Mexico weekly ledger., 1899-10-12

age. He is the most astounding phe-
n0Enenon Of cur times
Since congress adjourned l have had
four opportunities q studying him
anew under four sets Of circumstances
entirely different from one a~nother-at
the Topeka banquet March 80, at the
great St. Louis antitrust banquet May
%, at Richard P. Bland's funeral and
at the great Democratic picnic at
Omaha ABg 70. The more one studies
him the larger be becomes. AS a rule,
statesmen are great exactly in proper
ton 40 the square Of the distance yon
are away from them. 1t is with them
as with mountains;
liz distzncs lends snchantment &c the vieH
And rpbes the noumsain in its azure hnA.
Very few Of them can bear the Sc
we're test Of close inspection and per
sonal contact Tried by that test most
Of them shrink and Khrivel into repul-
sivs nofhingness. like Rider Haegari's
She. not SO. however, with this
young giant Of Democracy. Great as he
appears to be at long range, be Is great
er at short range. The feeling for him
alaong the masses Of the people has
taken on the character OF religious
ferror.
At Topeka he was surrounded By the
flower Of the Kansas Democracy, for
that was not q local banquet. but an
Important annual function under the
management Of the state COMMITTEES.
But these leaders OF the party In the
Sunh0wer state. most OF whom had
seen and heard him before, were as
eager 10 clasp his hand and receive his
greeting as any backw0odsmen who
crowd TO a depot to catch the first
! glimpse u his glowing c~ountenanee.
Recognised Leader.
Al St. Louis be was in the presence
Of the elite Of the Democracy, not Of
Imperial Missouri alone, but Of the en-
tire Mississippi valley, together with a
sDrinkling Of the Democratic big In
juns from beyond the Rockies and the
Alleghanies. In that vast assembly
were a dozen men who may be truly
said 10 have national regulations, yet
Bryan was the observed OF Gl obsery-
ers. although there was scarcely a man
or woman cut OF the 1000 there as
scmbled who had not been entranced
by his eloquence hitherto. so aston
ishing was the enthusiasm FOR him
that when Ex-Governor william j..
Stone, a man Of vast reputation, n
donal committeeman and a recognized
leader. rose 70 introduce Rryan the
crowd would not hear him, but kept Up
such a cheering for Bryan that At last
Stone gave up the effort to talk in
despair and introduced Bryan with a
nanfomimie performance whose COIN
terpart cannot be found In the entire
history Of American politics
AT BANDS funeral the congressional
escort and political bigwigE marched In
double column from the hotel 70 the
opera house, where the funeral serv-
ices were held, a distance Of three or
four blocks, between banks OF Ozark
mOuntaineers. 1t so happened that /
was immediately behind Bryan In The
procession and had a good chanez 70
observe what happened. II ! saw enc
man or woman reach out q hand 70
merely touch his garments, / saw so.
a pathetic performances that l never
saw, read or heard Of in the case OF
any other man.
At Omaha he was in his old con-
gressionai district, among people who
had seen him and heard him frequent
~ for the last ten years. IN his case
familiarity does not breed contempt
most assuredly not-quIfe the contrary.
His old constituents. neighbers and
friends hailed his appearances With
such prolonged and v~ociferous shout
ing that the conclusion produced there
BY must hare endangered the lives Of
the catfish In the Platte river. Then
for 2 hours and IS minutes that vas
multitude Of people stood. packed Ike
sardines IN q box sweltering in &
tropical heat, to listen to the now Of
his oratory. They literally hung en-
raptured on his accents. When ne
concluded near midnight, Ike Oliver
Twist they cried for more.
niHtfngaishea Amone AN Men.
II IL so wherever he goes. / viii
guarantee the fact 10 be that no an.
dience can be assembled IN America at
any place hefaixt the two oceans. wen
one containing the president and his
cabinet the whole corps q foreign
diplomats. the officers OF the army and
navy. the supreme court and both
houses Of congress, In which Bryan
will not be the most distinguished per
son. the one most looked at, most talk
ed about, most sought after. WAY Is
II tbusf
II is net bis learning. though he Is
learned; It Is not his handsome pres
ence, though be Is handsome; Il iE not
bis eloquence, though be is the greatest
living orator. perhaps the greatest that
ever lived. Il Is a settled conYictton
that this man stands for humanity;
that In this age Of commercial politics
he at least places the man above the
dollar. Added TO this is a deep seated.
ineradicable. well founded belief that he
was elected president in 1896 and win
be elected again IN 1900 and stilI again
IN 1904. and people looking At that
open c-ountennnce and square, heavy
under Jaw believe that when elected
he VII use al the mighty and multi
farious powers OF his high ONCE to
carry cut his promises.
II has always appeared amazing 70
me that the great metropolitan dzlIies
have nut had more TO say about the
unprecedented stuflng Of the ballot
boxes IN 1896 Take Ohio. for example.
The rule IN old. settled communities
like Ohio is one vote for every eve
inhabitants. and yet IN 1895 In the
Buckeye State. Mark HAnna's own,
the ratio was one vote fer every three
and a half inhahitaptsl That that vas
an honest count is 4 thing Incredible
Have ali the people coming OF age IN
Ohio IN the last 25 years been haysf
Have the women and girls been dying
faster ths1 the men and boys7 Marx
owes Il 70 the scientific word to ex-
plain how that thing happened for
rtltistics show that AL ' the world
the proportion Of boys and girls bafn
is q o. the former 70 20 Of the latter.