Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1899-08-18
is 1T TRUE?

Is III IRUEF
II is said that VIM. Jennings Bryan
refused to vote for Crisp for Speaker,
because he had been in the Confed-
crate army. This charge we believe
TO be true. The frct was brought to
the attention Of the people, ut a
meeting of democrats ut Saratoga
Springs on the lIth Of this month.
That it should have escaped notice
during the campaign of 1896 seems
remarkable. 1t, however, causes the
writer no cOmpunclions of conscience,
for while he might have been willing
TO support Bryan as All individual, he
was unwilling 10 support any man for
President who was startling OH al
platform which he considered mn
democratic and politically unsound,
especially upon the currency question.
Now that it is known that Bryan
was a SO much smaller man than was
generally supposed, the writer is
doubly glad that in his political miss
takes, If be has ever made many, he
has escaped the stupendous blunder
OF voti' q for this south hater who
could not support a man like Crisp
for speaker. Northern soldiers cou III
willingly give him their support, but
VIM. Jennings Bryan was too mucr
sectionaliSt TO honor man
like Speaker Crisp. Many of our
own people know Speaker Crisp well.
He serve il ,hr 10th Virginia
Regimen al OF r,L soldiers OF
the Val, ' oi Virgini;, lid there is
not one vi them livin1 ,oday that isl
not proud of the hoLorS Which, " icl
so deservrliy bestowed apr L COM
rade. For a Will, he was rivt'rr
IN Company f., the Mau,vnUurg
Rifles, made up in Woodstock, but
later was a Lieutenant in Co. II. the
Page Company. His brother Harry
Crisp continued to serve in Co. +.
In national campaigns, many South
ern men have felt it their duty to
vote for men who were prominent in
the Northern army and haye done so
willingly, because they were voting TO
uphold the principles Of the party TO
which they were attached. But 1t was
not the case with VIM. jennings
Bryan. He was, in no sense, repre-
sentative democrat. He had ming
lei with the populists and was gen
orally believed to be one of them.
He brought with him his pepulstic
principles to the Chicago convention
and when he had succeeded in hav-
ing them incorporated into that plat.
form, which it would DO a SANDER
upon the democratic party TO call 8
democratic platform, lie became the
idol Of the party composed Of free
silver republicans, free silver demo-
Gratis and populis,s.
In the campaign, little attention
was paid TO his personal record. lie
was the representative OF the free
silver hercsy and the attention of the
public was absorbed by that question,
which is now only kept alive by All
effort, and can, at best, occupy but
an insignificant position in the plat
form of the party that cannot rid
itself oft. The personal record Of the
tree silver champion is now brought |
before the people. In the Spanish |
war, he endeavored to make mill
tary record but he did not succeed.
Whether 1t was his fault, OF that of
others, we do not pretend to say.
His military record adds nothing to
his fame.
Ii the charge that is now published
against him be true, we cannot see
how he can command the support of
John w. Daniel and other virginia. s,
who while supporting free silver,
were always true to their own sec
ton.
Bryan's popularity as A candid. te
in 1900 WAS in the South, but il it be
established that he is one of the small
bitter South haters that can be found
scattered in all sections north OF
Mason and Dixon's line, the South
must, if it has any respect for itself,
let him severely alone.