Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-08


BoURKE CoCKRAN-(From latest +
great free silver leader, that he was glad OF
the opportunity to pay a tribute to him.
Il know Bryan WELL" he said. 81 served
with him for four years in the ways and
means committee of the house and We met
almost every day in what might be called
the intimacy of political association Bryan
personally is one of the purest men l ever
met in politics or out. His devotion to
public welfare, as he understands it, is
more like the love of a woman for her child
or for her husband than it is the expression
OF politicians mind. / do not believe that
after many years of active participation in
politics and three years Of leadership his
moral nature has been colored by even the
shadow OF selfish motive, or that in order
I to be elected president tomorrow he would
consent to temporize with his belief or
evade the expression OF it.
But l regard the platform of 1896 as al.
most revolutionary My high regard OF
Bryans personal virtues, far from modify
ing my opinion of his political views, in
tensifes it, We need have no fear OF vic
ious principles advocated by vicious men.
1t is only when they succeed in enlisting
the championship of misguided but enthu-
siastic virtue that l think there is any
danger that they will prevail"
/ l asked him about Mckinley.
81 have only the slightest acquaintance
with him. We both served in the Fiftieth
congress, but we rarely met. My support
of him in 1896 was in no way induced by
his personality, but came about because l
felt that his election was absolutely
necessary in view Of what l considered the
dangerous tendencies of the Chicago plat
form"
Our Greatest Problems.
1 asked him what he considered tho
greatest problem before the country now.
at is the preservation OF our republican
form Of government. This will be affected
by what we do in the matter OF territorial
expansion. First of all we must preserve
and govern well the territory we have al
ready. l am willing to see annexed to the
United States any land in which our present
form Of government can be established and
maintained. That cannot be done in the
Philippines. We have races enough al
ready"
He explained his monetary views.
II am not necessarily gold man. but a
single standard man. l stand for one piece
OF metal as a money unit. Let it be silver
or lot it be gold. 1t matters little which it
is. But let us have one standard-a double
standard is as absurd an expression as a
double single"
II am not prepared to say whether the
Nicaragua route should be followed not
But l believe absolutely in the building OF
canal We must connect the two oceans
at the point Of greatest possible proximity
to the center of American commerce-The
United States. / will say further that
am convinced that this canal should be
constructed by the government
Finally, in summing up his political opin
ions, he said:
81 stand for the impartiality of govern
! ment and the minimizing of government
t The more civilized man becomes the less hi
needs government. Government must favor
neither side. If capital is arrayed agains
labor, government must be strictly fair tt
both Sides The relations between employer
| and employed are not service, but partner
ship. and should be so regarded Trad'
unions, for instance, do not raise wages di
rectly, but they affect production favorabl!
by enabling employer and employe In fixing
the basis of distribution Of their joint prod
uct Wages cannot be raised or lowered b.
anything but the volume of production"
The men who did not agree with wha
Bourke Cochran said about trusts at Chi
, cago-even Mr.. Bryan himself-were th
first to express admiration Of the way II
which he said it. And so 1t is with tn
man. The men who do not agree with hin
are the first to praise his honesty OF pur
pose, his strength of character and the fine
ness of his mental and moral fiber.
General Lloyd Bryce on Cochran.
Lloyd Bryce has been Bourke Cochran
friend for dozen years. 1t would be har
to imagine two men apparently more widel,
differing. Cochran is tall, stalwart com
manding in his carriage and his expression
General Bryce Is of middle height, sligh
of build and has the nervousness OF tn
man who reads and studies continually, for
getting that he has body. 1t Is easy t
believe from his looks that Bourke Cockral
was once a leader In Tammany hall;
would be impossible to think such thin
of Bryce. The massive strength, deep yoic
and rugged lined face of Cochran contras
strongly with the slender frame, culture
tones and delicately featured countenanc
of the author of such novels as "Friend
in Exile" Lady Blanche's Salon." and tn
ex-editor of the North American Review
Yet they regard each other with the affec
tion of boyhood.
"Bourke Cockran's strongest points
think" said General Bryce, "are his acu
men in forecasting political events and hi
adaptability to circumstances. The man
extraordinary, too. in having achieved s
great a success while makng so few enc
| niles. InlS Is key 10 MS NATURE lie
one OF the few really strong men I hay
met who have almost no personal antagc
oists l might almost go so far as to sa
the only weak point in his character is h
incapacity TO bear a grudge. He is
strong friend, but a poor hater. lndee'
the fancied enmity of any one wounds hi
to a degree that is hardly realizable and c
one occasion, at least, | remember his g
ing far out OF his way to conciliate a pei
son who bore him an unreasonable dislik
simply because. as he told me, the enmii
of any one hurt him beyond measure. II
power over his mind. his adaptability al
his faculty of rising to whatever occasiC
may confront him are illustrated by tV
events in my acquaintance with him.
was visiting with me the district which
then represented in congress and was call
on 10 address a body Of school ehildre