
been declared for by a majority of botli
branches of the legislature, shall we say
that the people themselves, who elect gov
ernors and elect legislatures, shall not have
the veto power and be able to sit in Judg
ment upon a bill that had to be signed by
the governor as well as passed by the
legislature?
Now, that Is easily understood, and that
Is the thing that your senators are not
willing that the people shall vote upon.
No matter if they themselves believe that
the Initiative is wrong and the referendum
Is wrong, no matter If In their hearts they
have a contempt for popular government;
no matter If they despise the Intelligence
of the people who elected them, what right
hav they to say that the people themselves
shall not fcay whether they shall have di
rect legislation through the initiative and
the referendum? (Applause.)
Am I a disturber of party harmony when
I ask that the legislature be reconvened
and that that matter be submitted to the
people?
I repeat ' that in asking It I speak In
harmony with the platform of my party,
f Bay that when I ask for It I am asking
for what the governor desired a demo
cratic governor. I am asking for what a
dempcratlo legislature desired If we have
a majority of the democrats In favor of
this proposition.
Now, this Is the Initiative and the ref
erendum. Are you surprised that . It is
popular?
Let me ask let me see If It Is popular
here. You probably understood It before
I said anything about it. I have tried to
make It clear. 5 am going to put It to a
vote. I am going to ask how many in
this audience are In favor of the Initiative
and referendum and are willing that the
people of this state shall have laws that
suit them and reject laws that they do
not like? And after those in favor of the
initiative and referendum have risen on this
vote I will ask them to sit down and I will
ask those to rise who are willing to an
nounce before their fellow men that they
are not wtllrsg that the people of this
state shall decide questions that come be
fore the people of this state, How many
of you will by rising indicate that you be
lleve In the Initiative and referendum?
Let's see you rise. Now, you may be
seated again. How many? I will not count
those against the wall unless they step
out, although there are some sitting down
for fear they might be counted that way
How many of you will, by rising, indicate
that you are opposed to the Initiative and
referendum? Evidently the brewers dhi
not come tonight. (Laughter.) One man!
One man in this audience is opposed to the
initiative and referendum.
A Voice: And he don't know anything.
Mr. Bryan: No, I don't say that. I wish
we could excuse all on the ground that
they don't know better. (Laughter.)
This is Omaha. This Is the largest city
in tho state, and here tho five brewers
livo, who sit upon their seven hlliu here
and from their throuo of beauty rule the
state. (Laughter.) And yet in Omaha, in
the very presence of thcuo brewers, there
is only ono muti in this audience that rises
to say that ho is oppose.! to the initiative
and the referendum. (Avtdausc and laugh
ter.) It is Just as I thought! It is just as 1
thought!
Mr. Bryan: It is hardly necessary to sub
mit any arguments In favor of county op
tion, for it stands upon Its own merit:), and
those who oppose It cannot successfully
combat tho arguments presented in ita fa
vor. The presumption la on the side ot
those who favor county option. Tho pro
sumption Is always upon the side of thoou
who assert the right ot the people to have
what they want. In order to overthrow
that presumption there must be sound ar
gument. Note Here Mr. Bryan launched into an
pv tetlilpfl ftrsimi'tlt fop eonntv nmfitn anil
j asalngt baloon
Mr. Bryan: Now, that is tho argument,
that county option Is one-sided, you hear
most. An absurd argument! And why ab
surd? Because they talk about fairness
with a saloon. It is not fair to the saloon.
Why, my friends, you never u:e tho word
fair when you are talking about a saloon.
You never say it is not Just to tiie saloon.
It Is one-sided. You don t talk about Jus
tice when you are talking about saluons.
Head the lexicon of the liquor dealer and
there are two words that do not appear In
it. One is fairness and the other is Justice.
The saloon is a nuisance everywhere, and
never tolerated except as a necessary evil.
(Applause.) The saloon is on the defen
sive everywhere, and talk about the saloon
Insisting that as a matter of justice and
fairness It must be allowed to inflict its
noisome presence in a community where it
is not wanted! (Applause.)
In this city, only a few years ago, more
than half of your saloons had houses of 111
fame connected wllli them, and it required
a crusade of the executive officers to
cleanse these saloons of these attachments.
Yes, In the city of Omaha. And It Is only
a few weeks ago that the mayor of the
city of Milwaukee, the socialist mayor, in
his Inaugura address, in which he spent
several sentences Ueloudlug. Ui saloon-
Are the Dis
keeper, added, however, that a license to
sell liquor does not Include the right to
keep a house of 111 fame. Why would he
say It If the saloons of Milwaukee had not
been in the habit of exercising a right that
was not Included under their license to sell
liquor? In the city of Chicago, within two
weeks, a crusade has been started against
these establishments and thirty brewers
have signed an agreement to help the city
enforce the law, and It Is so Important an
item of news that it Is telegraphed all
over the country. Why, most people help
the city enforce the law without coming
together and agreeing to do It and signing
an agreement to that effect. And one of
the brewers said we have now demon
strated that this can be done. Why didn't
they demonstrate it a good while ago when
they were not signing agreements and
were not helping to do It? They agreed
not to deliver to those places run In viola
tion of law. What does that mean? It
means they have In the past been deliver
ing to them.
Now, that is tho situation, my friends.
I say to you that the saloon Is on the
defensive and it ought to be glad to exist
anywhere without Insisting upon thrusting
Itself where it Is not wanted. (Applause.)
You people up here In Omaha have said
some unkind tilings about Lincoln (laugh
ter) because Lincoln has no saloons. Well,
it, you will try and bear with it, my
friends, we will get along. (laughter.) In
fact, 'our people seem to get along very
well down there. They tried this policy
and before they tried It they had limited
the evilaof the saloon much beyond what
you have done In Omaha. They had. fixed
o'clock as the closing hour even before
the saloons were closed entirely. By
vote of a little more than 200 a majority
of a little more than 200 the saloons were
shut out and we went a year that way
Some of our citizens, of course, had to
leave business frequently to go to Have-
lock, but they came back and In time got
over it. (laughter.) We got along. Of
course we had to pay ftiO.OOO a year extra
taxes because of the license fee being lost.
but our people paid It and at the end of
a year the liquor Interests desired to have
another chance to vote. They had ob
Jected to the Initiative and referendum
when It was adopted In Lincoln, but they
were the first ones to UBe it after It was
adopted. (Laughter.) They used the ini
tiatlve and referendum, too. (Laughter.)
We hodi quite a fight there. The natlona
organization took a hand and sent in three
prominent men one from New York, one
from Chicago, and then to be sure that wo
would have the Simon-pure article, one
came from Milwaukee. (Laughter.) And
they had a meeting. They had a very
good-sized meeting. In fact, our people
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1 1 1 .ire 11 1 f I yF..iri'ief
1 1 t j r n r.TTi' f
of our people were very anxious that these
men should not feel that they had not been
well reeelveel. It was a sort of matter of
lex-al pride with them. They wanted to
show the hospitality of the city. And so
women, dressed in white and wearing
badges with the legend, "No Saloons," oc
cupied the front rows ef seats In order
that the house might have an Inviting ap
pearance, and when one of the speakers
said that ho would start with the proiHisl-
tlon that whisky tasted good as It went
down, a lady rose and askeel him how it
tasteel when !t came up. (laughter.) And
then when he got along a little further he
said that It you would ask any criminal
lawyer he would toll you that liquor was
not the cause of murder. A man rose In
the audience and said It was the cause of
the last murder committed in this county.
And he says, well, that is an exception.
(laughter.) And another man says I know
that is so because it was my cousin. And
then another man says the one before that
was also due to drunkenness. Another man
said, on of our criminal lawyers said he
bad eighteen criminal murder cases and
everyone of them was due to liquor. And
then the speaker passed to another phase
of the subject. (Laughter.) And they didn't
have anybody to sit on the platform. They
ere almost as bud there as I am here.
(Laughter.)
It Is a fact, my frienus, that there was
not a man ot prominence in the city of
Lincoln who would sit on tha platform
nd by his presence give his support to
what these men were to say. And when
the three from the outside had spoken the
people voted and the majority was some
thing over buu against saloons. After a
year's experience our people said the
would rather tax themselves fW.Ooj a year
than have tho saloons come back, even If
It would release them from the payment
of that $(i0,000. (A Voice: Good.) Nol only
that, but Haveluck went dry. (Laughter.)
Oh, no. my friends, 1 do not want you
to misunderstand me the temperance peo
ple of Lincoln claim no credit for Have
lock's going dry. It was not their fault.
It was the fault of the other fellows. After
HaveliK'k had one year's experience with
the people that went down there It said
for heaven's sake driver us! (Applause and
laughter.) Their saloons were said to have ;
made 1150,000 during the year, but as soon
as Havelock had a chance to vota they
went out and Havelock is now dry also.
The saloon is not really a eleslrable thing.
Do you know how bad the saloon is? Lei
me tell you. I saw a clipping the other
day about some man who had kept a saloon
In Lincoln and had lost his privilege; said
that ha was going to get even with' Bryan.
How was he going to do it? He said that
he had bought an option on some laud
next to my home and if Lincoln went wet
he was going to establish a BalOon there.
(Laughter.) Do you know of anything
worse, against a saloon, than that? When
a man wants to get even with another man
the worst thing he can think of it to put a
saloon near him. (Laughter.)
t
If any of you had lime 1 wish you would
go out and see how nuar your brewers live
to their saloons. Do they live right near
them? They aro willing to put them near
poor people's homes. They are willing to
stick them under the noses of poor peo
ple's children. They are willing to open
these man traps in the presence of the
people whom they would debauch, but when
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114 COMMCKCIAX. BU1LDIWQ. CKICAOO.
they build their homes they want to gel
Take your petitions around and ask them
to sign a petition to put a saloon in their
block and they would be the last ones te
want a saloon near them, but they will
pup a saloon In your bleu k and ruin tha
value of your property, and more-they
will Jeopardize your children ami your as
sociates and the associates of our chll
dren.
iHm't think the saloon Is a popular thing.
It Is not popular.
Mr. Bryan: 1 have heard people say they
were opposed to sumptaary leslslatlon.
Have you ever heard that suggested?
A man came to our committee about two
years ago In this city. We were preparing
our platform for our state convention, prior
to the national convention, and he wanted
to put a plank In on sumptuary legisla
tion. 1 said no, not In this platform. Well
row, he says, these liquor folks have raised
enormous sums I think he said S.000.0iH
and they are going to put It Into this fight.
Well, I said, let them do It, but they will
not have that plank In thls platform, and
It was not in our platform.
When a man talks to me about sump
tuary legislation now. 1 want to define
what he means by It. They have been
using these general terms long enough.
Mr. Bran: Bui I warn the people of
Douglas county that if they go before this
state on the theory or the argument that
the liquor interests have the right to force
liquor Into a county against the wishes ot
the people of the county they must not a
surprised If their logic Is adopted by those
who oppose the saloon and who on thai
very argument will say that if you can
force liquor into a county against the will
fit the people you can take It out ot a
county even when the people want to keep
the liquor. (A Vole'e: Good.) Now. this
will work both ways. (A Voice: Bet your
life.) And you cannot afford to build up
your argument upon that foundation. And
1 want lo remind tho people of this county
that they should distinguish between the
Interest of the brewers and the Interests of
those who are merely desirous that tiiu
suluon shall remain that they and- their
friends may use it. The brewers are inter
ested in defeating county option. Why'.'
Because they want to sell In counties
vvlrether the peop e want them to sell or
not.' But that is not true of the other peo
ple of Douglas county. You are not Inter
ested In forcing liquor upon Lancaster or
upon Pawnee or upon any of tha other
counties in tills state. All you ask is that
you shall have the right to control your
own affairs and decide that question for
yourselves. County option gives it to you.
But when you array yourselves against
county option, what ground can you stand
upon when you are opposed to state pro
hibition? ; fl
If the liquor Interests Insist that thts
whole state shall be a pasture for their
business, then they must not complain if
the people who are opposed to the saloon
become convinced that they are violating
no rights when they attempt to take liquor
away even from Douglas county.
I am not here to warn you. You did not
Invite me here, I came on my own Invita
tion. But I feel Interest enough In you to
tell you that you are going to have enough,
.to do to keep your own saloons, and you
(Conltnued on Page Six.)
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