The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-05-25
BRYAN
PREPARING CONVENTION SPEECH
BE FIGuRESAT sT.LoJis.
HOPES TO
Repeat HISTORY AND SWEEP
he DELEGATES AGAIN SFF
;s5 THEIR FEET.
- n
HOPES .

liz, way CIV A-et -
I BRAN going to do? Until coming
west II thought he was getting ready
40 bolt the ST. Louis candidate ana
platform That is still reasonable
4 opinion, but I have been told here ina
he has not yet reached that point.
What Bryan is preparing for now IS
so rake big speech at the ST Ions
convention. When it falls Oh uea1
ears the bolt may come, but it IS char
scteristic OF the silver leaders sn
oreme confidence that he doesn 1t yet
recognize that he will find his party
5nnmoved by his eloquence.
One of the men who has AIr. Bryan $
friendship, and who in measure en-
5oys his confidence, informed me that
everything still was in the dark he
had met Bryan when the latter came
10 Chicago to make the anti-PafAer
speech, and at the end OF a friendly
4aIk had been unable to make up his
mind what was to happen EE pro-
cess of reasoning, he had SATISFIED
himself that there was only one thing
IN view, and that this was bolt But
nothing Mr.. Bryan said justified him
m making such prediction This
man, who is not politician, had been
with Mr.. Bryan during the, ca'upalsn
OF 1896 and afterward. He is one OF
those who would follow the Neoraskan
out OF any party or into any party
He changed his politics in 1896 pure
w out of personal admiration.
It was from this talk that felt the
arst doubts about Bryan's deliberate
he
when he mentioned the silver leaders
plans for a great speech it was posi-
BILE to see how Mr.. Bryan himself
was still Withholding the bolt. What
he expects to talk about is the plat
Sorm That always has been his Ia
EurIte bext- In the early struggles
with Sterling Morton in Nebraska,
Bryan always talked platform. When
che Cleveland influence threw him out
of the Democratic State convention
ne was talking the same subject. Later
when he got control and crushed the
gold Democrats, it was all or matter
of platform In the Chicago coiNen-
tor it may be recalled,by those who
were there that the speech which gave
Bryan the nomination was on the plat
senators and ex-Republican Senators
VINO were using Bryan to kill OF BLAND
ahoughts that some talking about the
various planl1s would be good way
90 lead up to the nomination OF Teller
But after Bryan's speech they wished
sbsr had not been so enthusiastic
about alleged principles.
ALWAYS Talks Platforms.
AIr. bryan told me during bis com
paign in 1896, when he displayed such
astonishing powers OF endurance ana
OF adapting himself to different aJli-
earces, that if I would nc-ice his
speeches he always had platform i'll
them He said that in his tiIst cam
51aign for Congress, when ne gained
the experience which served him TO
ss4,ch purpose later, he never made
crossroads address without making
clear his platform. He thought MaJ.
Mckinley very good man, and used
90 pretend to wonder how sucf Sooh
man could stand on such platform.
That of course, was trick OF cam
Kysign speaking, but it showed the bent
of Bryan's mind.
Now that he is anticipating; maklnS
another great oratorical effort IN the
ST Louis convention, it is not nara 10
see how he will turn to the platform
Cor his text. 1 have been assured .;
those who think they know his phr-
poses that he is not worried about the
prospective organization of the con-
VenfIon against him. He knows that
ne can not be denied hearing, anu
when once that is granted he LOOKS
S FORWARD TO a triumph, against which
carefully prearranged plans will not
avail.
Some signs seem to show that he is
right a tlisinterested Observer has TO
note that Bryan still maintains fair
degree Of popularity with one ele-
ment of his party. This has been dem
aonsstrated in the Hearst meetings The
paid lecturers who have been working
RID Mr.. Hearst's boom, have had cyl
dences of this popularity. Their ger
.araI plan, presumably under instruc-
tions from headquarters, has been the
old one Of speaking we'll OF all the
candidates., while building the pyra-
mid, with their own man at the apex.
In some sections they have had 10