The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-29
Col. Bacchus and Col. Bryan.

What is the secret OF the power which
Col. BRYAN has over his party' He lie going
10 be renominated, although all the cooler
| Democratic heads know that he he's no
chance Of election and that there Ia no hope
for the Democracy until II gets rid OF him.
| At present IL cannot get rid OF him. He
declares its policy long before the Demo
cratic National Convention meets. Practi-
cally he renominates himself. He wanders
about the country as a sort OF Democratic
! idol and fetlch, and the worshippers keep
on worshipping Yet the man makes him
| self about as common as n cold in the head.
! He is not sublime orator. He appears to he
! more than ordinarily ignorant OF American
| history and political economy. He never
has any leisure to read or reflect, for he Ia
talking all the time. One would suppose
that his everlasting droning would wear
out the patience OF his party. Patient or
impatient, the party has to stand II and
does stand II.
But whyP Has he magnetized or hypno-
tiled the Democrats with his glittering eye 2
Has he given it medicines TO make II love
hm2 BY what white magic or black art
does he command its obedience3
1t has been suspected for some time that
he was sort OF political Christian Scientist.
He doesn't content himself with casting out
Money Devils. He makes the faithful fol-
low him. Not long ago the Hon. CHAMP
CLARK OF Missouri described the eagerness
and the trustfulness with which the Bryan
ties touched the Colonel's clothes, happy
thus to complete the circuit and he thrilled
with the orators electricity An Indian
apolis despatch to the Cincinnati Enquirer
gives some new particulars about the Col.
onel's healing and magnetic powers.
An indianapolis soldier OF fortunate
and most jovial name Col VICTOR NJ.
BAccHUs. was Lieutenant Colonel OF the
l61st Indiana In the Spanish War. At
Tampa that regiment camped beside
the Third Nebraska, Col. BRYAN's own
Col. BAccHUs says that Col. BRYAN was
better than any quantity OF medicine
in driving disease out OF the camp" The
Nebraska Colonel used to visit the hos
pital three times day. rub the hands Of
patients, tell them that they would soon
bc well, and they would get we'll. This
anecdote teaches us that the Colonel's
therapeutic prophecies are better than his
financial prophecies. He was a medicine
as we'll as a medicine man. There was
something in his magnetic presence and in
his warm words that acted like q tonic
Here Is a remarkable case reported by Col.
BACCHus:
"A big stI.tootsr from Arkansas came to Tampa
after his brother, whom he found apparently dying
in hospital Of typhoid fever. II WAS soemi ngly .
hopeless case, and tho Arkansan we'll nigh dis
traeod because he feared that IL he took the DYING
boy home It would kill his mother The boy had writ,
ten several letters home. telling OF Col. BEr.S',
wonderful influence among the sick. aud the Arkan.
san Immediately bethought himself Of BRYAN only
to find that he had moved with his regimen ishts.p
miles away. He tcleyraphed to Col. BNrAS telling
him the facts In the aud In surprisingly short
time Col. BRYAN reported at tho hospital and wa.
shown q the cot occupied by the apparently dying
boy He took the sick lads hand. rubbed his face
and smoothcd his locks Whispering kind words
The soldier recognised tho magnetic touch his face
frightened. and from that he began to mend
There ism the slightest doubt in my mind that ~
the Colonel had not made that mile tim
over the burning sands, and devoted two days to
nursing the boy. the boy would be dead to-day"
II the Colonel magnetlzes the sick thus.
he must magnetic tho well still more.
Presumably he rubs every hand he shakes, |
and thereby makes the shakee a mapne |
tiled Bryanite It Is curious, however.
that while he made the Arkansas boy and !
others well by his magnetism, the more |
he magnetzes the Democratic party the
sicker it grows.