The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-11-08
EDITING MEMORY
PLIGHT OF THE MAN VINO READ
An THE nor ORA7ORT.
n,- Iner.n.,ne Aml,t,or with rneh Pea,

bb bVl
His Increasing Addiction with Each Pnsss
inr PHASE OF the Passing Cnniidnte's
Mania aud Ills FInni Retreat from the
Field to Collect llts UhvaEed Faculties.
Tho smallest orlco boy came Juggling up the
stairs a tow days before election with n monster
envelope that had just arrived In the business
office, addressed to the "leet-Sugar Editors
II was II letter from Nebraska on tho cam paiCu.
Half an acre OF paper lad been covered with
writing to show that Bryan would. and again
would not, carry his own state. The campaign
created in the minds OF contributors n lot Of
new campaiEn editorial Offices. There was the
SUPERINTENDENT OF Campaign Poetry" the
Campaign badge Editor the Political Fool
Killer Editor" the Gold Editor" tho 4" silver
Editor" The Tin Plate Ehitor,' and a host Of
other ncw.fanslcl editors. to whom letters were
sent by tho baskctful.
But there was really one new editor in all the
urge newspaper Offices in the campaign, or At
least one editor who had n new task, tho like Of
which had not been known before. and that was
the Bryan editor. The iryRu editor was prob
ably tho most overworkrd mar In the campaign.
He entered upon his duty with q light-hearted
feeling. At last here was II political novelty.
The editor was out Of the beaten channels. Tho
cam paign would have some spirit. Bryan was
n newspaper joy. Before tho campaign ended.
however, the Bryan editor was bordering on q
state OF nervous prostration, and when on last
Wednesday morning it was seen that Bryan
WAS showed under and that the Bryan editor
could turn his mind to other things. he fairly
collapsed, and the only thing that seemed to
make his cund ition hopeful was his oft.repeated
assertion:
"Tm all right. boys. I'll pull through. Bry.
ans beaten. and. thank Heaven. I'm through
with that job"
You tee. it wasn't so much what the paper
printed about the Bryan steeplechase about the
country as the fact that the Bryan editor had to
read through every one OF those car-tuil speeches
that Bryan made. There was danger that Bryan
might say what the editor called - some especi.
ally fool thing" Mt any time. Such an extract
from one of his speeches had to be printed and
all the rest had to be thrown hway. that is. after
the first month OF the Boy Orators sprinting
trip about the country. II any newspaper had
printed all that Bryan said there wouldn't have
been room for anything. else. All the other
editors in the Office could tell the exact con-
d;tlon of the campaign by watching the Bryan
the careworn look would, partly disappear,r
and then some OF the other editors would
course that the Bryan editor ought to fviicitato
himself upon his task ,bscause Of the great
upon the free-silver side of the issue. After
making this remark Oh one or two occasions II
ceased to say anything on that topic and that
they held their tongues when they passed tho
DrStil eullOE 3 CUhlE. lo"dI iHc " VI tuo
campaign it was worth as much AS ones peace
Of MIND for a week to say TO the Eryan an editor;
In "a moment OF forgeitulness The Bryan editor
answered that question once or twice most
He is supposed 10 be stamping around ont
West somewhere. but IL you really want, to
know where he actually Is let me tell You that
he is here with me right At my desk simply
can't lose him; ! wonder II ever shall"
freeing look to the man who asked where MI.
Bryan was and then he would take down II cal.
would be- before Nov would roll round. round.
round. and when his work was through for the
night lie was often heard to sigh and say: "One
The first signs of WEAKNESS on the part OF the I
n has used si's sne " 'hifed m saiusI hsare Of speech in
talking about the, duties Of the President That
i M1I "a" Of fHMI r. Bry yat"s &c lofty > conception nc OF The
office for which he was running. Pretty soon
every telegram containi.s a Bryan speech. and
It was soon noticed that the Brynn. editors
IL isG mis sh9" Continue siSue AT last the "hired MANI
disappeared from the Bryan speeches, and the r
Bryan editors face became moro hopetul: ~
became ciouded when day after day ne read:-A
" Either the gold standard is a good thing or
do not our opponents dare to advocate II OPEN
ly.y. II It is not . good thing &c. DC. DC.
broke out at intervals all through the fight un-
til within about Two weeks Of election.
heard muttering to himself:
ne goa slhluhEu 1T n to"hla ~ w
once came out in the open 10 hight. and 1t never
WILL" &c. d.. &c.
Ali this happened before the campaign was
six weeks old. 1t was ut about that time that
there came signs of positive, wrath on the part
after hour statements to the. effect that TINS
country was under foreign domination and that
il was time that we should be independent OF
any nation on earth Two weeks OF tnat haoo
him fighting mad.
Mind you" he said to one Of the men who
pluck ed up courage to approach him, II IS not
"A question OF politics with me at all. ] am here
ings. j had a kindly feeling for Mr.. Bryan when
he began. but lie has filled my soul with misery"
Then came the constant appeals to the farm.
ers. For n time the Bryan editor read these by
the dozen and score and hundred. IL was as
much rs ones life was worth to go near him at
that stage OF the campaign. The rise In the
price of wheat gave some relief to this state or
affairs. Only two more weeks OF the campaign
were left, aud then the poor farmer was neg:
lected, and the Bryan editor was forced to read
OF the terrible oppression OF workingmen by
their employers. When election night came he
was ready 10 drop. and it was only the hope OF
an avalanche. for which he had been muttering
prayers In his occasional moments of rest, thaS
Two nights after the election the office re-
ceived a letter from the organs editors wife,
saying that her husband was i'll and that no
would not be able to report at the Office for two
or three days. She said that for nearly a month
he had been tossing in his sleep and saying all
sorts OF queer things about "demonetiZation,''
hunting foreign titles Cor their daughters with
money wrunR from the poor" - no respect Tor
coercion" and Il lot OF other things.
The Office management cent word back to her
that her husband should take a vacation OF Two
or three weeks. and thus 1t was that tho Bryan
editor passed into history with the wreck OF o
lost cause.