The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-07-21
RREAN'S FOUR GREAT SPEECHES
WITHOUT A PEER AS AN oRAToR.
no Always Receives the Closest at
tention and Thrills HIS Hearers
With ~ MeIodtons Voice.

tentton and Thrills HIS Hearers
With ~ Bfelodtons Voice.
u. w. Barrett in Atlanta Constitution.
1t was the writer's good fortune TO
know Bryan when he was In Congress-.
He heard him make his first speech
there. 1t was on the tariff and IL last
e6 three hours. He would have stop
ped sooner in fact, he did stop sooner
several times, but he vas urged on by
both sides of the House, 30 charmed
last he sat down he received an ovation
from young members and old st8gers of
the House we'll calculated TO turn the
head of many an older man. Till then
he had given but just n mere sug-
gestion of being an orator.
1t was during the early days of the
tariff debate in the Fifty-Second Con-
gress. He spoke for less than five
minutes. When he sat down there
was q moment OF silence. His elo-
quence had taken away the breath and
desire for merriment from the sur.
prised peopled in theaHouse.
Then there burst forth q volley of
applause and then another. All knew
that something big was to be expected
from Bryan n all waited patiently
to learn just what it was.
Though his speech at the Coliseum,
which resulted in his nomination, was d
mastery one of fervid, glowing, enthu-
siasm-producting oratory, it did not
show Bryan. at his best. 1t Is In Con-
gress in the thick of debate that he
shines in all his splendor. He has
been just as eloquent there, but has
also shown himself a thorough master
of himself as q debater.
1t is the habit of old members Of the
opposition to trip orators with inter-
ruptions. They tried it with Bryan.
They failed, No matter where he was
interrupted, he would stop Immediate
ly, or at the end of his sentence, and
courteously asked what was wanted. He
would wait patiently until his inter-
rupter had put the question and then,
quick as q flash, would reply, and nine
times out Of ten, he would, in the opin-
his opponent. That sort of thing has
happened time and again in the same
speech, till one would have fancied
that even Job would have let loose had
he been In Bryan's place. He seemed
to court interruption. At any rate, he
was courteous to every one, and SO
honest and sincere were his replies,
and with all so apt, that he quickly
won the respect of all his audience.
When Bryan finished his big tariff
speech, old Judge Culberson, of Texas,
the leader of the House on legal mat
ters and one of it's veterans, said that
he had been in Congress many years
and had heard many a speech in that
time, but that non of them had
equaled Bryan's, in his opinion.
Bryan made three other big speeches
while in Congress. One was on the
income tax, another on silver, and the
third ON the tariff. The second tariff
speech vas delivered on the same day
that Bourke Cochran made his famous
speech on the same subject. Cochran
had been at his best, and carried the
House with him.
The melodic thunder OF Cockran's
, eloquence was indispensable, and the
man who was to follow him was deem
ed foolish. Bryan was nervous and
apprehensive. He fully appreciated
: the hit that Cochran had made, and
the exceeding difficulty he would
have in equaling it.
Congressman Springer, who always
took a fatherly interest in Bryan, and
to whom Bryan owes the fact of his
! being appointed a member Of the com
| mittee on ways end means, though just
entering on his first term, suggested
that he postpone his speech till the
next day. That advice was all thai
was needed to renew Bryan's courage
, he feeds on opposition-and he be.
( came impatient for the time to come
:. when he should begin. His friends
: were fearful that he would make but q
; POOR show, so shortly after the speech
, OF the great orator OF Tammany Hall
, Cochran had never appeared to bet
ter advantage, and by his speech had
: dimmed the impression made by Bry.
: ans former speeches.
; But Bryan had proceeded but q little
:. way ere his most timid friends were
treasured. Bryan speaks from convic
,, tion. One does not think OF him as
!, merely pleading a cause for pay. He
, stimulates his audience into sympathy
! with him, n plays on them like
= harpist upon his instrument.
3 The music he produced in the lT"n~'
that night was very effective. Nv,
the Republicans enjoyed it for It's ar
a tistic excellence. The hit he made wa.
U pronounced as forcible as any he haC
made before, and the reception he re
ceived was just as great as that accord
ed to BourBe Cochran.
9 Bryan never descends to tho level O
u trickster in his speeches. He j.
4 always the gentleman. He believes
, that what he calls the common people
!, have been wrOnged. it is his earnest
2 intention to do his best to right thai
u wrong, in SO far as he is able to do so
He may be wrong in his theory of the
proper way to right the ills of which
he complains, but he is honest anC
. sincere, and entitled 10 the respectful
: consideration of his opponents. Wher
y Bryan makes q speech his hearers
Y a rest assured that he has studied il
!, very hard. He reads everything bear
ing IN the subject at issue. His mem
, DRY is si%ngularly retentive, and he cal
! recall facts and quote with an accuracy
} equal and facility superior to him who
has the authority in book form at hand
He never speaks from manuscript. Hs
memories his speech by patient study
l He makes a slip in his deliv.
cry. He is to the letter perfect. This
is not to be taken that he memories
7, all his speeches. He a jump to his
feet and make as effective and delight.
ful q speech as you would care to hear
90 the spur OF the moment. But his
!, big speeches are the product Of labor
l and much Of it.
: When Bryan first went to Congress
; he was singularly green about some
. common things which every reader OF
a newspaper and mixer with men is
) supposed to know. For instance, !
remember during the debate on the
repeal of the Sherman silver purchase
act, Bryan told me one afternoon,
while we were walking down Pennsyl.