The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-06-24

xxx
The conversation turned to the nature of
the speech that Mr.. Bryan would make in
Greenfield that night and he said 1t would
be partisan The other speeches he would
deliver in Indiana on this trip would be
strictly nonpartissn. he said
Take my speech at Lafayette this after
noon-there was no politics in it, was
there?" he asked, appealing to Dan w.
Simms. of Lafayette. who was in the
party.
II don't know how the other people looked
at it,. replied Simms. ''but 1 couldn't see
anything partisan about it. OF course, some
came in from the meeting this afternoon
with Senator Will r. Wood, one of our
good Republicans. and when / asked him
how he liked your address he said 1t was
all right for campaign speech. l pro-
tested that there had been no politics in 1t,
and he said: Well, Bryan may not have
intended TO talk politics. but he came On
near it,
Mr.. Bryan enjoyed the laugh at his ex-
pense and rejoined: Its true find II hard
TO avoid saying things that may be con-
tically impossible to speak on topics relat-
ing to government without laying ones
self open to criticism along that line. re-
call that during our last municipal cam
took up the fight in a way. the pastor OF
our church set aside one Sunday night for
meeting at which civic questions should
be discussed by laymen. To avoid the APP
pearance of partisanship he invited a Re-
publican to make one speech and asked me
to make the other. The next day after the
meeting one of the prominent members of
the church met me on the street.-the is
Republican, by the way-and jumped on me
for making political speech in church
He said l had made regular Democratic
GnpQCh L Objected l.
cism, and asked him to show me where L
had said anything that might be construed
as partisan.
Why he said, you told us to vote the
Democratic ticket
No. l didn't 1 answered.
Well he said, you told US to vote for
that meant the Democratic candidates
II tell you. I've reached the point" added
Mr.. Bryan, where I'm almost afraid to
quote A good name is rather to be chosen
than silver or gold for fear I'll be accused
of making a personal attack on Mark
Hanna
In the course of his speech at the opera
house that night Mr.. Bryan told a story
which some one might have been unkind
enough to turn on him.
Honesty and straightforwardness always
pay" he said. land sometimes avert un-
once who made great play about how the
Office had sought him until he was COM
PEELED to run for it. He said that the office
had been after him for ten years, and that
he had run away from 1t until he was
forced to take the nomination. He was go
Ing on in this fashion one day in small
crowd, when one of the party grew tired Of
1t and spoke up. You say you've been run
ming away from this office for ten years.?
he asked. The candidate said yes. We'll,
rejoined the other, you needn't worry;
you're gaining on it,
The story is not without its personal ap-
plication to the man who told 1t, although
no one has ever accused Mr.. Bryan of rep
resenting that his nominations were forced
upon him. The inference is that he wishes
to be understood as playing perfectly sim
cere and honest part in his attitude toward
the people, and that If he becomes the can
didate of his party again he will not set up
the plea that the office is running after him.
AS a matter of fact, it is altogether prob
able that Mr.. Bryan is at this time can
didate for the presidential nomination next
year. and, indeed, there Is evidence that he
has had his eyes turned toward the White
House for To- these eleven years. This was
indicated by an incident he related during
the trip to Greenfield. when the subject at
hand bore on the memorable Chicago con-
vention and his first nomination. One of
the party had mentioned the prophetic gift
of Chicago newspaper man who fore
casted the result of the convention sixty
days in advance. indicating that there was
movement on to give Mr.. Bryan an oppor-
tunity for a speech that would stampede
the convention to him, and Mr.. Bryan was
moved to tell of the man who first sug-
gested him as presidential possibility.
1.-THE day after l delivered my monetary
speech in Congress in 1892" he said. II re-
ceived telegram from an old college mate
N Ia n
read. I'm for you for President if you're
old enough
II was forced to reply" added Mr.. Bryan
played a lamentable lack of foresight and
that l could not be a candidate that year."
During his speech Monday night. Mr..
Bryan was expressing his satisfaction that
the nominations he had received had come
from the people and not from the party
bosses, when some man in the audience in
terjected. We'll give you another. but
ment for a third boom for the Lincoln man.
However, his appearance in Indiana at this
time. and the character of the speeches he
made, striking so vigorously at the so-called
"reorganizers, has furnished the Hoosier
Democrats with something to ponder over,
and many of them are asking themselves
strong enough to get the nomination again
in 1904?' And echo ansewrs, rs hep
Tom Taggart came up from French Lick
yesterday morning. When asked why he
had not come UP the night before in time
to go over to Greenfield with w. ]. Bryan
and the Indianapolis deputation Of the
"trooly loil," he answered hastily: "ToO
busy. Couldn't possibly get away until this
morning" The reporter felt some delicacy
about asking him if he was sorry to have
missed hearing Mr.. Bryan, or whether he
would have gone over to Greenfield had he
been in the city, and while he was cogitat-
ing the questions Mr.. Taggart gently but
firmly switched the subject.
Mr.. Taggart will be here two three
days, he says, but he affirmS that there is
nothing doing in Democratic municipal pol
itics so far as he is personally concerned.
There were some manifestations around the
Grand Hotel during the afternoon and even
should be taken with a grain of salt. In
the first place, Crawford Fairbanks, of
Terre Haute, was there and he and Mr..
Taggart held a conference in the afternoon.
In the evening w. A. Moore, one of the
mayoralty candidates, and the one, il is
Bell clique is putting forward to the end
that the breach in the Democratic ranks
may become a yawning chasm that nothing
can bridge before election day, was linger-
ing about the hotel lobby and it was un-
derstoOd that he, too, held a council with
the sage of French Lick.
L. Ert Slack, of Franklin, state repre-
sentative from Johnson county for two
terms, was one of the faithful who met here
Monday evening to escort Mr. Bryan to
Greenfield. He was here again yesterday,
IT,, yirr ~ prxra ~ ~x,l,