The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1904-06-12
MIR, BRYAN,s VOTE,
In the Fffty-second Congress ON the
SpeakerahiD.

Speakership.
Extract from an article by Alfred
Henry Lewis, entitled The Political
Past and Future of William Jennings
Bryan" published in The Saturday
Evening Post, Feb. 81. 1904.
There is but one lamp" cried Pat
rick Henry, on great occasion, by
which my feet are guided, and that is
the lamp of experience" and there was
more sagacity than verbal flourish in
the phrase. What is the story of Mr..
Bryan? And what Is a fair analysis of
the man? Let me begin with him as
he comes first to Washington in 1891
TO enter upon his duties a Repre-
sentative. If in what l shall sag
go wrong through slip of memory
there are Mr.. O'Ferrell of Virginia. Mr..
Catchings of Mississippi, Mr.. Bailey of
Texas, Mr.. Tarsney of Missouri, Mr..
Pence of Colorado and many more who
know the truth and can step in to Mr..
Bryan's rescue. And / should like it
again understood that personally
have only kindly thoughts for Mr..
Bryan. But laying the personal aside.
1 feel toward him politically at this
time as Jerry Simpson felt toward the
banker.
Il have nothing. Mr.. Speaker. against
a Banker" explained the sockless one,
as ne proceeded with House speech.
Commonly your banker is an honest,
upright, moral individual, a credit to
the community in which he lives.
have nothing. repeat against a bank
err. My position toward him I might
illustrate by saying, is precisely the
position hold toward the ferocious in
sect that we who travel far and wide
In politics and stop at bad hotels now
and again. encounter as an enemy to
sleep. Take that ferocious insect
aforesaid. Examine him beneath a
glass If you will A fair mind con-
fesses that there is no extravagant mi
guilty apparent in his construction. He
seems a moral bug. For myself, Mr..
Speaker, I've nothing against this bug
What / object to is the business he is
in. And so with the, Banker: l object
only to the business he's IN"
Mr.. Bryan came 70 Washington in
November. 1891. He looked younger
nv thirty years than he does now. Also
he was slim and as said the fat knight.
might have crawled through an alder
mans thumb-ring. remember. in
! those first days, how Mr.. Bryan was
| gratIfied. not to say flattered because
! the oil painting of the late sam Ran
dali then beng hung in the lobby,
would have passed for his picture, so
| much was MT. Bryan III HUNS line the
great protecticnist.
Refore Congress convened the Dem
| ocrats held a caucus to select a Speak
80. Observe the timiG self-interest of
| Mr.. Bryan and how he abandoned both
public and party welfare to nurse his
own. It should throw some light on
me liberality of his motives when now
he calls silver from the cemetery to
haunt his party to destruction. den
never change in a trait more than an
oak tree changes in a trait, and a
black kitten makes ever a black cat.
That fight for Speakership was a
uRht for a Presidency and tariff and
all that was tremendous in govern
mcnt. There were Messrs. Mills and
crisp and Mcmillan and Hatch and
Springer in the scramble. Mr., Mills
was the Cleveland candidate against
Mr.. Crisp. the German candidate. Mr.
cleveland and Mr.. German were rivals
lor a Presidency. and the possession
of the Aouse was Of nrime Importance.
The battle began. Mr.. Bryan voting
! for Mr.. Springer. The war staggered
on for hours; there came ballot on the
f