The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1911-07-26
THE UNBURlED DEAD.

progress of the world in morality, in
understanding, and in brotherly love
was one long to be remembered. His
allusion to his old-time friend, Mr.. j.
B. Romans, was appropriate and
touching. We think more of Bryan
in that he remembered his old friend.
The address bespoke more the philOso-
pher than the zealot. One could not
deny to him his references to the past.
What little OF comfort he can draw
from his repeated defeats should not
be gainsaid. In fact, for defeated
man, he spoke with remarkable self
control. 1t is fact that Mckinley
and Roosevelt and Taft have &C.
complished some Of the very things
which Bryan advocated and which,
had Bryan been elected, he could not
have accomplished. The people had
confidence in Mckinley, and Roosevelt
and Taft. and they did not have conf
dence in Bryan. His advocacy OF
free silver killed and damned him for
ever with the American people. They
may admire his eloquence and his evil
dent sincerity, his honesty and his
purity in public and private life, but
this one thing has been enough to
prejudice the people against him.
In some ways Mr.. Bryan's appear
ance here was pathetic. Instead of
the shouting thousands, we saw hun
dreds; instead of the intense enthus-
iasm, we saw languid curiosity, but
more than all, instead of the inspired
prophet of reform, we saw the paid
lecturer, anxious to please and speak.
ing chiefly for his hire.
AS the years have gone by we have
learned to think more highly of Mr..
Bryan. He has been purist in public
life and this is one reason why he has
been repudiated by his party. We
well remember when he first came to
Denison, the big tent, the thousands
of shouting, well-nigh crazed enthus-
lasts, the burning eloquence of the
man, the heart on fire, the tongue
tipped with the eloquence Of the Gods.
Many things which he advocated then
were right, but he, and his party, could
never have brought them to fulfill
ment. Providence seems to have set
aside the two parties, the one to agi-
tate and tear down, the other to con-
struct and build up. 1t is not to the
discredit of the republican party that
it has extracted the wheat from Mr..
Bryan's chaff and has executed it into
law. We cannot deny to Mr.. Bryan
whatever of comfort there may be in
the thought that his wheat has been
used by more capable men.
There were few things in Mr..
Bryan's speech to which we must take
exceptions. Not many, but few. For
instance, he spoke of the election of
United States senator by direct vote
of the people. This may be con-
summation devoutly to be longed for,
but Mr.. Bryan put it that the differ
ence between the house and the SEN
ate was merely that of playing poll
tics" and that no fundamentals were
involved. If we remember correctly,
he stated that the democrats favored
the election of senators by direct
vote of the people, without federal
interference, and that the republicans
favored 1t with federal interference.
This is an unfair and somewhat dem
agogical way of putting it. The ques-
ton involved is the direct surrender
of those amendments to the constitu-
ton for which the civil war was
fought. The whole question of states
rights is involved. If the democratic
view prevailed United States senators
would be elected in southern states
with wholesale observation-disclosures of
men to whom the constitution of our
country guarantees equal rights and
liberties. No one wishes federal in
reference with any election where the
rights of the people are guaranteed,
but the election of senators by direct
vote dwindles to unimportance before
the right of the national government
to interfere where such rights are not
guaranteed.
There were other portions of Mr..
Bryan's address to which valid criti-
cism might be offered, but we have no
disposition to carp upon them and
would rather let his remarks go for
what they are worth. For instance,
Mr.. Bryan drew attention to what he
deemed the over capitalization of the
steel corporation. To a certain extent
men have right to capitalize their
brains and their opportunity, as well
as their physical assets. There is not
going concern in Denison which
would sell without adequate compen-
satiou for it's "good will" Mr.. Bryan