People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1896-08-21

all VI Wnlcn tney argue thab MT
Bryan has been failure in New
York and prophecy that he will be
70 more heard of as a serious factor
in the equation of the campaign.
Some other things are said-thingf
to which much less prominence is
given, however, and for which the
average reader has to lock with care.
For example, the New York papers
admit that the heat within the build i.
ing was almost intolerable, that the
atmosphere was simply sitting, that
twice as many people as the audi
forum was Intended to contain had
been packed into it, and that,particu-
larly in the galleries, the discomfort
OF the audience amountt to positive
torture. Thus, it appears, the con-
ditions were suoh as to absolutely de-
stroy the bodily comfort OF Mr..
Bryan's hearers and to make it i'm
possible for them to receive his
speech with patience, much less with
enjoyment. Moreover, Mr.. Bryan
was prevented by physical suffering
from appearing at his best or any
thing like his best. He was afflicted
with torments in his throats, which
he had seriously overstrained on the
way from Nebraska to the East, and
during the last half Of the speech it
was evident that every utterance
gave him cruel pain. Thase facts
the New York papers admit, thong
they do not make parade Of them,
and it may be we'll to take them into
consideration IN forming an estimate
of the significance of the demonstra-
ton in Madison Square last Wednes-
day night.
AS to the speech itself, viewed
with sole reference to its literary
style and its qualities of statesman
ship, that is quite another story
We freely admit that we cannot i'm
agine twenty thousand human be-
ings, packed together in a steaming
hall, finding the smallest satisfaction
in even much stronger and more
eloquent appeal. Indeed, it is incon-
celvable that half of the crowd re-
manned for so much as five minutes
after realizing the nature of the tor
ments they were doomed to endure.
We do not therefore, regard the de-
parture of several thousands of these
unfortunate beings as a slur upon
Mr.. Bryan. On the contrary, the
fact that any of them stayed with
him to the end presents itself to us in
the light of q most eloquent tribute
TO his attractions and their own en-
thusiasm. And this tribute is en-,
phasized a thousand foil by the fact
that the speech itself was in all re-
speots the opposite of captivating. 1t
vas not spesch that should have
been delivered under such clrcum
stances to such an audience. 1t was
tco long, it was too academic, it was
too metaphysical. AS an essay, to
be peruse in the calm seclusion Of
the closet, with the aid of cooling
breezes and of perfect bodily COM
fort, it is to be considered with re-
s2ect. AS campaign harangue, ad-
dressed to twenty thousand fainting
wretches tormented with intolerable
heat and half asphyxiated by field
atmosphere, it was the most colossal
blunder of the generation. We think
we can recognize Mr.. Bryau's pur-
pose. 1t seems clear to US that he
intended 70 x9lain, through the
medium of calm, dispss donate and
pbilosophic exposition OF his ideas
and plans, the injustice of the charge
that he is the leader Of a mob OF
anaTchistio agiJators Bat, in our
opinion, Mr.. Bryan was not happy
in his choice of an occasion. He
missed the opportunity. Fifteen OF
twenty minutes of breezy, eplgram'
matte eloquence, dozen graceful
and effective gestures, and one eagles
fight of peroration would have trans
formed that dismal failure into an
apotheosis.
Mr.. Bryanis very attractive and
very forcible speaker. His speech
al Pittsbnrg was as effective as il
was admira ole. He is born orator
and he has the instinct of captiva