The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1912-07-26


what II calls The Passing of Bryan"
The Passing OF Bryan"
The voluntary passing of Bryan
was the one great dramatic incident
OF the night. The convention had
stopped in the middle of it's roll call
on the nominations to spend a couple
OF hours disposing of the platform, and
tne usual resolutions. 1t was long
past midnight when it resumed it's
lapors. The roll was proceeding slow
~. The vast auditorium was still
damned with people. The galleries
mad been listening with amusement to
the efforts of orators to pay eloquent
tributes to the man they were placing
III nomination for the Presidency.
The heat and the lateness of the
hour had had its effect and fifty per
cent of the crowd was lolling back in
chairs, hoping for something to en-
llVen the monotony. The Reading
Clerk finally reached the District of
Columbia, next to the last on the list.
He had to call twice. Finally the fig
ure of fat man climbed onto chair.
He was wet with perspiration. His
collar was a rag and his general ap-
pearance one of complete physical ex-
haustion. There was a general laugh
from the gallery and then the repre-
Sentative nj tbn iCtr fot In
that penetrated to every part of the
Armory, began:
Mr.. Chairman he shouted, we
have nominated for the head of this
ticket man whom everyone admits is
progressive. We believe that his sue
cess is assured. But, to make assur-
ance doubly sure, l now nominate as
our candidate for the Presidency
of the United States the most progress
sive of all Americans, the man who
personally has created these policies
which mean the placing of this ma
tion of ours on record as insisting on
the absolute right of the people to
rule, the greatest of all living Ameri-
: cans-the Honorable William Jennings
Bryan, of Nebraska
There was a pause that seemed to
last ten minutes. 1t actually lasted
ten seconds, and then came the wild
est, most hysterical outburst of cheer
ing that had marked the convention
From the delegates themselves, from
the galleries, and from the dim re
cesses of the great Justified building
there went up roar that seemed like
the whistle of thousand locomotives
merged into one.
Down in the very front in the sea
set apart for him by the Nebraska del
egation Bryan was sitting. Motionlesi
he remained, the palm-leaf fan clinchet
in his hand; his hair disheveled; hi
continued, and increased in volume,
red blush mantled the commoners fac
and head.
Bryan, We want Bryant The re
frain echoed and re-echoed from on
section of the hall to the other, whic
reverberated back from the ceiling
until it was deafening.
AT last Bryan climbed on his chai
"Platform Platform the refrain wer
up, and, in obedience to the cry, Brya
slowly mounted to the same spC
where, a few days ago, he had d
nounced to their face Murphy, Rya
and Belmont.
Bryan did not speak long, but ever
word he uttered will long be remer
bered by those who heard 1t. +
spoke, in voice that at time tremblt
with emotion or regret that the pc
sonal enmities he had engendered du
ing the sixteen years he had been lea
ing Democracy made it necessary +
him to relinquish the leadership in
their hands"
Tbe presentation of Mr.. Bryan
name was made by a District of c
lumbia delegate whose identity N
Bryan has not yet learned. TIL
brought before the convention duri
its closing hours, Mr.. Bryan delivere
,extemporaneously, the following va
dictory:
= Mr.. Chairman and members of t