The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-03-19
TO NEWSPAPER MEN
He Talks About His Campaigns
and Tells a Few Stories at a
Press Club Dinner.

He Talks About His Campaigns
and Tells a Few Stories at a
Press Club Dinner.
Mr.. William Jennings Bryan, edi-
itor of The Commoner, was entertain
ed at a smoker given by the New
York Press Club, and it was the first
time in many months that Mr.. Bryan
has been a guest at any public gather
ing.
Two hundred men listened to his
remarks, which were j%udiciously di-
vided between the jocose and the
grave. He touched upon his newspa-
per experiences aud also upon his last
campaign. William Cullen Bryant,
the president of the club, introduced
him. Mr.. Bryan said in part:
AS you all know, 1 am myself in the
newspaper business now. 1 can't say
that L took it up voluntarily. There
which need be mentioned here, that
led me up to it.
must say that L find it very on
genial work-that is, the branch of it
in which L am engaged. In the past
1 have had no time to write much, but
L have had two opportunities to test
my ability as a speaker. L spoke for
some time, as you all know, but it
seems l was not able to convince a
majority of the people as to the merits
of my doctrines.
When L was nominated in '0G a
well-known Republican said to me:
I" If you stay at home you'll be de-
feated, but not disgraced. If you 60
out and work you'll be defeated, any
how, but there'll be more modification
attached to it,"
Pm glad to be with the newspaper
men tonight, because 1 think a more
practical, useful and common-sense
body of men cannot be found in any
sphere of life. One thing in the news.
paper business lmpresses me more
strongly than anything else and that
is the great responsibility OF the work.
L believe that newspaper men,
whether they write editorials or
chronicle news, should present all the
facts-not a part or a fractlon-but all
the facts. 1 believe that if a man only
gives a part of a fact, that man is do
ing an injustice to his newspaper, the
person whom he quotes and himself.
a part of a fact is misleading and it
may be, and in many cases is, a com.
plete contradiction of the meaning
which the original utterance convey
ed.
Mr.. Bryan also said that truth need
not fear the light and that contro.
versy ought to be encouraged. If a
government was a good government il
wanted It's errors pointed out; if not
it was the very kind of a government
whose errors should be pointed out.
"And that" said he, "is where you
newspaper men come in. You point
them out and vigorously" (Laugh-
ter.) &.
This was his last word about news.
papers: IT our papers gives us ar.
ticles by men of thought and convic
ton, men whose words could be
weighed carefully and whose names
are known, then our papers would BIZ
more potent than they are"
Mr.. Bryan then told a story apropos
of the declaration that he had defeat
ed himself by talking too much:
"I didn't tell this story in the cam
paign," he said. GA man died in 6
town and no one knew him. They took
him to the morgue, where a young man
came and said it was his father. He
ordered q handsome funeral. The un.
dertaker put the body in readiness TO,
a fine burial, and when all was pre-.
} pared the son came to take a farewell
look. Just then the corpse's mouth
fell open and a set of false teeth rolled
out. It's not my father cried the
young man, and refused to pay for the
funeral.
"The indignant undertake r pro
tested, but it was no use. He pulled
tho body out of the upholstered coffin
remarking angrily: you idiot, yor
might have had a glorious burial il
you'd only kept your mouth shut.
Well, that story doesn't hurt my feel.
ing now. Pm used to it,"
Story No. q" My mouth has beer
a subject for criticism ever since 1 en-