The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-08-15
ROUGH ON MR.. BRYAN
CAUsTIC CRITICISM OF HIS CA
REER IN POLITICS.
Careless Of Party Good"-Charged
with Being More Ambitious, Sell
fish and Faithless Than Either
Hill or Cleveland.


ar from his old friend, Alfred Henry
Lewis the biog "a pher of Richard Croker:
For myself. so much do 1 limp in in
terest. l would turn neither hand nor
head to promote or to undo the fortI
of either Mr.. Cleveland or Mr.. Bryan
or Mr.. Hill. AMI while of Mr. Cleyeland
deem little and of Mr.. Hill still less,
and hold them both, perhaps, much low
may subscribe to much If not all he Init
mates of the ungrace and party ignobil-
ity OF those gentlemen yet when he pre-
sents himself as their superior in those
traits of faithfulness and lack of per-
sonal ambition and want of selfish re-
gard. Mr.. Bryan must pardon me should
honest amazement find expression on my
brow Selfish, trustees, ambition-bitten,
Mr.. Cleveland and Mr. Hill. the history
of Mr.. Bryan discloses him as more am
bilious, more selfish and more faithless.
He will mount any horse from either side
which will carry him to his own advan-
tage.
Mr.. Bryan came to Washington in 1891,
and as a Democrat entered the House
caucus to help select a candidate for
Speaker. There were five in that speaker
s sp4ser aad GrisR Rh s bs Man
between Mr.: Crisp, who was Mr.. Cor
put forward in the fortunes of Mr.. Cleve-
land. A presidency and a tariff policy
as wen opCdhCi WStC az poy III
that fight.
When balloting began Mr.. Bryan cast
his vote for Mr.. Springer. The war
staggered forward for hours, and from
first to last Mr.. Bryans vote went ever
Srringerward. Mr.. Hatch withdrew and
cast his vote for Mr.. Crisp. Mr.. Springer
withdrew and cast his vote for MIR. Crisp.
The struggle became duel between the
Texan and the Georgian, and in the end
Mr.. Crisp beat Mr.. Mills by the starved
majority Of two.
From beginning to end, on the last as
on every ballot, Mr.. Bryan cast his vote
for Mr.. Springer. While Mr.. Springer.
through a score of ballots which preceded
the end was himself withdrawn as a cam
didate and in the caucus voting for Mr..
Crisp Mr.. Bryan sat wasting his suf-
fl age-fring his lonely, selfish arrow in
the air!-on Mr.. Springer.
Later l myself asked him to give me
his reasons for so strange a course Mr..
Bryan was younger and not SO skilled OF
craft as now. With an air ineffably cum
ming he reminded me that those four gen.
tlemen, other than Mr.. Springer, namely,
Messrs Mills, Crisp Hatch and McMillin,
were all of them ex-Confederate soldiers:
and he closed with the unctious assur-
ance that he was of no mind to go back
soldiers of the Union, with the record Of
having voted for a one-time rebel. Ev-
cry other Northern Democrat was taking
that chance-if chance it was-that day.
But van, tOO SclllSilb lOO tIdLtyp
too much the lover of himself and too
little the lover of his country. to face
this invented risk of supporting Con-
federacy a third of a century after its
away his vote and his voice in a game
where-fairly-a throne was. the stakes
and an empire being fought for
Mr.. Bryan went on the Ways and
Means Committee Of that Co: gress He
supported a sugar tariff behind locked
doors. and in conferences Of the Commit
tee. He was but lukewarm for an income
tax, fearing 1t might -operate-because OF
the revenue 1t would provide for-as an
argument against the trust schedule for
sugar. When the House in open session
fl e-listed sugar Mr.. Bryan. eaten Of dis
appointment, went across to the Senate
and Iobbied with red-faced might and
main for strenuous weeks to retrieve the
Oxnard fortunes-the Oxnards were then
of the sugar trust-with Mr.. Allen, of his
State. and put the trust schedule again
in the bill.
And whv did Mr.. Bryan so toll In the
sugar vineyard?
Because he was at that time ambitious
to come to the Senate; and he looked
forward to beet sugar boost up Senate
stairs.
In February and March, 1895, Mr.. Bry-
an was foremost with Mr.. Pence. of the
Populists, and Mr.. Dubois of the Repub-
ncans, in constructing a silver propa-
ganda which would do its work without
reference to party. Such as Mr.. Bland
declined the movement, but MessrS. Bry-
an, Dubois, Pence, Stewart Sibley, Jones,
Carter and others of loose morals Of pol
itics were prompt and earnest In their
Mr.. Bryan at their meeting one evening
arose and in an impassioned speech pro-
posed that they Of the propaganda name
a silver Presidential candidate for the
fight of 1886; the Republican or Demo-
cratic party might thereby be driven to
take such gentlemen up. The club agreed;
Mr.. Stewart (Senator) Unexpectedly Of
fered Mr.. Sibley of Pennsylvania, Mr.. 8.
was chosen. Mr.. Bryan, with a face like
chalk, was sorely commoved of disap-
pointment: he had believed the meeting
would name him. Wac such harlotry un-
selfish or faithful, true adherence to
the Democratic party?
In the same month Mr. Bryan arranged
with the Populists of Virginia to stump
the Old Dominion against Mr.. OFerrall.
who was to be, and later became. the
mocracv. Mr.. Bryan grew alarmed and
afterward defaulted in his pact with these
Virginia Populists being. however, first
severely spoken with for entering into 1t
by Mr. OFerrall himself.
Mr. Bryan, when Mr.. Dubois and 9TH
ers planned and executed the silvert bot
of 1896 from the Republican Convention,
was himself carefully sresent in st. Louis
was Mr.. Teller for President" Mr. Bry-
an asked them to yoke his name with that
Of Mr. Teller to make on this outlaw
ticket the Vice Presidential run. Mr.. Tel
Ter, however forbade the use of his name
then and the program which otherwise
would have resulted In Teller ana 6ry-
an fell gasping by the wayside.
One month later when the Democrats
gathered themselves together in chicago
Mr.. Bryan appeared with contestins
delegations he was himself personally
pledged again and again for the support
Of Mr.. Bland He broke his word; hes5e-
serted his pledge; he accepted the fiuke-
offered nomination of that Democracy ne
had three times sought to betray and
made the race for the white house with
his honor-because of his treason to Mr..
Bland and his thrice-at, empted treasons
10 Democracy-with his honor, l say, in
the dirt beneath his feet.
Such is the story of Mr.. Bryan, and
Nessrs. Vest. Cockrel German. O'Fer-
rail-. Dubois Sibley, Pence, Jones Stew
art, Tarsney, Teller, Cochran, Catchings,
Watson and Simpson and scores besides
will commend it for plain accuracy. Such
oeing Mr.. Bryan's story one has right
In assume that 1t comes from him with
mt bIack-pot black-kettle grace to point
AZ Mr.. Hill and Mr.. Cleveland as self
seeking cyclists, traitors Of Democracy,
and mere cheap party-slippers for their
,wn poor ends; and whether or no /
urncd deaf to Mr.. Cleveland or callous
oward the Establishments of Mr. Hill I'd
If verify lend sCant credit to Mr. Bryan
and never follow his leadership a foot.
An unfortunate Happening.
one of the rural correspondents of The