The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1908-07-17
WILLIAM }. BRYAN.

The gift Of the people. the career Of
william Jennings Bryan is without a
parallel in the history Of free govern
uents. He is the only man who
ever led a political party TO two sue
eessive defeats who was stronger in
adversely than in victory. OF all the
honors which his party has conferred
upon him Mr.. Bryan should most
prize this nomination. When named
as his party standard bearer in 1896
bis enemies declared that the con-
Tention had been swept from its
moorings in a delirium of wild enthu-
siasm following his eloquent cross Of
gold and crown Of thorns appeal This
was in a measure true.
But now after twelve years Of ad-
versity. after an intimate acquaintance
with the man, after the fierce white
light OF an unfriendly and at times
ungenerous press has beat upon his
every act and word and deed, he more
firmly holds the affections of his
party than ever before.
II ever a nomination came from the
rank and fle-the unterrifed and un-
defled Democracy Of the nation this
does. Mr.. Bryan has never dispensed
dollar to secure popular favor nor
had an office to reward a follower.
But he has kept the faith. His whole
life has demonstrated that he would
rather be right than be President.
He has had no office to bestow, but
he has rewarded his followers by
life consecrated to their service; he
has been bereft of political power, at
times an outcast from the favor of
his party, but he has been true to
principle
Without any organization or politi-
cal machine to urge his claims, with
out a campaign fund to circulate lit
erature in his behalf without an I'M
clean dollar to debauch a single voter;
without solitary corporation to CO.
cree its employees into his support;
without a friendly press to influence
the public mind, but on the contrary
facing a hostile press; without the
use of any of the arts and tricks of
the political bosses to bride, coerce or
intimidate a single Democrat. he has
achieved the most signal victory in
the history of his party and is today
the almost unanimous choice Of the
militant Democratic hosts.
For twelve years the opposition to
Bryan, well equipped with funds, with
newspapers and political machines,
has industriously sought to discredit
him; to tarnish his unsullied name; to !
impugn motives as pure as ever ac-
tuated patriot. His home has been |
invaded by the hirelings of a de-
bauched and venal press with the hope
of finding somewhere and somehow
a skeleton to flaunt before the scan
dial mongers. His enemies, furnished
with unlimited funds to corrupt and
to influence, to deceive and to delude,
have utterly failed to weaken his hold
upon the masses; in fact SANDER has
him; efforts to debauch
the electorate have reacted in his
favor and he energies from the fiery
test of twelve years of political dis
cussion and intense partisan acrimony
unparalleled in this country, the best
beloved private citizen in all this
world.
Through the stormy conflict of 1896
lie carried our banner against the (
,osts of predatory wealth, plunderiag
nance, a subsidized press and the
most colossal corruption fund that !
'ver debauched the manhood of free &
he bore that banner /
With fame as unsullied and fidelity I
IS unchallenged as the crusaders OF 6
richard and Gregory ]
Bryan may for the third time lead \
lls party TO defeat. Against him are q
all the powers that he SO c
ercely fought in 1896 and 1900, even n
etter supplied than then with money n
0 corrupt; press to deceive and a t
lachine to coerce, but If defeat shall t
e his party's portion, no act of its d
tainless leader will ever add to it's s
itterness. If its flag shall go down C
! defeat it will be untarnished and t.
nstained by one act OF dishonor n
nder Bryan's leadership the unterri- II
ed may not achieve victory, but no Il
over can prevent them from going to d.
defeat; which next to Oh
can victory is most to be priced. II
ILLOGICAL SURMISE. Ell