Lancaster enterprise. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1891-1905, 1900-07-11
w. ]. BRYAN. THE MAN.
His Reputation First Made by
Ability as an Orator Elements
OF his Success Confidence,
Conviction and Earnestness,
Seem to be Responsible for his
Power.

Conviction and Earnestness-
Seem to be Responsible for his
Power.
(From the Baltimore SUM-
The Hon. William j. Bryan
once said in explaining his sue
cess as an orator: 81 mastered
my subject, believed in my cause
and was hungry for its success"
Confidence, conviction, earnest
ness--these have made Bryan
one of the greatest idols of the
present decade with the men who
follow him.
While many question the truth
OF the political tenets held by
MIR. Bryan, nobody doubts his
honesty nor his ability to make a
plausible defence Of the faith
that is in him.
Just beyond 40 years of age,
Bryan has been for the past four
years more in the public eye
than any other American not in
official life. He has filled the
horizon to the exclusion of men
known throughout the country
when Bryan was college lad in
his native town of Jacksonville,
ILL.,, struggling with his Tacitus
and Livy. President Mckinley
has been talked of little more
during his presidential term than
the man whom he defeated for
the place. The only other public
official who can compare with the
Nebraskan in the attention at
tracted is Theodore Roosevelt,
governor of New York, and now a
candidate for the vice presidency
of the United States. Men differ
according to their view point as
to whether Bryan's hold on pub
llc attention is notoriety or popu-
larity. They agree that he is an
important actor just now in pub
lie life, holding in the hollow of
his hand, as few men have held
in the nations history, the for
tunes of great political party
and indirectly perhaps of great
nation.
LEADER AT COLLEGE.
In college Bryan became leader
OF his class, having graduated as
vale dictorian at the age of 81
years. Three years afterward, in
1884, he married Mary Z. Baird,
of Perry, ILL.,, and settled down
in his native town of Jackson
Vile to the practice of law. Like
many other young lawyers, he
had much leisure, which he used
in posting himself thoroughly on
the political questions of the
time. In 1887 he removed to
Lincoln, Neb,, still obscure, still
in modest circumstances, but
with vast enthusiasm and un.
bounded ambition for work in the
new field.
Bryan went into a congression-
al district which was overwhelm-
ingly Republican. In 1890, when
the question of tariff or free trade
30 filled the public mind, the
Democratic nomination in the
Lincoln congressional district of
Nebraska went begging. The am
bilious young lawyer agreed to
take it, provided some one would
advance him little money with
which to pay the expense of a
canvass. 1t was agreed and Brv
an became a candidate for con-
gress. He was pitied by oppo-
nents, while the best of his
frie nds expected for him was some
experience in public speaking.
Bryan knew his own strength as
debater and at once challenged
w. j. ConnelI, his opponent, to
six joint debates in the district.
The last was to be held in Omaha,
Connell's home.
BRYAN's FIRST VICTORY.
The study of Bryan while wait
ing for practice in Jacksonville
stood him in good stead. The first
debate showed that he had mas
tered the tariff question from A
to Z. Connell was sorry that he