Show mm BRYAN q N BIRTH PLACE violt ug he slid to tha friends of his youth in salem illinois Ill mais nothing to offend his eean blivin associates socia tes who turned out oat en ea masse to do 1 honor to Whom honor lIonor is dae we have be been en asked to reproduce mr bryan s speech at salem illinois his birth place here it is MR BRYANs Br SPEECH I 1 mr jr bryan was then presented to the audit audience nee amid uproarious applause lie ile said mr chairman ladies and gen clemen tle raen fellow citizens I 1 have no disposition to talk politics today I 1 beall leave the discussion of party questions to those who shall follow returning to ti t ne le scenes which surround ray my early home the memories of other days clays crowd out all thoughts of subjects upon which we roay may differ I 1 ro remember member with such grateful appreciation the k khodl andl v feeling i aich has abounded regardless of church and I 1 party arty t lines that I 1 shall not say one word to divide upon any subject those who are assembled here iod ay this is the home home of my birth of my boyhood ard and my early manhood th three ce blocks s south I 1 first saw tle the light of day A mile to awen ahree nl 1 I shall never s caeto be 1 I 15 the parents who toole look rue t to 0 the farm and there allowed me to develop the physical strength that is seeded needed in the cam which we have to pass through it was in this court house that 1 I first gained the ambition to be a laavy lawyer er it was in in this con courthouse court rt house boube that I 1 made the first political speech I 1 ever tried to make it was in the fair grounds near here that I 1 spoke for the first i time on the fourth of july it was to this city and to the parental roof that I 1 brought her who has promised to chais life s joys and sorrows me aye and all of these happy as arise anse today before me and leave me no desire to think of i i other things I 1 cannot forget salero salem I 1 cannot forget those whose kindly faces smiled upon me before fortune fort cine smiled 1 cannot forget this near lay by the silence of the dead where the ashes of the iho father whose upright life has been an all inspiration i a and ud whose counsels lingered g in my ears when he was gone the spot where rest the ashes of a mother as tender and true as patient as gentle as aa loving as god in his infinite lovo love ever gave this man I 1 cannot t forget this home nor theae people and I 1 can eay no more to day than tc express in words which if not elaborate will be sincere the deep and heartfelt thanks for these tokens these manifestations of good will i there is an ideal plane in politics and I 1 belice we stand upon it here today we differ in i ion we dafler er as to party policies but ie meet today recognizing j those differences aud add yet each 1 pel feel ing a a cli charity arity towards each other we e are all imbued with the same i spirit we ve all possess the samo same i ambition imbi tion vi we e nie aie all living to to carry out same great purpose we want a government of the people pl ebythe by the people and for the people and though wo we differ is as to the means of carrying it out we can differ as honest citizens citizens differing dafler ing in in judgment and agreeing in purpose I 1 thank the who lave have assembled ass ambled here I 1 thank tho prohibitionists 1 thank alic populists lists as much as I 1 do the democrats because at last my friends arlien these questions which arise from timeto time to time upon the surface and disturb he thought and agitator the leopla have passed away we all agree in these great fundamental principles underlie our oar form of government we ve believe that ill all men were created equal not cot that they are equal in talents or in virtues or in merits but via ne agree ia this that hat wherever government comes in contact with the ci cillien cit Lien tien or wherever the citizen touches government all mut stand equal before the law wo we abrea that government can bs be no respecter of persons ind and that its its matchless st must be the protector of the fortunes af the greatest and the po sessions cessions ces of the poor and that it shall hall stand an impartial arbitrator between all of its citizens ens we must aree a agree ree ua on this vc nc a atee agree 0 tee that there are inalienable rights the rights which government did not give rights n which government can cannot not ta take ke away we all agree that governments are instituted adolar amolar among I 1 teen men to secure and to preserve these rights right and we agree that governments govern governments mens derive their just powers from the consent of the governed we know no divine divina ri right bt of kingi the people gathered hero here and in as assemblages erub lages like this all over this broad land are the sovereign source of all power these citizens are the substantial foundation upon which rests our form of government and while our citizens appreciate the responsibilities ties of citizenship and scriv strive o each in his own ova way and in accord with his best judgment to bring brine civilization to higher ground round and make the government each year a more fit expression of the virtue of the people as long as 33 this is desired by all we can agree in the fundamental principles though wo we may differ differ in those minor points which separate us it was here that I 1 received my first instruction in Deir I 1 do not use it as a party name 1 I mean it in the broader sense that democracy that hat recognizes the brotherhood dof of man it was baie that I 1 learned the truth of the poets lan language ua e honor and tame fame from no condition rise the tha clothes donot do not make the man kanand and we wa all but bat coti contribute tribute to the tha nations greatness and all who hive have the good of their country at heart it matters not what their station in life what their ancestry v what hat the their r surroundings allther all these stand carld upon common ground round and all are citizens applause it il 1 was here too that I 1 learned that principle pla that must go hand in hand with a broad democracy the freedom of conscience that every man has a right to worship god according accordi cg 0 to the dictates of bis big own conscience coD conscience science and that thai no go government like ours can attempt to dictate how bow a man shall serve or worship his god great applause pla these are the basic principles upon which have been reared the greatest nation known to history I 1 am a believer in the progress of the race talk rot not to me about crises through b which we ire cannot pasi tell me not of dangers that will overthrow or of obstacles too great to be overcome we have no none 11 e such euch A bravo brave heroic patriotic tic people will bo be ready to meet every emergency as it arises each generation is ia capable of self nv gov ern ment and I 1 believe each gen aeration will bs be more capable und under r our institutions than the generation which went before abraham lincoln in that greatest of his epee speeches ches eaid that we had an unfinished work every generation receives from the preceding generation an unfinished work the works of man are imperfect we shall labor on from age to age age we shall not reach perfection but if wo we do our duty we shall leave the world better than it was when we lie entered it and every generation will enjoy tho the blessings S bequeathed thed from the genc generations rations of the past my friends with such a gathering in here and not here alone but throughout the entire land from 1 I v 4 bayat VA aai and ee 30 L N IV f 1 P 1 I 4 fa b A f ea colorful colo ful 14 de rat the tha atlantic to the pacific and from the lakes to tile the gulf with a people such as this the he nation can call look with absolute confide confidence ce for that wisdom that intelligence that patriotism and that courage to meet every hour of dan danger cr lev enthusiastic thusia applause but I 1 musa not talk to you permit nie 1110 again and again to thank you for what you have d done one for rae me for the words worda that you have spoken and the kindly express expressions ions ri abich b ich I 1 see on every jace face we know not dot what may be the result of this campaign we shall go co forth and do our duty duly as we see it but what shall lie be the result cannot be known until the votes are counted but no matter what the result is whether this campigno camp sign ign results in my or my defeat time cannot rob me of the delightful recollection of the confidence and love of these cit citizens ilens of my boyhood davs I 1 thank you several times durio during the speech mr bryan showed by the huski cesa of his voice that he was deeply moved there thera were many of his former neighbors who frequently applied their handkerchiefs to their ey eyes es r TWO MEETINGS A DAY it was stated that there would be another meeting in the eve evening 1 I 1 N L M A 1 kagy presided upon ca calling II in the meeting to order lie he announced that the nebraska po pu lists had indorsed endorsed indor sed bryan for president this caused great applause mr dryan bryan spoke as follows mr chairman ladies and gentlemen I 1 agreed to pay BY a few words in ill opening g and I 1 am then boing soing I 1 dill to give way to those thoa who will fiscu discuss as the issues of the day I 1 remember that when I 1 ans i is in college I 1 read in plutarch that men entertained three sentiments con ce irling the gods goda they fear them because of their power they admire them fur their and love them for their justice it made a deep impression upon my mind and I 1 think we can use the same language to de describe cribe the three great forms of government the monarchical arch ical form the aristocratic form and the democratic form the monarchic is powerful because of the forces which are concentrated cent rated in one hand an aristocratic to form rf government is a government which is conducted by a few elected in some way because they are supposed to be best that may inay be wise in a sense but a democracy is the only form of government where you vou can confidently expect jEl justice jeustice stice to rule Ther therdore fore men fear the monar monarchic ellic for its powers they admire the ariet aristocracy for its wisdom and they love the democracy for the justice it brings mankind applause if we were sure that our children would woud be friends of the king we might favor a monarchy if we were sure that our children chil dien would always belong to the ruling closs class we might laight be satisfied with an all aristocracy to cracy but when we remember that we ve canno control the destiny of four our children after weare we are eone when we remember that when wo we pass away they are left to take their chances and we know not what their chances may be when we remember these things there is but one form of govern merit that we dare to bequeath to 0 o posterity and that is the democratic which protects every citizen in in the tha enjoyment of lire life and property and the pursuit of happiness where v heres he can justly earn and properly receive the leward of toil ilow how can wo we secure justice to all people peoli it is by applying to every act of legislation and to every every department part ment ot government the fun da mental principles poa which chich our Gove government ramen t rests we havo have come upon times limes of gret great agitation and there are some who are quick to condemn the agitator hilt but noy ay friends agitation is s the 0 in a country like ours through which redress scan can he be obtained they say eay that those who preach reform are a e stirring up I 1 remind you that discontent lies at tile the foundas foundation ion of all pro progress ress those who are entirely satisfied Fatis fied never desire any thing thill better if our forefathers had been content we would today be ba under british rule applause and cheering it is only because they were not ot satisfied at all that they became free and independent that tha t we vve have the government which wd barc today and eo when a is raised we ou ought ht not denounce the man caan who raises raises it as an agitator we should simply imply enquire is ig the alie proposition which be represents a right one jefferson has hag told us that one 01 of i the great reat duties of government Overn merit was to protect protect men from injury at the hands haddi of their fellows it is an idea that we must consider today every act which begins thou ohp shall it not is simply an all act to pro hect some individual aal from some other individual today the restraining power pon er of government is as necessary as aa it ever was aye ave today when thare are great agg aggregations re ol of wealth with the power wealth brings when these come in iu contact with hunn humbler bler members of society the stroll strong arm of government is necessary to protect the weak from aggregations of the strong and my friends I 1 say eay to you tonight that eliat no government is worthy of ille aba name name which is not strong enough to protect the humblest citizen in all tho the land from greater citizens in all the land applause let me beg ol 01 of y you 0 u t to 0 give ve car careful e and just consideration to the iesue of this campaign take our condition just is as it is talo tako the remedies remt aliea proposed pio posed and then see if the remedies are real remedies and see if they will improve the condition of the body politic every reform that is good every reform that will better the condition condl condit itina iOA of the masses is a reform that should receive the support of every voter of this country let me just say one word I 1 believe it is said of lincoln or lincoln is quoted as ra saying baying ying when a man asked him hilli w whether he thought the lord was on his side aide he said he be was more anxious to bs ba on the lords side applause that was simply one way of expressing express inc a great reat hand band that is that right lit w will ill prevail ali ah my friends if there is one truth taught by bv six thousand years of human history it is that truth is omnipotent and truth alone will prevail you wa may y i impede its progress you may de deny y its course but after a while the truth will show its irresistible power those who stand in its way will be crushed beneath it you ask me if these thees reforms which we ad advocate brocato will be lecomp lilied lii shed I 1 say if they are right they will b a accomplish eil if they are wrong wo we ought not to desiro their au we who believe that they are right can only RO go forth doing what W we e cun can giving such impe impetus titis to them theia as we arc at able to give and then trust to tile the piteousness ii of our cause to prevail over those who oppose us I 1 thank you for y our aur kind id d a attention tt en t ion enthusiastic apac se aud and cheers heers ft |