The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-07-10
Real One That Sits Behind Pen
And Makes Newspaper
Pages Sparkle.
How He Caught the Friendship
OF Peerless Individual;
At a Debate.

Lincoln, Neb., July s.-Not all that
appears in the editorial columns of
The Commoner and not all that is quo
ted from those columns and credited
to w. j. Bryan came originally from
the pen of the Peerless One; nor is
this to be taken as a reflection on the
Nebraskan, for be it known that dur
ing great part of the years since
The i:Commoner was established Mr..
Bryan has not been within editorial
reach of his paper, yet the work has
gone on uninterrnptedly. 4k III
As in the years that are gone the
loyal. reader of The New York Sun
or The New York Tribune accepted
every editorial opinion expressed in
these newspapers as the PERSONAL ut
teraneec of Charles A.. Dana or Horace
Greeley, so in a large measure do many
readers of The Commoner regard the
comments and discussions in that
paper as the inspired words of Will
iamfJ, Bryan. ~, 's+i Z. a,s"r'
He Is the Real Boy.
The man behind the pencil in this
sanctum is Richard l.. Metcalf, per-
sonal friend and devoted follower
of democracy's threetime leader. The
tie existing, between these two men is
not. of today, or of yesterday. or
of the year, but began when Bryan
made his first race for congress IN
lS90-the spectacular campaign which
introduced him to the nation as a
coming man.
"Met" at that time was the politi-
cal man on the staff. of The. Omaha
World Herald, and had served H'as that
newspapers, Washington correspondent.
He was assigned to report the joint
DEBATES between Bryan and w. J. Con-
nell, the republican congressman, % who
was seeking re election. Not the least
interesting feature of the debates was
sMet'sp report 81 of pthem,g and q Bryan
suffered : nothing in the, newspaper
telling of them. .g)3 II a
Then, it was that. ''Met's'', politica
acnmen told him, here was a man with
future; and Bryan'sr shrewd know
ledge of men enabled him to recognize
that here was one whose confidence he
ever should hold. =, The analysis by
each,. of the other was verified to- the
individual satisfaction of bothYT and
each has gone on carefully strengthen
ing the bonds that he held the other
to him. 80 g sat.st5 = .-.,og p 81
IN" Keeps in the Background. y 90 ~; +
>Afetcalfe sees with Bryan eyes, he
hears with Bryan. ears, and he thinks
with a Bryan mind. He does not talk
however, for he is not given to much
speechmaking. He is silent toiler
in the vineyard, content if his work
adds to the glory and fame of his
friend
A why figure of flesh and blood
and bone, inoculated with a tremen
dous amount of nervous energy, "Met'
sits at his desk, more likely than not
with his hat on, viciously biting his
lips and writing with a short pencil
that probably is sharpened at botl
ends.
On the desk, at the right, at the
left, and in front of him, are piles
of newspapers, and magazines, and these
frequently SO encroach upon him thai
he barely has room for the copy pape'
on which he is writing. But woe b.
unto him who, by misdirect act O.
friendship seeks to clean. up the desl
and remove the papers.
He Keeps Head Working.
Then, if a thought refuses to rouno
itself out as is wished, "Met" vii
get up, pull his hat down over hi
eyes, pace the floor slowl, the Will
caressing his chin with his right hand
and this will continue until the men
tai obstruction is passed, or it is
decided to take new track.
Such is the man who transmits
through the Commoner Bryan ideas
Bryan arguments and Bryan policies
while Bryan may be at the other side
of the, globes; but SO thoroughly has
"Met" schooled himself in the Bryar
curriculum that it is not recorded
that the owner of The Commoner evel