Page "Cross of Gold speech" Paragraph 36

As Russell concluded, to strong applause from gold delegates, there was a buzz of anticipation as Bryan ascended to the podium.

There was loud cheering as Bryan stood there, waiting for his audience to calm.

Bryan's lecture tours had left him a well-known spokesman for silver.

As yet, no one at the convention had effectively spoken for that cause, which was paramount to the delegates.

According to political scientist Richard F. Bensel in his study of the 1896 Democratic convention, " Although the silver men knew they would win this fight, they nonetheless needed someone to tell them — and the gold men — why they must enshrine silver at the heart of the platform.

" Bensel noted, " The pump was more than primed, it was ready to explode.

" Bryan would say little that he had not said before — the text is similar to that of a speech he gave at Crete, Nebraska a week before the convention — but he would give the convention its voice.