The Boise citizen. (Boise, Idaho) 1906-1910, 1908-07-07
BRYAN, THE genuine
TRIBUTE TO The GREAT NEBRASKAN BY Louis
F. POST in CHICAGO PUBLIC

Here is a man who at the age Of 48 like Abraham
Lincoln at the age Of ST. has held but public Office
tbe same that Lincoln held in Congress- saws The
public Yet in greater degree than Lincoln then he is
fbe doized leader of who are making history
worthy of their chdrens chldren's pride. There is a
reason for this Bryans there Lincoln
and as in Lncoln the reason lies below the surface and is
the same reason.
Bryan's enemies say that he is "a mere talker With
mite as much truth Lncoln could have said the same of
him Even for 1iv1hood Bryan depends no more upon
talking than Lincoln did; for. if Bryan makes his living
bv talking lecture platforms upon public questions
Lincoln made his by talking before rieS upon private
oaues It as true of Bryan as was of Linco before
his election to the presidencyno and less and
whether professional fields for living in political
fields for the goodthat he is talker mere
taker if you please But what IS "a talker' who
commands widening and deepening respect, as
Lincoln did for years before he became president and
as BRYAN has done for twelve Such taker must be
thinker an honest thinker and wthal who takes his
hearers frankly into his confidence
In that quality we have the secret Bryans otherwise
unaccountabe popularity It the secret Of Lincons
BRYAN is conlmoner as Lincoln He feels with the
common people, as Lincoln did He thinks with them as
Lincoln did And because he feels and thinks with the
common people, he talks for them
Nor does his talk fall unwilling ears. The people
are tired Of the gum shoe in politics They have learned
that the who says nothing and does things IS likely
to resemble the burglar much in his purposes as in his
methods They have learned that the man who acts
first and talks afterwards usually does his thinking alter
wards we'll his talking So they welcome the taeI
If he turns out to be babbler empty phrasenaker
he Quickly loses his hold Indeed he seldom get hold
for the people in the sensitive to sound ne
discord Of false note CRATES upon their ears But II ne
proves to be taker of honest thought and frank expression
he gains in popularity he gains in intellectual grasp
and there is no objection to eloquence
This is the kind of taker William Bryan mas proved
himself to be-
The first words of BRYAN that caught the national
ear his metaphor of "a of thorns and cross ~
gold touched chord that will not cease to vDrate WINE
plutocracy survives 1t genuine and thrilling TO all
who appreciated its illusions
To literary experts be sure, 1t sounded Ike soPiIc
morc rhetoric Unattuned to the peoples thought theI
cultured minds lost the delicate allrson OF Drya O
figure o:o+;o
of labor unions with the tragedy of the Carpenter OF a|
eth Impervous to true religious influences they "e'
dead to this suggestion of brotherhood a,
To the putocrat it reckless aPPeal 70 49,
class hatreds Indifferent anything but halcal S
cess he had no ear for the OF the crowned anu
fed eye for Bryans rugged picture ol man
to 4to,,o1,+
To all except those whose experience and thougIe
enabled them to appreciate the aluslon TINS m +t
made Bryan seem like the babber that Paul see ~
American philosophers of Athens but ano8 I i Ilsio1
people there were millions who appreciated tie , s
for they had themselves hung upon tHe Pl1'o
OF gold and worn his crown OF thor1ls +b;s day
From the day of that historic uttera1ce 70 'lS 5
the greatness of Bryans utterances has deeldeu qP
listeners appreciation of their allusons h ;atis+
been for the common people Inc ItelI5 I've come more
the plutocrat-except as they may since I1N 20 s+Tf
in touch with the life of the masses as II IS Neu II
obtse Missing Bryan illusions they are b6a6 n9nD never
understanding his popularity when tt{ G o Who have
theless to concede But the people IN te la +l very
always understood his auson for these 60 e the Seldom d
heart Of the lives they lead are now attaJe Of
before to any man by their cc-'fldeice ~ ny
this one a. b,t that
They have been charmed by rs Tbev have
alone not enough make popular peitber that
ob 9n 5rea d. py ms tba tbev are also convinced Of his SIN
certify they are ready to cry Behold the man!
1 has this CRY for Bryan