The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-01-11
MODEST MIR Y

Bryan at no annual banquet OF the
Andrew jackson league of Chicago
Tuesday night was remarkable only
for one thing. 1t was e%minently
Bryanesque in everything. If there
were any who expected to hear some
thing new from the great commoner
they must have been woefully disap-
pointed. Everything he said and
every idea he advanced were but repe-
titions of former platitudes and the
expression of ideas voiced by him on
every possible occasion until the public
have become rs familiar with them as
he himself is. His profession of
ment Of the desire to remain a private
citizen, somehow bring to mind the
crafty scheming Duke of Gloucester
when offered the royal crown. They
lack the ring of sincerity and a sug-
gestion of bitterness is to be detected
in the admission relative to the pros
poets presenting themselves in refer
ence to the likelihood of his remain
ing a private citizen. The statement
that he does not desire to be en-
barrassed by being made a candidate
for office is to be considered as a Bryan
statement and it only accentuates the
bitterness and chagrin d~iscernable in
the sentence that proceeds it.
Mr.. Bryan can deceive nobody. He
is spurred by the same ambition that
fired his soul when he delivered the
carefully prepared speech at Chicago
which carried a convention off its feet
and made him the candidate of the
party which since then has been going
under the name Of the democratic
party, but which it is not in anything,
except the name and that w1ongfully
appropriated. Twice defeated, the
last time worse than the first, Mr..
Bryan is still so thick skinned and
superlatively vain that we're the op-
portunity to present itself again he
would be found ready and willing to
risk the chances of defeat in a third
| struggle for the same office. His self
effacement by entering the field of
journalism is a mere stage trick that
may deceive the novice in the politi-
cal gallery, but o of the old fell
lows who. have grown gray watching
the play. In NO other way could he
keep himself so constantly before the
people as in the position Of the editor
and proprietor OLA newspaper such as
he proposes to'launch during the next
few weeks. The care he took to give
the greatest possible publicity to the
fact that he intended to embark in
journalism on his own account is
proof of the fact that he desires the
people to know that he does not pro-
pose to allow himself to become
merged into the obscurity that at
taches to the Lot of the ordinary citi-
zen. His declaration of philanthropic
desire to place himself in a position
where he a give more aid TO others
than himself would be commendable
were it really sincere. But the desire
is not there and profession Of its exis-
tence is but the exposition of one
phaze of the Bryan character, and one
that is generally we'll understood.
One remark the gentleman made is
particularly worthy Of consideration
his reference to the present fighting
condition of the democratic party.
A whole load of sarcasm is to be de-
tected in t. =, sentence and SO lightly
yelled that all may see and understand
it. The recent action Of Cleveland,
Hill, Whitney and the others repre-
seuting the element Of the party not
tainted with the populism Of the
: democracy represented by Mr.. Bryan,
and his W manifestation Of trucu'
/ leney toward them are proof that the
!, party is in a fighting mood and condi
ton, although the battle it is prepared
. to wage and is waging is within it,
, own ranks, rather than directed
against an enemy without. Then
too, the gentleman may have aimed
= shaft of his sarcasm at those to whom
he later on paid his respects by call
8 ing attention to the fact that lie ha
r taken a place in the ranks and divest
: ed himself of the glittering insigni
NJ rank and DOsitiOu,