The Forrest City times., 1900-08-03
RECONCILIATION OF BRYAN.
what IL Means and Why He Has BE-
come the Democracy's Chosen
Leader.

Bryan is a notable honor TO re-
markable man. This will be the judg-
ment of every intelligent American
who examines Mr.. Bryan's career in
the light of history, and who emanci-
pates himself from all prejudice for
or against the candidate and the great
party which twice in succession has
made him its leader.
Mr.. Bryan entered his party's ma
tional convention of 1896 as a member
of contesting delegation. AS tested
by the standards of his organization
which prevailed along to that time, he
was marked with the faint of parti-
san heterodoxy. The idea for which
he stoo6-the unlimited coinage of
silver at a ratio which would have
made the intrinsic value of a silver
dollar half that of the gold dollar,
and which, consequently, as a large
majority of the people of the country
believed, and believe still, would drive
gold out of circulation, precipitate
the country to the silver basis, and
disastrously disturb al values
would, if sanctioned by the conven-
ton, make break with the tradi-
tons of hundred years of demo-
cratic history.
Moreover, presented to the same
convention were the names of older
and (as judged by the canons of that
day. greater soldiers of the silver
cause. Richard P. Bland. the pioneer
of the silver coinage movement in
congress, was urged by large ele-
ment of his party for the presidential
nomination. Another faction favored
Horace Boies, also a silver champion,
who had carried the republican
stronghold of Iowa for governor, and
who had made an efficient and popu-
lar official. Senator Joseph S. c.
Blackburn, of Kentucky, veteran
fighter on the silver side in both
branches of congress, had some power
full friends in the convention, and re-
ceived many votes for the nomination.
Yet this contesting delegate, who
was admitted to a seat by the favor
of the convention, but whose name
was new to a majority of the dele
gates at the time, defeated, through
the magic of speech which put the
feelings of his hearers into burning
phrase, men who had been leaders of
his cause long before his name was
heard of outside the ward in which he
lived. and carried of the conventions
prize.
Other men than Mr.. Bryan, whose
names were not previously coupled
with the candidacy, were nominated
for president. But Mr.. Bryan had no
military glory, nor was his name, at
the time the convention of 1896 met,
connected conspicuously with any
great reform or cause, for he had
made no record during his short serv-
ice in congress which could single him
out from the roll of ordinary members
on the silver side. What, then, was the
secret of Mr.. Bryan's power over his
party? It was this: In his speech to
the convention he gave the idea which
for years had been struggling for
expression in his party more
striking expression than had any any
other of it's orators. His party de-
clared for the "free and unlimited
coinage of both silver and gold'-put-
ting silver before gold for emphasis
at the 16 to l ratio, without waiting
for the aid or consent of any other
nation" This meant that compromise
and equivocation in that party on that
issue was ended.
Mr.. Bryan's proclivities conceded
with his party's new mood His phys
ical traits, moreover, lent power to his
moral attributes,
What are the causes of Mr.. Bryan's
hold on the affections of his party in
1900, aside from those which gave him
the candidacy in 1896? His robust
sincerity, which even his partisan en-
emies have never questioned his
strength as a campaigner, as attested
by the fact that, in the most exciting
canvass since 1850, and with hundreds
of thousands of democrats supporting
Palmer or Mckinley, he polled nearly
100000 more votes than Cleveland
| gained in his tidal-wave campaign
four years earlier; and the belief of
his party. rank and file, that he is, on
the whole, the best exponent of his
party's position on the issues of the
finances, trusts and anti-imperialism.
Upon what does Mn Bryan's party
base its hope of carrying the country
in 1900? Upon analogy, upon chance
and upon a belief that it's cause is in
herently strong with the people.
In every election for president in
which the same candidates confronted
each other twice in succession the
nominee who was beaten in the first
instance won in the second. Jeffer-
son, who was defeated by John Ad-
ans in 1876, defeated Adams in 1900.
jackson, who was left behind by John
| Quincy Adams in the contest which
went to the house of representatives
in 1924, was far ahead of Adams in
the electoral college in 1928. William
Henry Harrison, who was easily beat
en- by Van Buren, in 1896, just as easily
defeated Van Buren, in 1910. Cleve-
land, who was 65 in the minority in
the electoral college of 1883 in the