The Penn's Grove record., 1908-07-10
The Penn Grove Record
FRIDAY, JULY 10, 1908.
William Jennings Bryan
A Brief History Of His Wonderful
Political Career.

OAASASsA
1t was a sweltering July night in
Chicago in 1896. Delegates, specta-
tors, and newspaper men were petulant
and exhausted. The silver men were
in control Of. the. convention. but the
gold men were putting up a fight.
Everything seemed to indicate that
ssSilver Dick'' Bland would be the
Democratic party's nominee for the
presidency, The noise in the hall was
SO great that it was difficult for even
trained newspaper men to keep track OF
what was going IN.
In the midst of the confusion,
asmooth-faced delegate. from the West
stepped to the platform to make a few
remarks. One of the newspaper men
turned to a veteran Washington corre-
spondent and inquired: who the hell
is that?"
.sOh, he's a dub Congressman from
Nebraska was the weary reply. II
wish they'd choke him off and let us
go home"
A half hour later these two men, as
well a some 10, 000 others were cheer
Ing themselves hoarse over the greatest
speech ever delivered in a Democratic
convention.
Within the space Of thirty minutes
William Jennings Bryan had leaped
from comparative %obscurity to the lead
ership of his party. He could have
had the nomination that night, but he
deslared that if his boom was not
strong enough to live t%wenty-four
hours, it would better die, SO the nOmi-
nation went we till the next day.
Sitting down in the front of the hall
was Democracy's old-time chieftain
David B. Hill, with part of the New
York delegation. His friends had i'm
portuned him to leave, but he leaned
back in his hair with a scOrnful smile
on his face and watched and listened.
As the NeWbraska orator reached his
eloquent climax and uttered the phrase
that became so trite in the campaign
that followed-"You shall not press
down upon the brow of labor this
crown of thorns; you shall not cruelty
mankind upon a cross of gold"-and
even before that ever-to-be remember
ed parade of standards about the hall,
Hill turned to one of his friends and
said, s'That ends BANDS and every
other boom in the convention"
Bryan lived a fairly successful ordi-
nary life prior to that convention. He
had been a power i'll Illinois in the small
communities in which he lived, and had
removed to Nebraska because be be-
lieved the opportunities were greater
there. AS a member of Congress he
had not shone particularly bright. True,
he was popular among the Western
members, and some Of his friends yet
relate with glee how, when a Demo
cratic leader wanted to end a debate
Ain the House he sided over to the
~whip" and eff you don't call this
wind jamming off, I'll set that Nebras-
ka cyclone loose and he'll talk for a
week." Those who tell the story al
ways wind it up with the remark, "And
there was a quick vote on that bill"
He was recognized as all authority
on questions of political economy in the
early 90s and his editorials Oh tile coin.
age question had widespread popularity
which was added to when he was
named, but beaten, for the Senatorship
of his adopted State.
Bryan's campaign of 1896 was spec
tacular. lie was the first candidate
for the presidency to tour $4,000 miles
to advocate his W election. He in
vaded the "enemy's country" twice
that fall. In Madison Square Garden
he defedT ammany Hall and its leaders.
With his voice so husky it could hardly
be heard he dominated the meetings
with his personality, and it is now gen
orally admitted that had the election
been held in September he would have
been elected. Beaten at the polls he
devoted the next years to lecturing on
bimetallism In May, 1898, with the
Spanish-American war in progress, he
raised the Third Nebraska Regiment
of volunteers and was commissioned its
colonel.
Two years later, in 1890, he domino
ted the next National Democratic con
vention, wrote its platform and forced
his OWL nomination. He it was who
made imperialism the "burning issue,'i
he toured the country in behalf of this
fresh child of his brain, only to be again
defeated.
There had been a steady advance in
the mans Development Maturer years
had given importance in his mind tC
things he formerly deemed less essen
tial, and he was also realizing thai
changed conditions in public affairs de-
manded new methods of treatment.
Asaresult there was born his magazine.
The Commoner. 1t proved the founda.
tion for Bryan's'present fortune, boost
ing his yearly income from S., 900 to ap-
proximately SIC, 1000.
Up to the assembling of the 1904
convention it had been expected Bryan
would fight the eastern element in the
party and again force his own nomina'
ton. But he did nothing of the sort
His enemies within the ranks now de
clare he was afraid to run against
Roosevelt, but no matter what the rea
son he devoted his energies to seeing
1bat tho ploffOrrn of fha Nc rtV uyac MT