The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1896-07-18
Sketch Of the Nominee.

taught under his mother care until he
was 10 years old, when he went to the
pablo school at Salem, which he
attended for five years. At the age of
10 he went to the Whipple Academy in
Jacksonville, Ill, which is the
preparatory department of the Illinois
College, located at the same place. He
spent two years in the academy and four
years in the college, taking classical
course. He represented his college in
the interstate oratefieal contest III 1880
and was class orator and valedictorian
in 1881. He then went to the Union
College of Law in Chicago, and while
in attendance there he was in the Office
of Lyman Trumbull He left the law
school in June, 1888, and went to
Jacksonville to practice law, remaining
at Jacksonville till October, 1887 when
he removed TO Lincoln, Neb going
into partnership with A. R. Talbot, a
class mate of the law school.
He had taken part in political
campaigns since 1880 and made a
number of speeches. He took part in
the campaign of 1888 in Nebraska and
was nominated to represent the First
District in Congress in 1890 He was
elected by majority of 6 713, although
the district had gone Republican by
8. 400 when Secretary Morton had been
defeated in 1888 and was thought to be
certainly Republican.
He supported Springer for Speaker in
the Fifty second Congress, from whose
district in Illinois he came originally.
This led to his being put on the Ways
and Means Committee in Congress, of
which Springer was chairman, and on
March 16, 1892, he made tariff speech
that was the sensation of the day and
was literally distributed as campaign
literature.
He was renominated in 1892, and in
spite of the fact that the legislature
had redistrieted the state and his
district in the previous election had
given the Republican ticket about
s 900 majority, was re- elected
by 40 votes. In the Fifty third Con
gress he helped to frame the tariff bill,
being a member of the Ways and Means
Committee, and took an especially
active part in the income tax provisions.
at the close of the debate on the income
tax in Congress, replying to Burke
Cochran. August IS, 1898, at the
special session, he delivered three
hours speech against the repeal of the
Sherman law, this speech being more
largely circulated than the tariff speech
had been. He also spoke in favor of
the bill to coin the seigniorage and spoke
against Carlisle S currency policy and
also against Cleveland s gold contract
with the Rothschilds. In 1894 he
became candidate for the United
States Senate, and announced that he
would not be candidate for the lower
house of Congress. He was nominated
for United States Senator in the Demo
cratic convention. The ensuing state
legislature being Republican, John M.
Thurston was sent to the Senate and
the Republican candidate in Bryan s
former Congressional District, ]. B.
Strobe, was elected by 5. 600 majority.
During all three of the campaigns he
challenged the opposing candidates to
debate and several discussions were
held
After his retirement from Congress,
he took up the practice of law in Lincoln
again, but the silver campaign opening,
he found that calls upon him for
speeches and campaign work We're so
frequent that he was forced to give up
his law practice. In September, 1894,
he became editor in chief Of the Omaha
| World Herald and had control of its
editorial policy on state and national
questions.
Mr.. Bryan is a man of small means.
He was married October 1, 1884, to
Mary Baird, of Perry, ILL.,, who
attended the Female Academy in
Jacksonville when he was in the other
school at the same place, and who was
/ 7 I ,xrnalr 1eot ba
and was also the valedictorian of her
class. She studied law and was
admitted to the bar, without any idea
of practicing, but simply to be more
thoroughly companionable to him. She
is a year or two younger than he.
Three children have been born to them
Ruth, 10 years old; William J Jr. :,
about 7 and George, 8 years old. Mr..
Bryan is a Presbyterian, having joined
the Cumberland Presbyterian Church
at the age of IA years. He is now a
member of the First Presbyterian
Church at Lincoln His father was
Silas L. Bryan, who was circuit judge
at the time of his son s birth, and
served in that capacity from 1860 to
1872 on the bench of Illinois. Judge
Bryan moved on farm short distance
from Salem when his son was 6 years
old, and from that time till he was %
years old Bryan spent his summers on
the farm. In 1872 his father ran for
Congress on the Greeley ticket, and
was defeated by $40 votes. His family
comes from Virginia. His father was
born in Culpepper Court House in that
state, and died in Salem, H., in 1880.
His mother whose name was Maria
Elizabeth Jennings, was born in Marion
county, Illinois, and died in Salem a
week ago last Saturday after a
protracted illness. In appearance Mr..
Bryan is impressive, his face indicating
intellectually and power, as well as
good nature. There is a notable
absence of the boyishness seen in the
pictures and Autographs of him which
have been circulated. He is affable
and kindly in manner, easily
approached, but does not lack dignity
In appearance he is an illustrasion of
the fact that some men are never
accorded justice by picture, which, in
his case, does not prepare one for the
expression of keenness shown in his
face. Mr.. Bryan lives well in a
cemmodieus dwelling in the fashionable
part of Lincoln. The study in which
both Mr. and Mrs. Bryan have desks
| is very attractive room. It IS filled
with books, statuary and mementos Of
campaigns. There are busts or
portraits of noted men, and there are
| two butcher knives which Mr.. Bryan
used in the campaign with Judge Field
TO refute the latter boasts of effects of
high protection.
Mrs. Bryan has great liking for
/ ,,nlitina mi nccntn,anias her husband