New-York tribune., 1908-07-11
THE NOMINEES.
WILLIAM J. BRYAN.

IN such notifications as expediency seemed to
dictate. The highest political necessity has always
been his ruling principle. He has been every thlns
In turn and nothing long" In these words THE
Brooklyn Eagle sums UP the characteristics OF the
whom the Democratic party has CHOSEN Iot
the third time its national standard bearer Cn-
dismsyed by his defeat the free silver issue IN
1896 when he won the Democratic nomination at
Chicago by a speech which shocked the Christian
world albeit his utterances gained the applause OF
the groundlings. Mr.. Bryan tried conclusions with
President Mckinley in 1900, shifting the ground OF
contest from free silver to imperialism but was
again overwhelmingly defeated. He afterward
said that he would not again seek nomination. ana
he did step aside in 1904, but Judge Parker VINO
was made the candidate, only received perfunctory
support from him. and has since been openly oe-
cried
when Mr.. Bryan returned from trip around
the world two years ago he sought to create
issue on which he could appeal TO the people,
and advocated national ownership and operation OF
the railroads. But this created so strong senti-
n1ent of opposition in his party that he hastily
abandoned the position he had taken and has since
sought to have it forgotten. But he has been
steadily at work for many months seeking to ere
ate a new position for himself on which to appeal
for the suffrages of the people.
THE YOUNGEST CANDIDATE
When he first secured the nomination for the
office of President, twelve years ago, Mr.. Bryan
the youngest man ever named as candidate
for that office, having only passed one year be-
yond the statutory age as fixed by the Constitu-
ton. He born March 49, 1850 at Salem
Marion County, III. His father, who was a Vir-
gfnan by birth, had removed to the Central West
when eighteen years old, and after securing col
legtate education entered the practice of law
He filled the office of State Senator and circuit
judge and near election to Congress lie
was regarded as a speaker of eloquence and
lawyer of ability. He brought up his boys, OF
whom William Jennings Bryan was the third, on
a farm, and the youth taught by his mother
at home until he arrived at the age OF ten years
He then attended public school for five years. and
completed his preparation for college in two years
at the Whippe Academy, Jacksonville In 1851
he graduated from Illinois College, the vale
dictorian of his class
He had taken a prominent place in literary and
debating societies in his college course. After
studying law two years at the Union Law College
In Chicago. and with ex-senator Lyman Trumbull
he was admitted to the bar. He went to Jack
sonyille, where he had pursued his college course
to begin the practice of his profession and within
year after his admission to the bar he mar
ried TO Miss Mary Elizabeth Baird, whose &C
quantance he had made in undergraduate days
She took so much interest In her husbands pro-
fession that after the birth of her first child
pursued course of study in the law and was ad-
mitted to the bar and aided him in his practice
REMOVAL. TO LINCOLN. NEB
In 1887 Mr.. Bryan, at the invitation of a
former college chum. visited Lincoln, Neb, and
soon afterward removed thther with his family
and formed law partnership under the firm name
of Talbot & Bryan. The junior partner, whose
interest in politics had been aroused by stump
speaking in his college days and stimulated by
association with Judge Trumbull, began to
take active interest in public affairs in his
adopted state. and gained his first reputation
public orator at the state convention in 1888, which
chose the delegates to the Democratic National
Convention. 1t a speech on the tariff which
captured the convention On the strength of it
he was offered the nomination for Lieutenant Gov
ernor in the following year, but declined to run.
In 1890 he nominated for Congress in the
lst Nebraska district the platform In the prepara-
ton of which he had hand calling for free wool,
free lumber free free coal and free iron ore.
and also containing free silver plank. While
Mr.. Bryan always says he was nominated because
no one else wanted the office and his defeat was
expected at the time, he won by plurality of
over GOO In his first term in the House of Rep
resentatives In speaking the Wilson tariff bill,
Mr. Bryan made his mark by delivering. revamped.
his old tariff speech of 1888. He reelected in
1892 and his most notable speech in his second term
was in opposition the unconditional repeal of the
silver purchasing clause of the Sherman act of 1890.
He served the Ways and Means Committee in
both terms. gaining the place through friendship
with Congressman Springer.
Declining a third nomination as Representative,
Mr. Bryan was nominated for United States Sen
ator In the campaign Of 1894 which followed. he
challenged John NJ. Thurston who was expected
to be the Republican candidate for Senator before
the LEGISLATURE to joint debate, and the contest
in the Omaha Coliseum in which they discussed
the tariff added Bryan's oratorical laurels but
the Renuhlicans captured the Legislature and Sen
stor Thurston chosen In that campaign MIR.
BRYAN made many speeches urging the free COIN
age of silver and came to be regarded as the
leader Of the Nebraska Democracy. and he headed
the delegation from the state 10 'iie ii''loi oo
venton in 1896
WON NOMINATION BY SPEECH
II was his speech there in reply 10 Senator David
r Hill on the currency plank of the platform. de-
fandin, the free coinage of silver and ending with
+be sentence You shall not press down upon the
brow of abor this of thorns You shall not
cruelty mankind upon a cross OF gold, that Won
hin, the nomination. The platform on which he ran
demanded the free and unlimited coinage Of gold
and silver at the ratio Of 16 TO l. Arthur Sewall
of Maine was the Democratic nominee for Vice
President While Mr.. Bryan was accepted by the
Popusts as their candidate for President they re-
iected Mr. Sewall account of his wealth and
mt Thomas E. Watson in the second place. Mr..
Pryan made n whirlwnd campaign speaking in as
many states as possible and invading what he
called the enemys country in coming to this
citv where he addressed an immense audience in
Madison Square Garden. But on the sound money
issue he was defeated at the polls, receiving Il
ropular vote OF 6.5o2 s25 7.1O677g for Mckinley
and in the electoral college only 17s votes to 2l
for his opponent Mr.. Bryan did not cease his
active propaganda for free silver with the cleo
tion. and continued to lecture the subject for
months thereafter.
BECAME A SOLDIER.
with the outbreak Of the Spanish-American War
in 1898 Mr. Bryan became colonel of the I'd Ne
braska Volunteers. but did not get further from
home than Tampa. Fla. seeing active service
After resigning from the army he resumed his law
practice IN lincoln ana accepted many engage
ments as a lecturer. lie added to his advocacy OF
free silver denunciation of the policy of the ad
ministration securing the Philippines declaring