Washington sentinel., 1899-10-21
MaIIgntty.

1 GONCAnOE III SSNCi al DSAAO~A oehe
conventions and whose leadership
operated as a whitening blight to
keep the party small and weak,
until il cast him out, and who at
terwards vas known as the loqua.
cious member of Cleveland's Cabi-
net, says J. NJ. Divine, in the
last number OF the National Watch
man, has broken the bond OF obscu-
rity and out of his deserved politi-
cal oblivion has once more OBJ
truded himself upon public notice
to the supreme disgust OF all decent
people. This time he appears in
The character OF a ghoul, having
ransacked the graveyard OF the
past, returning with sweet morsel
between his death. He mas made
the discovery that he received a
letter about eleven years ago from
William ]. Bryan thanking him for
a little courtesy he had extended
60 that gentleman. He has made
the letter public. It contains moth
ing that would lead any person to
discover any reason why it was OF
interest to the public. The public,
however, is relieved from what
must have ever remained a mvs-
terry, namely, the reason why the
letter should have been published,
by a statement that has been fur
nishe,l to the Associated Press IN
connection with the letter. The
result is that instead Of the letter
and the statement creating the i'm
preston upon the public mind that
was intended and refecting upon
Mr.. Brvan, it has simply demon
strated the confirmed imbecilitY
and malignitY Oi Morton. To
person unacquainted with Mr..
Morton, IT is hard to understand
why he should subject himself to
the contempt of is fellow men as
he has done in making p .blic the
Bryan letter and subjscting 1t to
misinterpretation. But to those
who knew that Morton always likes
to o5trude himself before the pub
lie gaze in some way, no matter
how ridiculous, the whole matter
is very plain.
This same Morton paraded him
self at Democratic club meetings
and other places for many years
delivering what he considered a
masterful speech upon the tariff
question. The arguments and
statements OF the speech were brill
liant, sparkling and witty. and
whatever reputation Mr.. Morton
acquired was due 20 that speech.
The speech, however, was not orig
inal, containing hardly an original
sentence from start to finish. That
portion ol it which possessed any
merit was an exact reproduction
oil a pamphlet published by the
Golden Club OF london addressed
to the Western Farmers of Amer
ica by one August Montgredieu.
But enough. II we should go fur
ther and show up the political
mountebank oil Nebraska and thus
help to drag him from oblivion
into the public gaze, even to be
despised as contemplate being,
it would afford him a satisfaction
to be thus resuTrected from his
present obscurIty aud we would
feel like making apologies to the
public which, however great,
would be INADEQUATE 10 the offense.
We do NOT know whether Mr..
Bryan wrote the letter referred TO
or not, but if he did it was a very
digni6ed and creditable letter for
him to write. In Nebraska, the
Secretary Of State, Attorney Gen
eral and Commissioner Of Public
Lands and Buildings constitute a
Board Of Railroad commissioners.
The State eleven years ago, and at
all times prior to 1895, was under
Republican rule. The law pro.
vided, however. that the State
Board of Transportation should
appoint two secretaries at a salary
OF s., 500 per year each, who ~ould
perform in the main the labors Of
the commission.
T le law also provided that one
OF the secretaries should be taken
from the opposition party. 1t APP
pears that when Mr.. Bryan arrived
in Lincoln, young lawyer with a
family depending on him for sup
port, that he was willing to accept
the position for the salary rs il
would aid him while building up a
practice in his profession. The
position carried no more honor
than a good salaried position
would in dry goods store, bank
or any other honorabls employ
ment, and Mr.. Bryan looked upon
it in that light, and the letter. i