Marshall, MI Speech, 1896-10-15

Speech by William Jennings Bryan.

Speech by William Jennings Bryan
Friday, October 15, 1896
Depot, Marshall, MI

Source: The First Battle: A Story of the Campaign of 1896, 1896

"My friends, I am not going to have time to talk to you, but I simply want to make a little speech in the interest of a famous anarchist, who is going to speak after I am done. Now I want you when he gets up to talk to you, to take a good look at him. He is a typical anarchist. You will probably see his picture in Harper's Weekly next week. His name is Hon. Albert Williams, and he lives at Ionia, Michigan, and he was introduced two years ago at Ionia by Major McKinley as the only survivor of the sixteen who met and adopted the first Republican platform and suggested the name of the Republican President on July 6th, 1864, under the oaks at Jackson. He must be an anarchist, because he is with us this year. My friends, he is one of the many men who have found it necessary to either get out of the Republican party or surrender their country into the hands of foreigners, and he has naturally chosen to get out of the party. And yet, my friends, the campaign of education which our opponents are carrying on consists mainly in applying abusive names to such men."