The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-02-19

Ca | mean the greatest living pGbtC
man. politician. statesman Is II some
# the Republican maguat.~ N the iEn-
perious North. II - VINO i IL l. he
n the senate. in the House. IN the ~u-
preme Court Is he Il the Roosevelt
family Of p~ap-suckers and smilefSF II
ne one Of the great railroad bosses or
unlimited views and uaoounded aSplrt-
ROM l. he the richest man IN this
country or possibly in the " Tld-the
nean Rockefeller who gels enough
-xe-y day Of his life 70 make h.ua rich
- it one of our cley-resT. most aggres-
SlEe. m st reSOurcefuI S~outnron~ l.
Il that very able writer. Thomas f..
Watson. whose "Storg Of France. ia
Two massive volumes. Is the very hes
historical work the South ever pro-
duced. and Wn il surely one # the
best political tiers now living In
any land? l. il Senator John Morgan.
Of Alabama, now more than eighty
years of age. and has but just been re-
elected Senator for another term # six
years by his grateful. sensible. and APP
preciatIve people of Alabama. In 1896
ne made a prodigiously long speech in
Nashville. Tenn. which was the ableSt
| political speech | ever read. and | eX-
| cept none. Mr.. Webste.' never sur
| passed il in power. argument. sweep of
knowledge and impressiveness. His
style i finer Than senator Morgan's
OF any other American s~tatcSnan'S. II
is one Of he grand. imposing. ~sonorous
| rhetorical styles in all q litera-
| tUre. HI was not above borrowing
F, fine. striking sentences. without credit
! to any one. In his most famous pero-
| ration which contains the American
| Union. now and forever, one and in
| separable,' there is not ar ornate.
! lofty sentence that is not taken from
| some one else. The late highly gifted
| lawyer ana orator. Henry W. Millcr,
| told me of this when | was probably
not more than Twenty-Five years Of
| age. as one night | sat talking with
him in his room at the hotel AZ OK
ford during court week. He cited
| every one Of the stolen sentences WlIh
the author. / recall just now but one,
/ not having the speech at hand. 1t
vas that impressive MiItonic phrase
full high advanced" Within Il quar-
ter of a century. 4 finely educated gen
| tleman, of Northern birth / believe
told me that his father. an accom-
/ plished divine and scholar, was writ
ten t by Mr.. Webster, who was well
| acquainted with him, to please ObliGe
him by writing a condensed view of
the Holy Bible. This was complied
with. In one of Webster's speeches it
some pag and a half Of the published
j address or speech. Is ii Carmack, or
Williams, on Bailey, or TayneV. or
any of the more original, Virile, ready
| politicians Of the day? Now | am not
4 politician. or an o~fice-holder. or a
| seeker after plum-cike and fixingS,
| but a plain private citizen Of advanced
| years who never received so much as
l nickel from office of any kind in his
life, but who has opinions and is not
afraid to present them upon occasion
and principles he has faithfully de-
| Tended. He is sincere and honest in
what he writes, having no sort of axe
to grind upon any politicians or par
! ty stone. There are no doubt pe0-
pie all about who will up-tilt their SUI
| pefiOr noses at the man named, and
| who Will class me with ptuOus
fools and blunderers. am submissive.
No man is all-Wise, and no party is in
| possession of all preScienc6. experience
honesty and wisdom. But there are
people who hate men. and when they
are praised by the old the cry is it is
but the opinion of poor, infirm, weak,
a-.d desDiscd old men,
h greatest public man of this day
in America is William Jennings Bry-
an, sans peur, sans ~reproche. | do not
believe that any enemy can bring
against him any truthful charge in
vOlving his character. We learn from
the Incompatible Shakespeare that
"be thou rs chastc as ice. as pure as
snow. thou shall not escape calumnv
NJ. Bryan has been sOrely abused, mis-
represented, misunderstood. Vlilifled.
L But he is all bHdtleU " pc u -Afilei LCoI
manhood when at its best. Shakes
peare tells u that "spotless %reputa-
ton" is indeed "the purest treasure
! mortal times afford" and that when it
is "awey.'
Men at best are gilded loan
or painted clay" But great
men who are pure men often
outIive the s%landerer, and live
unspotted from the flesh" Mr..
Bryan is a remarkably pure, honor
able. exalted type of noble manhood.
| He is Il statesman endowed with Wis
dom, and the Bible tells us that ''the
price of wisdom is above rubies;" and
he has with it judgment. forecast and
q 'resOlVed Will" He knows how to
think. how to consult. how 10 resolve.
how to be judicious and calm and de-
liberate. Mr.. Bryan is a very sincere
man, honest and honorable, above
guile, and above all genuine suspicion.
f, tf the views and principle he advo-
| Gated with such conspicuous vigor,
| precision. clearneSS and ~elOquence in
1896 and 1900, had been accepted by
this country, and been acted upon
it would have saved it from many
disasters, misfOrtunes, and threatening
| dangers hat now lower Ger us
But not only is Mr.. Bryan a great
statesman, he is a great patriot. He
is FOR his native country and for he
People. He faithfully and bravely
oiitoSohiLeS Cftly poiiCs tid 10 ICioN
and ladened with danger and oppres-
sion. and stands forth the unfaltering.
brave, resolute friend Of the People.
bespotism and moral d~epravity and
unhOly greed and despicable debauch-
cry and unbridled Lllainy AMI rhe rife
ness Of roguery and plumber and GOV.
@rnmental oppression, have no frienu
or help in him. but Il resolute. braVc,
defiant enemy. He has the courage
that "nounteth To hilnself'-a cour-
age that makes n man to rise above
himself.
Mr.. Bryan is m orator OF n high and
commanding Crder. He knows how to
say what is exact, precise, proper
feiicitous. with the high magic OF
sympathy" the just sentiments of pa
tfiotism in the language Of nature.
and sometimes with the high ardor OF
passion and the glorious burst Of
winged words" He has true e]louuence
at his command, and ven his enemies
ana detractors are constrained 10 CON
cede 10 him that he is superbl mag
fietlc. He knows. that as has been
SAID well, by some enc. that those who
would make Us feel must feel them
serves. and that manner has no it'll.