Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-27
Candidates Will Not Swing
Around the Circle"
BRYAN'S EXPERIENCE
TALKING TOURS OF
1895 RECALLED.
President Roosevelt Will Abstain From
Speechmaking and It Is Thought
His Opponent VIII Also.

President Roosevelt has absolutely de-
cided that he will make practically no
speeches during the coming campaign, and
the probabilities arc that the democratic
candidate, If he Is Judge Parker, Senator
German. Mayor Mcclellan or any other
man Of that stamp. will likewise refrain
from speechmaking. permitting his speech
of acceptance OF the nomination to answer
for the demands upon him for oratory in
the campaign. The spellbinding in the cam
paign, therefore, will be by others than the
presidential nominees.
Many persons have declared that Mr..
Bryan's tours defeated him for the prest-
dency, at least that the tours Of 1896 did
So The trips in 1895 were made at time
when feeling was at high pitch. and each
word was heartily approved or thoroughly
condemned.
Impartial newspaper men who travelled
with Mr.. Bryan assert that his magnetic
personal qualities were SO attractive and
his oratorical abilities so persuasive and eff
fective that he invariably had his audi
ences with him almost to a man before ne
had concluded. Thousands of these men
voted against him afterwards, but for thea
time being they were slaves to his magnet
ism and eloQuence.
Many who read in the papers Of the en-
thusiastic greetings to Mr.. Bryan by gt-
gantic audiences were disposed to attribute
the rosy view to ardent newspaper corre-
spondents. little realizing that these men
faithfully and correctly reported the facts.
scenes and circumstances, having nothing
to do with the outcome weeks later
Mr.. Bryans trips differed much in detail
from those of Presidents Mckinley and
Roosevelt. Influences surrounding a man
who is chief executive decidedly of an
other kind from those that bear upon a
man who wants to be President. chief
executive travels In special trains. with
officials to plan and carry out the most
minute details Railroads make schedules
to suit him. run their trains slowly at night
to enable him to get good rest, and COM
mittees In cities and towns fix everything
only by himself and one or two servants.
Mr.. Bryan's Experience.
Mr.. Bryan's car was attached to regular
trains and he had to make the best of reg
ular schedules Sometimes railroads made
up special trains for his benefit but often
it was convenience for them to do So
Mr.. Bryan had no servants, and wanted
none; the Pullman porter filled all his
wants. In the car with Mr.. BRYAN were
six or eight newspaper men, his private
secretary, and. in the campaign Of 1900, the
Nebraska national committeeman. who ar
ranged the arrival and departure of trains
and such details after conference with Mr..
Bryan. All these people. from twelve to
fifteen, ate and slept in the car, Mr. Bryan
sitting at the table with the newspaper
men and others. and extending to all the
same hospitality. Some Of these men rep
resented newspapers that were bitterly hos
tile to Mr. Bryan. but his treatment OF
these men was Just as kind and courteous
as that extended to the representa- ves of
papers which were his strongest supporters.
Three men in this country in recent years
have been noted for their versa tility in
speeches. These were ex-Presidents Har-
rison and Mckinley and William ]. Bryan
Fhnrn l-1,o ~.
could talk as often these have done and
say something new every time. President
Harrison's noted trip to the Pacific coast
dempnstrated to the highest degree his
ability in this direction. There was no
sameness TO his ideas and words in the
large number of speeches he made. 1t was
the same way with Mr.. Mckinley. He
could so completely dress old idea in
new and attractive costume as to create
wonder among his own friends.
How the Speeches Were Made.
When President Mckinley Travelled and
talked his speeches were taken stenograph-
ically by Secretary Cortelyou or an assist
ant secretary. Mr.. Cortelyou gave the
speeches to the press, and he was the only
source Of distribution. 1t was in the power
and discretion of Mr.. Cortelyou to eliminate
anything which appeared to be a repetition
of former speeches. Mr.. Bryan's hundreds
of speeches were taken down and edited by
different people, many of them politically
unfriendly to him. Day after day these
speeches were published in the newspapers
of the country. Mr. Bryan was q master
student of audiences, and an adept at ex-
temporaneous speaking. and every speech
that he made was based on the compost
ton of the crowd before him. He adapted
his words to the people and local condf-
lions, and there was. consequently, more or
less inspiration for each speech. Neither
President Harrison nor President Mckinley
ever made half many speeches in a day
as Mr.. Bryan. In New York state, In
1s0o. Mr.. Bryan made twenty nine speeches
in one day, more than half of them too
having been scheduled. Eight or ten was
the limit reached by President Mckinley
in twenty-four hours
In important matters President McKin-
ley often prepared his speeches in advance
But this was unusual with Mr.. Bryan. He
would sometimes say to the newspaper men
that he was going to bring out a new
thought on that day or the next. On their
request he would mention what he was
considering. In many instances they ask
ed him to wait until he reached a certain
city before giving utterance to the ideas.
as they wanted to be sure of good tele-
graphic facilities for getting the speech out,
and he usually obliged the men.
Mr.. Bryan. on one of his Nebraska trims
took his little five-year-old girl along with
him. She grew sympathetic after a hard
days work of the presidential candidate,
and said: Papa. Use sorry for 'Kinley;
going TO help you
Bryan an Early Riser.
Mr. Mckinley never rose ahead of his
rising hour to speak to a crowd at the
station. but time after time, Mr. Bryan. in
response to appeals. arose early in the
morning, several times at o'clock, and
spoke to enthusiastic crowds. On the last
day before the November elections In 1900.
he started early on his final trip to Neb-
raska cities and towns. covering the east
ern and southern sections His first speech
was made just as the sun was rising: his
last as the moon was setting His last
speech was at Omaha at l O'Clock in the
morning Of the election. This was the cuI-
mination of a wonderful day. During the
day Mr. Bryan spoke at Exeter, Fairn1ont,
Harvard. Minden. Holbridge. Wilcox Blue
Hill. Hastings. Aurora. Seward. Lincoln,
Omaha and several other places
Mr. Bryan made two tours of Importance
during the campaign. For some time after
his nomination he remained at his home in
Lincoln. On August he went to Indian
apolis. where he received official notinca-
ton OF his nomination by the democratic
convention. In the latter part of August
he made a number Of speeches in Nebraska.
Early in September he was in Chicago. and
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