Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-08-31

allure. It is said of the dead noth- ing but good should be spoken. Hap py must be the living of whom noth- ing but good can be spoken; so shines good man in naughty world.
 I firmly believe that no purer minded man has rendered his service to the American people than William J. Bryan. Vulgarity. scoflng, pessi- mism. uncharity, hypocrisy are nev- CT on his lips. If pride seems at times to make him too masterful, 1t is the pride of good deeds, noble pur- poses and lofty ambitions. Who has withstood more reviling, more in Justice, more ridicule than he? Yet without embitterment and discour- agement, he has ever brought the soft answer to men and visited his se- verity only upon wrong deeds and purposes. No one but a great man could emerge from the fierce con fiicts he has led without malice, re- proach or hatred.
 His absence has been felt and his homecoming is thus celebrated be- cause a Christian civilization cannot spare Christian leader, friend and patriot.
 No one can dispute his title as the greatest democrat of this age. The only tinge of royalty which Bry- an has developed even among em- peror and courts Is that he is the prince of idealists. Some complain that he at times holds out his prin- ciples with defiant and arrogant mien; yet 1t is noticeable that his de- lance is always aimed at injustice and his assertiveness is an intoler- ance of wrong.
 It has been claimed that idealism Is impossible in statesmanship, but perhaps the impossible is now to be realized. There are some things that have been shown to us lately of which good men of all parties are ashamed. We have had our confi- dence in commercial honor widely shaken; the kings of finance and in- dustry have been exposed in the prac- tices of extortion, dishonesty and in- Justice, until the very bulwarks of morality seem to be crumbling. Men who have claimed to be the custod- ians and exemplers of commercial and public morality have shown themselves to us as whited sepulch- CTS. Is 1t in any way wonderful that we should turn with joy to this our leader, who has persisted through an age of graft in keeping the eyes of his soul fixed upon the stars?
 Get Back to Purer Standard.
 If our civilization has appeared to be corrupt, 1t has been through the loss or debasement of our ideals, and the. first work to be done is to get back to purer standard of public and commercial life. We hail with relief the cast of morality which at any cost demands the removal from the party organization of any man who holds his place by fraud. He does not require to change his party allegiance who says as a patriot to- day, God give; us leaders who will not accept power through corruption; who will not go down to gain sue cess, but lead ever upward.
 No man has taught me as he has taught the lesson of faith in the peo- pie, of abiding confidence that at last the truth will prevail by the suffrage of a majority. How often we, in our weakness, despair that the ballot will ever be used by the masses for their own rescue; that the people will se- lect faithful advocates and recognize the deceptions and bribes with which the artful separate their dupes into factions. We know that the ballot Is a sufficient instrument for freedom if it could be used alright; we know that a skillful minority united by the ties of greed, purchasing talent and de- luding the weak, actually imposes its rule upon the masses of men upon whom 1t feeds.
 In our despair and even disgust we lose courage, we complain, condemn and protest; we. rebel that we have not the power to expose the machina- tions which enable the strong and wealthy to gather to themselves the fruits of suffering toll.
 For ten years Bryan has bent beneath the weight of this power. But with sublime strength and faith he stands erect, undaunted. hopeful, confident, always cheerful and sym pathetic, ever certain that justice will at last prevail and the people come to their own.
 suspect 1t Is this mighty endur- ance and faith freighting all his words and acts which compel us to be his followers; 1t is these which draw the people to him with ties of affection and confidence: 1t is these which add to his influence year by year and bring him to-day the plau- dits even of those whose blows he has survived.
 Such Q man may not receive the re- wards of office: 1t may be that the goal of his ideals will move forward as he advances, but as sure as the revolutions of the sun will be his honor and glory when a thankful peo- pie shall grace the record of his life.
 Bryan Was Introduced.
 Mir Bryan was then introduced by Postmaster Fuller and ..e was again greeted with cheers as he arose be- fore the banqueters. He said that he was tired from his exertions of last night in Madison Square Garden and would say but a few words. Before he had spoken very many he warmed up to his subject and in the short time that he consumed he held the closest attention of his hearers He was impressed while abroad. he said. with the altruism of the United States and no country in the world
 L.