Evening star., 1896-08-13
so M E COM M E MT
What is Said Of Mr.. Bryan's New
York Speech.
REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRATIC VIEWS
The Former Think 1t Will Do Free
Silver No Good.
THE LATTER ENTHUSIASTIC

The Bryan speech and the New York
demonstration has excited considerable dis
oussion in Washington, but relatively few
who are talking about it have yet read the
speech with any care. Its great length
discourages many readers and others post
pone reading it to some future time. Among
the politicians who have gone over 1t care
fully there is a wide difference of opinion
rs to its merits and its effect. Republicans
profess to be greatly pleased with it on
he grounds that it will injure rather than
nelp the democratic silver cause. Demo-
rats who are supporting the Bryan ticket
making a demonstration of great de-
light and enthusiasm. Chairman Babcock
IF the republican congressional committee
said he had had no time to read, but said
hat the more Bryan talked the better the
republicans would like it.
Mr.. MERGERS Opinion.
Representative Mercer, secretary Of the
republican congressional committee, said
that he had read Bryans speech through,
and that he regarded it as a document
The circulation of which would do the re-
publican cause good.
LAS a Speech" he said, "it is well con-
structed. but as a campaign document it
the cause of silver no good. 1t Is apolo-
getic all the way through. He tries 70
explain that the Chicago platform IS net
as bad as it appears He assumes de-
fensive position all the way through. He
ignores the two things that have made
h!m-free trade and the populists. He
does not seem to remember the fact that he
is the popul!st nominee. But a short time
ago he was preaching that the salvation
of the country lay in free trade Now
he ignores the tariff question altogether.
He did not refer to the tariff in the speech.
The more copies of that speech there are
circulated the better we shall like il.
A Moral Tramp.
EX-Representative Langston of Virginia
said of the speech: Il think Mr.. Bryan did
we'll as he could from his point of view,
but tha- speech is not going to convert any
body. The trouble about Bryan, as shown
by this speech, and all others he has de-
!vered in this campaign, is that he is
moral tramp. You know what 1 mean. He
iuns with the tramp element. He argues
from their point of view, and seeks to rep
resent and to lead them"
Message to the People.
Ex-Representative Dunn of Arkansas. a
democrat, said that the Bryan speech had
taken the wind out of the sails of those
who heard him. saying that he was 2
fireworks orator. He had purposely strip
ped his speech of what was merely ora
torical. by reading it as a message to the
people and making it convincing argu-
ment appealing to reason rather than 10
emotion. THAT speech" Mr.. Dunn said,
entities Bryan to rank with the grea test
OF men. 1t shows him to be a master of the
science OF government, philosopher and
statesman of the highest rank. He sums
Up the democratic position in the clearest
pc ssible w:ty, conienses convincing argu-
ment in every paragraph and shows him.
self to be a master of the entire subject.
He can teach political economists and
point out to the flnanclers how far tLey
may go.
That speech is the best political docu-
ment we can circulate. 1t is simply Won
derful In its clearnes and force"
A Valuable Campaign Document.
Chairman Faulkner of the democratic
congressional committee, who took part
in the Bryan meetir- st night, said:
1T was the most remarkable outpouring
1 have ever seen. The people were not
drawn by fireworks or any of the accesso-
res which usually attract a crowd. They
came to hear Bryan and his cause. 1t was
noticeable that when the candidate laid
aside his manuscript and addressed the
open-air meeting there was a wave of that
same enthusiasm shown at Chicago. The
speech of acceptance is an able and schol-
arly treatment of the subject, and it will
prove one of the most valuable campaign
documents. 1t is a document which circu-
lates itself and does not need a frank for
the press of the entire country prints it.
The demand for the Bryan Chicago speech
is unprecedented. I received telegraphic
request from San Francisco for 800 600
copies 1t was impossible to supply them,
so l sent a revised copy of the speech, and
notified them to print the 3U0,O0 in San
francisco, saving the freight. l anticipate
quite as heavy demand for the speech of
last ni9ht''