Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-07-11

The following sketea d the ChicaRo
hothlube Is taken from the CoHgpes.
BiondI Record for 1894
William Jennings Bryan, Of Lincoln, as
born 10 Salem, Marion county, Illinois.
March 10Th, 1860; attended public school
until fifteen years Of age, spending his va.
cations ON the farm; in the fall Of 1875.
entered Whipple academy, at JACKSON
vile, Illinois; entered Illinois coll ,ge,
Jacksonville, in 1877: completed a CLASH
cal course and was graduated with the
highest honors In 1881; attended Union
college of law, Chicago, Illinois, for two
years, during which time he was connect
ed with the Office of ex-senator Lyman
Trumbull; began the practice Of his pro-
fession at Jacksonville; removed to Lin
coin, Nebraska, October lat, 1887, and be-
came a member of the firm of Talbot g.
Br, an; never held an elective Office prior
TO his election to congress; was elected to
the fifty-second and reelected to the fifty
third congress as a democrat, receiving
IS 784 votes, against 1854 votes for Allen
W. Field, republican, 1853 votes for K. W.
Maxwell, populist, and 2,409 votes for
jerome Shamp, independent.
Before the election OF 1894, Mr..
Bryan refused denomination as on
gresham and campaigned for election
to the United States senate. His plat
form for the 16 to l free coinage CT
silver caused Morton and other. ad-
ministration democrats to fight him
bitterly. He was, however, nominated
by the state democratic convention.
Two joint debates, at Lincoln and at
Omaha. respectively, with John M.
Thurston, the republican candidate for
the s%enatorship, attracted much at.
tention. The legislature was, how
ever, republican, and Thurston was
elected.
During the past two years, and es-
pecially since his defeat for the senate,
Mr.. Bryan has been lecturing On fnan-
cial topics in every state IN the union.
Ia a recent interesting sketch of w.
j. Bryan, Champ Clark, the Missouri
orator and statesman, after drawing a
comparison between Samuel j. Ran
dali and Mr.. Bryan, thus describes the
latter:
in four years. service, Bryan established
a far greater reputation than did Randall
In the same length Of time. Indeed, it
may be said without any extravas aRce,
that when Bryan quit congress he had as
widespread fame as Randall had when he
died, after twenty years of congress.
Whether the Nebraskan plowed his ideas
as deeply into the minds OF men as did the
Pennsylvania, is an entirely different
question; for as late as 1894 the line of
cleavage made by Randall in the demo-
cratic party on the tariff was easily dis
cernible to the naked eye, when seventeen
of his disciples bolted the Wilson bill, and
several others had the will to bolt, but
lacked the courage.
Bryan is a collegiate scholar, and has
slowed away in his capacious Uranium
much of the golden grain of wisdom and
little of the husks, and it is all there for
use, either as argument or establishment.
Some men are so ugly and ungainly that 1t
is a positive advantage to them as public
speakers. Some are SO handsome and
graceful that they are on good terms with
the audience before they open their lips.
OF the latter class, Bryan is q shining ex-
ample. His appearance is a passport to
the affections of his fellow men.