The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-07-13
Bryan to Parker.

The COmmOner Office, I'll, 1904.
Dear Alton:
I'm nit and you're it. You've down
ed me, but l don't feel badly, for l m
used to being downed. First was
downed twice by the whole country.
which is a pair of wallops about as big
as can be handed to man. Then l
was SAT- down on. by the Democratic
rr+y. made the latter feel a good
deal as if it had sat down on a cactus
crown or porcupine, but it gritted
its teeth and kept right on sitting AS
soon as I got myself adjusted to the
cramped position SO that I could talk,
l felt all right. That is the Senehal
cure-all with me-just to talk SO
long as l can keep my face running
full time I'm fine as fiddle. NO
misfortune troubles me SO long as my
vocal chords are unrestrained- Now,
after wears of getting trained to the
matter of defeat, l was wholly pre-
pared for the body blow you landed
on me at ST. Louis. am down ana
out at present, but shall unhesl-
tatiusly challenge the winner OF the
| heavyweight bout in November.
am going to talk for you all through
the campaign, and if you can be elect
ed in spite OF that you're a peach
defeated a mighty good man twice by
talxine for him through whole
campaign. Modesty forbids my men
tioning the good mans name, put
history will bear me out-that is, II
| l were not already out
Knocked fiat as I am, however, L
| cannot refrain from conSratulatnS
YOU on the way you did it. The most
| marvellous thing to me is how you
managed TO keep from talking for so
| long. TO me, your feat out-Tanners
Dr. Tanner in his forty-days fast A
mere abstinence from food tor forty
days would be nothing to me If | vera
| given a chance to talk. But to go
right on eating and drinking and
thinking and reading and hearing
and not talk-great Macl1inac, Alton,
you're wonder! Not a peep was
there from Esopus until 1 thought
had you fixed with the New York
Democrats. I had actually gh TO
thinking YOU were stricken dumb, and
that you couldn't talk. But as soon
as I had played with Davy Hill
| (there's a chump, Alton, and you q
better cut him OUT and eliminated
| that gold plank from the platform, up
you spoke as clipper as squirrel and
| as cleverly as if you had been talking
all the while. 1t was, as the prize
| fighters say, as neat hit i'll the
| breakaway" as was ever executed.
AS soon as 1 had expressed sausfac-
F.! ton with ticket and the platform,
you come on with teleSra phlc dy-
Mantle cartridge that says that I'M
less you are understood to be on
gold standard platform, you want to
be left out and have the delegates NOM
you got me, Alton, and you did it
cleverly I was helping the referee
give you the count. and just when We
had said Eight" UP you sprang to
your feet and handed me one in the
solar plexus that put me into the
midst of Dream1and. But it's all
right, old man. I'm beaten. 7 was
too much the talkee tallaee and I
thought you were too much of a dummy
but I'm ready to acknowledge there's
| something in the policy of keeping
ones head shut for fear of drafts,
though it is policy 1 could never fol
low three days in succession without
| exploding.
| fought you as hard as l could be-
| fore the nomination. I shall now pc
consistent and talk for you in pubic.
That will fix you and render it entire
ly unnecessary for you to engage
moving-van to take your square piano
and plush chairs from Esopus to the
White House. A steady flow of my
speeches is positive and unfailing
preventive of Presidential success.
You would be defeated anyway, 50
I'll give you the satisfaction Of hay
ing me to charge it up to.
Yours hopefully,
w. ]. B.
S. w. GILLIAN
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