The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-07-11
WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN.

While standing there upon the hall plat
form, all ready to declare the eternal adj
journment OF the convention and the
everlasting burial of the Democracy.
Chairman White might have looked down
into his party's grave, and said with
Hamlet as the Dane stood beside the
grave of Yorick, ITO what base uses we
may returnP' There were giant minds
in the convention. There were men there
who stand well to the top of Americas
long list of great political economists and
masters of the science of government, but,
like CULVER, they were tied to a stake by
Lilliputians. But then as Dean Swift says:
So naturalists observe. a flea
Has smaller heas that on him prey;
md these have smaller still TO bite 'em;
And so proceed nd infnitum.
It's hard TO understand how the conven-
ton finally settled upon William Jennings
Bryan, the &c years old Nebraska orator.
II, just before plungng into the abyss
from whose depths of deeper political
damnation the Democratic party will
never return, the convention thought it
would perpetnate huge joke wherewith
to round out its laundering and perfidious
life, the nomination OF a man who sold
out his party body and soul for one chance
in million TO draw the epaulets of a
United States Senator is easily explained.
Bryan's nomination is joke.
Mr.. Bryan is not Democrat, nor is he
Populist, but he gravitates from one to
the other. He might be called a political
Don Quixote, unattended by common
sense, unimaginative Sancho Panza. He
does not mean to be ungrateful, but he
does not think it ingratitude when favors
are bestowed upon him TO turn ana rend
the bestower of them, il 10 do otherwise
would hinder him in satisfying his ambi-
ton. He coquetted with the Louisiana
delegation, yet he looks upon the payment
OF bounty to the sugar-growers of that
State as something rather worse than
highway robbery.
Two years ago the Democracy of Ne
braska conferred upon Mr.. Bryan the dis
tinguished honor of 'orator" of the State
nominating convention. He delivered
one of his tornado speeches and carried
the majority of the convention into a trap
which he had previously set, and before
many delegates knew what they were
doing they had Endorsed the nominees.
platform and all, of the Populist Conven-
ton which had been held week or two
previous. The price of the sellout was the
support of what was counted upon to be
a Populist Legislature for United States
Senator. He got less than one-ffth of the
vote of the Legislature.
His candidacy for member of the Fifty
third Congress was steep uphill work
until deal was made with certain Popu-
lists to throw the vote of that party to Mr..
Bryan. Near the close of the campaign
money was needed to "consummate'' GER
tain trades. The Democrats who put up
the required sum were in the delegation
to the Chicago convention that Mr.. Bryan
had declared irregular" so that himself
ana his followers might be seated. I'm.
mediately after his defeat for the Senate
by John M. Thurston, Mr.. Bryan started
upon lecturing tour of the country, deliv-
ering everywhere the one lecture, sThe
Free and Unlimited Coinage of Silver at
the Ratio of 16 to 1 Without Waiting for
the Consent OF Any Other Nation on
Earth" The expense of the tour, includ-
ing MIR. Bryan's salary, was provided for,
it was SAID, and it has never been denied,
by an organization composed wholly of
silver miners who were anxious to see the
products of their hills and mountains
doubled in price by Mr.. Bryan's plan of
bimetallism.
In point of understanding Of the science
and philosophy of government, he stands
some distance below the foot OF the long
list of aspirants for the Chicago nomina-
ton.
Mr.. Bryan has "talked silver" SO long.
ana SO much to the exclusion of all other
economic questions, he has almost per-
suaded himself that there is,no ailment to
which the body physical or body polite is
heir that doses of silver will not cure.
In fact. he is almost silver monomaniac.
AT least he pretends to believe the re-
monetization of silver is all under the
shining sun that is needed to make pros