Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1915-06-18


}racted national attention in the tariff
debates in congress in the early nine
ties. but ii was III 1896, as a delegate
from Nebraska to the national Demo
cratic convention, that his national
career was begun. Three times a de-
feated candidate for the presidency
he did much to influence the doctrines
of the Democratic party for two dec
AIDES.
Mr. Bryan was graduated from ILL
nois college in 1881 with a reputation
as an orator and debater. He studied
law in Chicago. was admitted to the
bar, and in 1887 went to Lincoln,
Neb., to establish a practice. The
very next year as a delegate to the
state convention he won the sobriquet
of THE Boy Orator of the Platte"
He declined Democratic nomina-
ton for lieutenant-governor in 1889,
but in 1890 accepted that for con-
gress. He was reelected, in 1892.
when he came out strongly for free
coinage of silver.
Declining to run for congress a
third time Mr.. Bryan undertook edit
ing the Omaha World-Herald as a free
silver organ. In 1896 he went as a
delegate to the Chicago national con-
venton and he wrote the silver plank
contained in the platform of that
year.
"Cross of Gold" Speech.
Though he had obtained some rep
utation, he had never been regarded
as a presidential possibility until in
the convention he made the famous
silver Grafton. in the preroration of
which he brought the delegates to
their feet cheering the sentiment, "You
shall not press down upon the brow
of labor this crown of thorns; you
shall not cruelty mankind upon a
cross of gold"
That phrase won him his first nom
ination for the presidency, which
came to him upon the fifth ballot.
During the campaign he Travelled
more than $4,000 miles and spoke at
nearly every stopping place. He
made the free coinage of silver at a
ratio of 16 to l the paramount issue
of the campaign.
The gold Democrats placed Palmer
and Buckner in the field as an indie
pendent ticket and this cut seriously
into the normal Democratic vote. Mr..
Bryan received only 176 electoral
votes against the 271 cast for William
Mckinley, the Republican champion
of the gold standard.
Mr.. Bryan lectured on bimetallism
during 1897 and in 1898, on the
breaking out of the Spanish American
war, he organized the third Nebras-
kan volunteers, an infantry regiment.
Of which he became colonel.
Nominee Again in 1900.
In 1900 he was again the nominee
of his party for the presidency and
received the Endorsement of the Pop
ulist and the Silver Republican con-
ventions. Again Mr.. Bryan made an
active canvass, this time emphasizing
imperialism" as the primary issue OF
the campaign.
He received in the electoral college
,.55 votes against 1872 for President
Mckinley. After his second defeat
he founded the Commoner, a weekly
political journal.
In 1904 the conservative wing of
the Democratic party held the control
and Judge Alton B. Parker was the
nominee. His decisive defeat by Col.
Roosevelt, however, resulted in a re-
action, and in 1908 Mr.. Bryan was for
a third time the chosen candidate of
the Democrats, meeting at Denver. In
1906 he made a tour Of the world
and was received with consideration
abroad, where his international aspi-
rations were well received.
The campaign of 1908 was far less
thrilling than those of 1896 and
1900. The old free silver issue was
buried, but Mr.. Bryans economic
doctrines, notably that of govern
ment ownership of railroads, did not
meet with wide acceptance. His cleo
toral votes were 1852 as against 321
for Mr. Taft.
Yet the electoral vote tells only
part of the story; the other part is
that each time he ran there were
more than e,ooo,6oo voters who
made him their choice. His popular
vote was 6,5O2.925 in 1896, $685.
1873 in 1900 and 6,409,104 in 1908.
the lowest being larger than the
6.293,019 given Mr.. Wilson in 1912
and larger than any candidate re-
ceived before 1896.