Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-07-16

y
moment, shouted: How about North |
Carolina?" Hardly had the words es-
capped from his mouth when horny |
handed son of toll grabbed him |
by the back of the neck, and shook /
him vigorously while he said: Look
here, young fellow, he's just answered
that few minutes ago. Now you shut
up!"
No man in public life inspires his
adherents with such devotion as does
Mr. Bryan. Those in his congressional
district who have known him for years
hold him in such esteem that it can
only be described as love. And no pub
lie man regards his followers with more
devotion than does Mr. Bryan When
leaving Lincoln on the big trip of the
1896 campaign, the train traversed q
large portion Of his old congressional
district. 1t was in the evening and
we were frequently stopped at country
crossroads by farmers. bearing home
made torches, each anxious to shake
hands with Mr.. Bryan and wish him
God-speed. At one of these places the
members of the small crowd were par
|ticularly fervent, and, as each shook
his hand. he would say: God bless
you, Billy or some other expression
showing his love- AS the train pulled
away, Mr. Bryan remained on the back
platform as long as he could distin-
guish the lights produced by the
torches, and then, visibly affected. he
turned to go into the car "Mr. Bry-
an" | said, there was love; there was
affection" With all the earnestness
of his wonderfully earnest nature, he
replied: Yes, it is love; and. Rose,
| | would rather have that small hand
full of farmers you have just seen at
my back than all the bankers of Wall
lstreet"
There was an Irish section hand out
in Lincoln who on two occasions dur
| ing the SO campaign disturbed the
cquanimity of Mr.. Bryan. The first
was when we left Lincoln on the sec
ond trip of the campaign, and occurred
Turing Mr.. Bryan's speech. The Bryan
Home Guards had acted as an escort 10
the depot, preceded by two bands.
About the back end of the train a
great crowd of the Lincoln people had
gathered. There were two or three
glee clubs, the inevitable sixteen lit
4 tie girls in white and one in yellow
and all the other features that went to
make up an occasion of that kind. In
lreplying TO request for speech, Mr..
Bryan thanked his fellow citizens for
their demonstration, and said that
York and make the notification speech,
he had told them that he was going
into the enemy's country. But. he said,
There was no enemy's country, for he
lhad found as good bimetallists in New
England as there were in Nebraska
He said that the silver sentiment was
lgrowing; that no one would dispute
that it was stronger that day than it
had been a year before, and had just
lmade the assertion that ut is stronger
To-day than it was yesterday" when
this lrishman threw his hat in the air,
land yelled: ''Hurrah for tomorrow"
| Two days after election there was
lanother scene in which this man had
"a leading part. Chairman Jones had
conceded the election of Mr.. Mckinley,
and there was much gloom around the
Bryan residence The correspondents
had been ordered home, and had called
on Mr.. Bryan to say goodbye. We
were seated in the front room of his
house, waiting for Mr.. Bryan, when the
lsection hand was announced. From
lone of his hands two fingers were alb
sent, the result of an accident on the
railroad. He was greatly affected, the
tears rolling down his cheeks as he
looked out the window to escape the
gaze of the newspaper men. At last
Mr.. Bryan came in, and spoke to him
The big, brawny fellow grasped Mr.
Bryan by the hand.
MIR. Bryan he began-but he got
no farther, and he sobbcd like child
By a great effort he controlled him
self, and, holding up the hand with the
missing fingers, said: 'Mr. Bryan,
ldidn't shed tear when they took those
loft"
II is safe to say that during the two
campaigns Mr.. Bryan addressed more
ipeople than any other man i'm the
icountry's history, and, without doubt
There are many who regard him as a
ireaily great orator, while others are
honest in their belief that he is not
more than mediocre. Making as many
! speeches as he has, he could not be al
his best on every occasion, and those
who have heard him when exhausted
Tor, because of the number of speeches
he had made during the day, somewhat
mechanical in his delivery, could moi
judge his ability as an orator. | have
seen 5,e00 people at Fredericksburg
Va, the home of Mary, the mother Of
Washington. cry like children Will,
listening to his eloquent eulogy of the
word mother and three minutes
later. while the tears we're not yet DIR,
ION their cheeks, laugh heartily wher
Mr.. Bryan had replied to man whs
shouted: Bryan. am not a Chris
titan, but | am praying for you" ant
was answered: s.My friends. there /:
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