Los Angeles herald., 1907-01-27
BRYAN TO BE CITY'S HONORED GUEST

| popular Republican leaders, due to
his adoption OF Democratic dreams, all
| though he has only adopted q few Of
them, and these only In part. IL Is an
evidence Of Democratic sincerity that
they have supported a president OF the
| opposite party better than the Repub-
licans have supported their own presi-
dent.
"But the Republicans have had some
dreamers In the party. Hamilton had a
vision of an aristocratic government,
and that vision was embodied In a form
of government which he sought to have
adopted Fortunately, II was rejected,
and every year carries us farther away
from the ideas of Hamilton and nearer
to the ideas OF Jefferson. Lincoln was
a dreamer, but he found his inspira-
tion in jefferson, and Lincoln's argu-
ments no longer have weight with He-
publican leaders.
"The Republican party has had some
recent dreams, but they have proved to
be nightmares"
Yes, lie has sense Of humor In spite
of the New York Sun While enter
taining some visitors not long since
and hardly q fine day passes without
bringing some pilgrims to the home
of the twice defeated-he was asked
IL he raised Belgian hares.
mo; and my lack OF success In hair
raising of one sort has discouraged me
all along that line" he answered. at the
same time barring his head to better IL
lustrate his meaning
But the biggest Bryan Is the Bryan
of high principles and hard work; the
Bryan who gets up at every morning
SO as to write while before breakfast
and who, from that time until 10 at
night, is about as busy as any man In
the country. And the biggest Bryan Is
the coworker with Mrs. Bryan, who Is
his constant companion in everything
he does. She studied law just after
they were married and was admitted
to the bar-not because she wanted to
practice, but because she wanted to be
u real help to her husband In his work
And that she was and still Is
| Now that his work has resolved IT.
self so largely into withdrawing
editorials, lectures, letters, books and
articles for magaZines-she has learned
I to use typewriter. and, beside his big
! desk in the office, in the basement OF
Fairview, is a little stand, at which
she sits whenever he Is there, taking
dictation on the machine or answering
some of the hundred or more letters
that are sent out to him from the Com
moner office every day.
All his mail is delivered to the Of
flee of his weekly paper, which Is just
| off the main street in Lincoln and is
Bryan. And last year 100000 letters
addressed to William Jennings Bryan.
with variations, were received there.
He seldom goes to the office of his
paper. though he writes the leading
editorials for 1t each week and keeps
close eye on the proofs. The Com
moner Is doing we'll for sheet OF its
sort: and / do not know of any other
just like 1t in the nation. 1t has cir
culation of 100000 and it goes not only
to every state in the Union, but to
nearly every civilized country in the
world as well.
And in the Office Of the Commoner
Mr. Bryan insists upon an eight-hour
day for everyone. including his assist
ant editor, though it took the latter
a practical newspaper mana long time
to get used to such short shift! He'd
been used to about eighteen!
Once year the whole force is taken
out for an all-day picnic, and the big
gest boy in the bunch Is Billy" Bryan.
He runs in all the races and climbs the
CREASED pole. or makes try at 1t; and
at baseball he is a corker for a man
his size. So he's mighty popular with
his force.
His home life is as simple as that OF
the average well-to-do farmer, though
it differs from the latter in most ways.
In a cozy little frame house not far
from Fairview lives his farm superin-
tendent. who looks after the stock ana
the crops, for Farmer Bryan seldom
has time from his desk to look after
the actual running of things. SHe
keeps close track of how matters are
"comin' on" however, and he knows
good corn and wheat and fine COW
almost as we'll as he knows polltlcai
economy, which is very well indeed.
But his literary labors occupy every
minute of his time nowadays. He ls
constantly in demand as lecturer-in
summer at Chautauquas and in winter
on the lyceum platform, though he de-
clines most of the offers of this sort.
1t would be quite possible, however,
| for him to lecture six times week
| fifty-two weeks in the year, II he so
! desired, and with chances of very few
vacant seats, too. For his popularity
seems to be steadily increasing, and
/ his hold on the great mass of the peo-
pie is nothing short of remarkable.
There is no questioning the fact that
he has grown much in the last few
years. Study, experience and travel
| have given him a broader outlook than
when l used to chat with him once in
while at the depot out in Kansas
City. And he is still growing. 1t Is
| impossible to spend even a few hours
with him without being impressed with
his tremendous moral strength; and. in
the final analysis, that Is the strength
which makes the right sort Of politics
as well as the right sort of manhood.
Still Young Man
His exemplary life which, in his
moral aspects might well be accepted
as a standard by any young man, has
repaid him many fold for the few So
called pleasures of which 1t may have
deprived him. At 46 he is as freshly
strong as man half his age; and
while 46 is by no means old most men
of that age who had done all Bryan
has done in the way of hard work
would be far less fit than he. Yet his
side hair--he has none on top-is iron
gray.
And though the general public is con-
stantly reminded that he has made so
much money from his writing and lee
turing as to Justify it in classing him
as rich man, the facts in this regard,
which l am privileged to make public
for the first time, does not warrant the
classification.
AS a matter of cold fact, Mr. Bryan