The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-07-19
NEAR VIEW OF BRYAN.
His Republican Law Partner Analyses
he Candidate Character.

| ! ne Idf1C. iQdtG y A-Etd' dLA
The New York Sun yesterday pub
| lished the following dispatch from
Lincoln Nebraska:
"W.lI.dm }, Bryan's law partner and
most intimate personal friend IS man
! Of about ms own age. He is stall
Nart Republican, A. II. Talbot is one
Of the prominent Republicans OF the
| Stale = m0ndh ago he was nominal
-ei for the State Senate. Nobody IL
! Nebraska @DteItAiHs a higher opinion
Of Bryan. personally, than his partner
! but he does no. hesitate TO condemn
his associates poiiDcad views.
Bryan is to be admired for every
thing except his politics, and l know
he is honest in his politics. said Mr..
Talbot, who chatted in an Interesting
manner about his partner.
'Wil Bryan and | were classmates
in the Union Law College in Chicago.
We entered thc college the same day,
in 1851, and we left it together. We
usually occupied adjoining seats. and
during two years we were the closest
Of chums. | first met him the year be-
fore in GalesburP' at an orator5cal con-
tes He represented Illinois College
| - saa contest and took second prize /
uan't remember his subject now, but
he made deep impression. Even
| then he had considerable reputation
rs public speaker. He had while IL
college Stamped the State OF Illinois
/ for w. VI. Springer, with whom Bryan
| was always on the most intimate and
| friendly terms. Congressman Spring
err. YOU know, got Bryan place on the
| WAYS aud Means committee. VIII
was known as a ready, witty talker.
and ne was much inalemand. Ills ut
terances were usually carefully pre-
pared in advance and were always
polished and graceful. While we were
attending theI.aw College he delivered
an address on Abraham Lincoln that
was very generally commented on
Did YOU then regard him as cut out
for a public man?"
Il d,d not. | knew he was a bright
| fellow, who would Get on in the world,
lhut / never thought of him as destined
/ for a great career. As matter of
fact. we were both poor boys, strug-
Cling to make our way. and neither
one Of rs thought much of the future
then. 1t kept us busy taking care Of
the present We were both utterly
i8Gout means and had to work our
way through college. ! worked IN one
Jaw office and We'll in another-Lyman
! TrumbulI's, by the Way--for S. per
week We paid All Of our expenses out
of that. in those days we mnched
pretty regularly on nickel's worth Of
vrar' er@ and apples, but we dined
heavily at night"
What happened when you left the
/ Law College"'
we were graduated IN June, 1888
/ WEI went to Jacksonville to engage in
the practice Of the lay, and came to
/ Lincoln Immediately. / didn't see
HIM again till 1857, when he came
/ West on some legal business. He
stayed in Lincoln with me over sun
| day. ] was away a part Of the day,
/ and so did not see much Of him; but
/ before saying goodbye / suggested
! that he come out to Lincoln and go
linto partnership with me. | told him
/ | would guarantee him a living, and
/ that was about all he was getting in
/ jacksonville / told him he was just
! the kind of man to come out West
and grow up with the country. He
/ did not have very much to say, but
/ shortly after he reached home he
wrote me and wanted to know if | was
| in earnest when | made him the offer
| OF partnership. | replied that | was,
and in a few weeks ne came out again
and remained here thirty days. At the
end of that time he returned to Jack
sonyille, closed up his bus ness there
and came back with his family, pre-
pared to stay. Some time afterward he
purchased a lot ON ID street for $500 or
5000. His father-in-law. MIR. Baird.
sent him the money to build the house.
50 700, | think He settled down to
the practice of law, but he devoted
some attention to politics almost from
the first, and within year and a half
of the time Of his arrival in Lincoln he
was nominated by the Democrats for
Congress.
Bryan is an upright, conscientious.
| Christian man. ! have never known a
| finer character. ! am positive that he
went into politics with no selfish mo
tiyes. He is thoroughlyconvin that
the country is beset with conditions
| that call for the highest patriotism.
the noblest endeayor, and he regards
| it his duty to help right what he saws
are the wrongs of the people | could
! give YOU many instances of his disin-
| terestedness.
Two years ago a gentleman from
| New York sat in Bryan's private office
there trying TO get him to make a con
| tract to deliver fifty lectures at 500 a
lecture. Bryan was poor then, as he is
poor now, and / urged him to accept
the offer. But he would hardly listen
to the man. He said he would not
| speak for money. He was not in pol
itics for himself, but for the people,
and he did not expect to make any
thing for himself. He said he would
not take anything but his expenses.
! Why, ne remarked, 1T is necessary
that those who can should give their
! lives to the work of emancipatine the
people. Somebody has got to do this
and / have made up my mird to enter
! into it heart and soul, bat not for ms
own benefit lie didn't s.gn ohe CON
tract
| "When he was in Congress he had an