The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-07-30
Bryan" said Mr.. Talbot. Iell tnein
YOU have a partner who Is not 80 sohsi-

'Id rather take cases ahh 40 .tS.nL,
thy with and live az ! do now W. I'an 49, -"
president OF the Standard oli yum
pany," he replied. ,,., j.,
When Mr.. Bryan came to Lincoln IN
1887 and formed u law partnershiP
with Mr.. Talbot, he urged ms oiu
classmate tc resign his positlon ns
counsel for tho Missouri Pacific ftall-
way Company.
Mr.. Bryan insisted that such con
ncction would prevent the firm lrom
taking cases against allied corp9rn.
provided that the firm should nave
nothing to do with the Missouri Paclllc
or mny other corporation, and that that
part OF the business should be the per-
sonal affair Of Mr.. Talbot In order to
emphasize his opposition, MIR. Bryan
twice appeared in court against the
Missouri Pacific Company.
Whom tho Rock Island halfway
Company completed its line to Lincoln
several cases against the road, lnVolv-
ing the appraisal of private land, were
to take them on the ground that he
was railway lawyer.
Mr.. Bryan happened to be absent
from Lincoln at the time, but when he
returned he Immediately brought suit
against the Rock Island Company Tor
widow and won the case in u single
speech. He accepted several other
suits against the same company.
Tho relation between Mr. Bryan and
Mr.. Talbot were interesting. For
years Mr.. Bryan was chairman Of the
Democratic county committee, while
Mr.. Talbot was chairman OF the Re
publican county committee. Frequent
ly the two committees met at the same
time in the adjoining rooms Of the
firm.
Mr.. Bryan's opposition to his part
ner in politics was no less striking
than his antagonism to him on the
| subject Of corporate power.
When Mr.. Bryan was in Congress he
was urged to vote against the anti
trust bill. Telegrams were sent from
the East to Mr.. Talbot asking him to
urge his partner to vote against the
to Mr.. Bryan on the subject, and the
young Congressman replied that the
interests Of the common people de-
manded law protecting them from
the encroachments and combinations
Of corporate power. He told his part
ner that 1t was necessary for the life
and prosperity OF the nation that the
competitive principle should be kept
alive, and that anything interfering
| with 1t should be restrained.
He has constantly said that the fail
urc to enforce the antitrust laws was
due to the apathy OF the Administra-
! tion vt Washington, and he looked
upon the selection Of MIR. Olney for the
office OF Attorney General as Il part OF
| the general scheme for controlling the
government and rendering popular
opposition to unj just corporate power
futile.
He has said many times that the
| Attorney General should Zcalously
press the unti-monopoly statutes, so
that if they should prove defective
Congress could promptly perfect them.
He holds that u rich mans property
is as sacred as poor mans, but no
more so, and that the government
should be able to protect its weakest
and poorest citizens against the op-
pressions OF the most powerful corpOr-
ations.
Whatever Mr.. Bryan may say now,
I have authority for the statement
that up to the time the Chicago plat
! form was adopted the only important
point on which he differed from Mr..
Cleveland was the question Of the free
coinage Of silver.
When the President sent Federal
troops into Illinois to protect railway
property in the custody of the United
States Court against the Chicago mobs
Mr.. Bryan declared that it was the
best act Of his Official career.
His partner told me to-day that Mr..
Bryan has always denounced and alb
horred socialism in every form. He
has insisted that the undue and dan
gerous power welded oy combinations
CT capital is the result of Republican
legislation, and the tendency to pro-
tcct special interests by law at the
expense Of the public welfare. AS a
lawyer, he insists that there can b. no
difficulty in restraining or preventing
trusts by law.
He is fond of referring to a large
paper mill near Lincoln which used to
buy all the straw raised in Lancaster
County at So a ton. The paper trust
bought the mill and closed it. To-day
you may see great racks Of straw rot
tcning in the fields. But the paper
trust has stliled competition and ac-
compllshed its purpose Of raising tho
price of paper.
Mr.. Bryan tells pathetic stories Of
how trusts in the East have closed
factories, blighted homes and ruined
families for no other purpose than to
limit production and increase profits.
In court Mr.. Bryan is strong as a
pleadcr before juries. He deals fairly
with Witnesses and gains their
confidence. Hc knows nothing of har-
splitting tcchnicnlitics or trickcries,
and usually selects ono or two points
upon which he will argue, ignoring or
spurning tho rcst.
His partner 10 IL stratogist, and is
not nvnrsc to tho usc Of those subtle
and fincspun methods by which tho
ordinary successful advocate attacks
his opponent. Tho two men could
mover ngrco on IL plea In any citsc.
When Talbot would HuggcsL II willy
proposition in ~ cilso Mr.. Bryan would
al ways make the same rcply. quoting
l5lackatOnc'a definition OF tho Inv ~
rule Of civil conduct prcaGribod by
the supreme power OF the Innd com
manding what is right, prohibiting
what iB wrong"
Now, there, Talbot" ho would nay,
there Is tho law Whnt IN right 1T
right, and what IL wrong Ia wrong"
1t can hardly bo snid that Mr. i,ry-
an has bccn IL successful lawyer. Ilo
has never in his lifn tried IL rlao n
which moro than $40, 900 wila involved.
IN Jacksonville no wun little moro