The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1908-01-31
William JENNINGS BRYAN.


finest manhood of the world; and that
puts William Jennings Bryan at the
head of the list, for he is the greatest
living American.
It has taken the American people a
long time to size up" this remark
able man. Twelve years ago. when
only thirty-six years of age, he be-
came a national figure by becoming
the nominee of one of the great po-
litical parties of the country. 1t has
been frequently said that he nomina-
ted himself to that high position. And
In sense he did For 1t was the
matchless splendor of his own elo-
quence that so wrought upon that
great convention that in a moment he
had become its central figure, and
soon its chosen leader. But that
great speech, which won him friends
and immortal fame, aroused at the
same time an animosity towards him,
more vindictive, cruel and unrelenting
than any man in this day and genera
tion ever faced or fought against
The key note of that first convention
speech was an open challenge to
predatory wealth, and in defense of
the plain rights of the common people.
"You shall not press down upon the
brow of Labor this crown of thorns;
You shall not cruelty Mankind upon
Cross Of Gold" That was the chal-
lenge; and predatory wealth, well
masked and with many aliases, leaped
In defiance to answer it. And from
then until this good hour, that man,
seemingly sometimes almost single
handed and alone, has stood upon the
firing line and contended for every
inch of ground, against the strongest
and most powerful enemy in this
world-the combined money power of
America. They recognized in the be-
ginning that they had no ordinary
sort of man to deal with. Astute
thinkers as they are many of them,
they recognized in this young David
from the West, a man OF uncommon
mold. His wonderful eloquence had
charmed Nation; his remarkable
personality had captivated the cap
tains Of a great convention. His
dauntless courage and magnetic pres
ence had thrilled with earnest purpose :
the hearts of the people And the
great captains of finance, alert and q
eager always, knew that the fight was +
on, and that unless they could cruelty .
and crush him, they must render back
to the people much of their ill-gotten a
gain. And so with one accord they :,
opened their walls of wrath upon c,
him They belittled him; they
sneered and spat upon him; they II
reviled and prosecuted him; they r.
bounded him and lied about him; II,
they cartooned him; and by all man q,
ner of means and with malicious In ss
tent they sought to destroy him. They m
lid every earthly thing that the In be
yenuity of man could devise or the w
ievil suggest, to turn him back from "a
he way he had started, or to break 20
liz hold upon the people. And for do
welve years the unequal struggle has
'een on without ceasing; the greatest III
)ower IN the world-the predatory hi
wealth of America, on the one side, 20,
nd william jennings Bryan on the tn
ther. And today William Jennings ND
bryan is as fresh and game and full tn,
( fire and fight as he was the day he lat
tarted, while the ancient enemy-his an
nemy and the peoples enemy, is hid the
* behind bursted banks and shrink are
~ values and lost fortunes ana
mined characters. de.
And the secret of II all is that Bry- cal
n was right, and that Truth, though cor
rushed to the earth, will rise again." rur
You may fool all the people some lab
, the time, and some OF the people she
i the time; but you can't fool all but
Ie people all the time" Mr.. Bryan's con
through his f1rst campaign 500
as that the country needed more wa,
oney and a more flexible currency. oug
hat was the fundamental truth of be
at campaign. The sixteen to one the
opposition seemed the most feasible cou
an of procedure at the time; but Dor,
itself It was mere detail. History pub
IS since INDICATED him. The bank for
s and money dealers who scoffed at "
} cheap silver dollars, have since mus
en- compelled to issue cheaper scrip one
their own, to supply the marts of how
lde with more money. and to save disp
} country from the worst panic It pror
: ever known cure