The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1908-11-03


ing interesting and pertinent article
was written by Ernest McGaffey,
private secretary TO Carter Harrison,
Jr.. when Democratic mayor of
Chicago, and published in the St
Louis Mirror in it's issue of August
Is, 1907 The article follows:
As Democrat who will carry to
the grave his bodily scars earned in
fighting for Bryan in his first cam
paign; as Democrat who supported
him Loyalty in his second campaign;
and as a Democrat who has no vestige
of animosity against the gentleman
in question, | feel qualified in giving
him an unprejudiced, and to mind an
accurate survey of Mr.. Bryan's
strength in this article.
Politically. | am out of the game;
even when in it | was not even To-
eaily anything of factor; so that IL
Mr.. Bryans worshippers point TO
these facts, | simply say that in all
modesty | do not expect my name to
add a feathers weight to the opinion
given by me. At the same time II
did not firmly believe myself to be
possessed of infinitely superior
mental qualities as writer, lawyer,
thinker, and Judge of human ma
ture to the gentleman in question,
shall not dream of writing this
sketch thus adding a slight silver
lining of assurance to the cloud OF
my native modesty. Mr.. Bryan has
travelled, spoken, campaigned and
= figured in several national struggles,
and has edited and furnished articles
10 his paper. the Commoner, and he
has appeared before the public, and
especially the Chautaqga assemblages
in the capacity of lecturer. He has
been sufficiently advertised, his OPP
portunity for impressing any great
mental gifts which he might be sup
posed TO posses, have not been denied
him. Now then, in perfect candor, |
and in an entirely friendly and frank
spirit, what is his mental stature, and |
what are his qualifications for the !
post of chief magistrate of the |
nation?
How big was Alexander, Pa
That people call him great?"
Mr.. Bryan was at one time adj /
mitted to the bar. So far as my +
knowledge goes. he did not seriously I
follow the legal profession, and did I
not make any mark as a lawyer. Z
This will not be disputed, for the
record" legally speaking. disposes
of any claims as to that effect. He
has had his day in court" but he
practically abandoned the law for
politics 1t follows, therefore, to
wit: and may so set down as follows:
Exhibit "A" William j. Bryan is
not lawyer. Mr. Bryan was at one
time engaged in the newspaper bust
ness in Nebraska; but as a mans
talents are often hidden on a news
paper by the practice of suppressing
the names of writer's, it might have
been charitably assumed that he then
had no opportunity of showing his |
abilities as writer. But later on
he established his own paper, the
commoner. and here no pent-up I
Utica" of journalism prevented him
from displaying his powers, still, the
result has proven beyond a shadow
of doubt that the distinguished Ne
braskan cannot write. Those who
have taken the Commoner, for many
months, and who are familiar with
such periodicals of the past as the +
Federalist in America, or the Spec
tator or the Taller in England, have
looked in vain for anything above
the sophomore and mediocre from
Mr.. Bryan's pen in the columns of
his paper. If he has ever written
really able article on anything under
the sun. or letter from his travels
that was notable for anything but
bald recital, have never seen it, nor
have | been assured that this was
the fact, even by some of Mr.. Bryan's
warmest admirers.
Exhibit "B. William J. Bryan is I
not a writer. Coming to the subject T
of thought, it might be urged that
although Mr.. Bryan has not evidence
ed any reflective capacities in his /
writings, SO called, he is a man of /
depths of mentality, neverthe less.
If so. in what way has he manifested |
it? He has not suggested any great |
measure of craftsmanship. The sill |
yer issue died a-bornin and was
abandoned on the doorstep of ex-
pedieey. The government ownership I
of railroads met the same fate. And |
neither of these was original with |
Mr.. Bryan. He is not a man of in |
iaative; or even referendum. None |
of his speeches shows evidences of
deep thought, and they have uni
versally been notable, not for what
was said in them, but for the manner
in which they have been delivered.
Nowhere in all of his speeches is
there earnest of a great man. The
mere diliyery, in an impressive man
ner, of self-evident and long-formu-
lated truth is not a sign manual OF
genius. have heard Mr.. Bryan skeak
on several occasions. In fact, my
enthusiasm In his first campaign was
not weakened by having heard him
speak during that time. But have
heard him speak where other men
spoke before him, and he suffered
markedly by comparison.
Not in the presence, manner or
voice of the orator. but in the logic.
argument. cohesiveness and analytic
powers of the oratory; the construc-
tive ability and the instructive egect.