Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-07-01
CONE JOHNSON,
ORATOR OF THE DAY
Picturesque Career of the Texas
Bryan Leader Who Will Speak for
the President at the Fourth of
July Celebration.
BY JOHN LuM

CONE JOHNSON Is some orator. That is
~ among the reasons for his selection by
the President to speak for the nation at the
Fourth OF July celebration in independence
Square.
When he rises on the platform he fills the
eye, He is tall and smooth shaven. His
clothes are made by good tailor and the
crease Is never absent from his trousers He
wears a low turn-down collar, as the habit
Of orators Is. Besides, low collars are poll
tically prudent for Texas politicians, He
makes concession to Northern prejudice by
having his shirts made with the cuffs at
tached, but he remains loyal to the Southwest
by covering his head with wide-brimmed
soft hat.
Such are the externals Of the Solicitor OF
the state Department Some idea of his pollt-
icay intellectual equipment may be formed
when one recalls that he was summoned from
| the comparative obscurity Of Texas by Mr..
Bryan to become Solicitor when John V, Folk
was transferred to the service OF the Inter
! state Commerce Commission as chief counsel
last year. Mr.. Bryan, who believes in re-
warding deserving Democrats, that is, Demo-
! Gratis who have been faithful to the Peerless
Commoner, regarded Mr.. johnson as worthy
| of official recognition for his long and loyal
service Now that Mr.. Bryan has retired
from the State Department political concllia-
tors urging the promotion Of johnson to
the post of Counselor made vacant by the
appointment Of Robert Lansing as Mr.
Bryan's successor. They argue that 1t
would be politically expedient for the Admin
istration to continue the policy Of party har-
mony begun when Mr.. Bryan was taken in
side the breastworks at the beginning instead
OF being left outside to nurse a grievance or
hia ,,ybp tfp,a 70 bio old toeLrp pf C,tI-
tivating an ambition to hold the first place
in Washington They are convinced that
more can be accomplished by dividing tho
Bryan ranks than by solidfying them.
He Got Hearing at Baltimore
It was at Baltimore in 1912 that johnson
first attracted the attention of the East. The
National Democratic Committee proposed AL
ton B. Parker for temporary chairman Of the
national convention. Parker is gold stand
ard man. He is opposed to all those things
which Bryan has advocated Bryan at once
leaped to the platform and began to de-
nounce Parker Wall street and vested inter-
ests in general and nominated Senator Kern,
of Indiana. Senator Kern after hearing all
the pleasant things that the Peerless Leader
had to say of him, nominated Bryan him
self for the temporary chairmanship In the
midst of the fight tall Texan appeared on
the platform. commanding attention by a
mighty voice. Doubtless with some remem-
brance of Garfeld's famous speech that
calmed the tumult on the night of Lincoln's
assassination, he shouted:
"The tides yonder rise and fall night fol-
lows day and men sleep to wake again!"
He discussed the fundamental principles of
Democracy and called the roll of the Demo-
cratic worthless Then he denounced Kern and
praised Bryan and declared that the repre-
sentatives of the trusts had throttled Amer
lean industry,
"All know" he shouted, "is that the fight
is on; that Bryan is on one side and Wall
street on the other"
AS he spoke the delegates listened until he
closed with the benediction:
God bless you all for your decorum."
What followed in the convention is history.
written in the books and need not be retold
here. 1t is enough to know that Johnson
had once more proved his loyalty to the dis
tingulshed Nebraska leader and strengthened
his claim to recognition What he did be-
fore he attracted the attention OF the East in
Baltimore was told by the man who used
to explain in the Saturday Evening Post why
who's who.
"Mr Johnson" says this dispenser of
and near great" "comes from Tyler, which
they used to call the Athens of Texas on
the one hand and the abiding place Of the
Tyler Gang, on the derisive other. At ono
time the TylerItes held about all the worth
while political offices in the State. Johnson
was OF the younger generation, but he learned
his politics from the astute Tyler persons
who accomplished all this.
The Anti-Bailey Leader of Texas
"He was active for a time, dropped out and
hunted foxes and practiced law. and then
about 10 years ago, he was changed. through
attending a revival from passive Methodist
TO an intense and active one. He preached a
sermon that attracted wide attention, and
travelled up and down delivering other lay
sermons. He changed his view on the LIQUOR
question, always the most political of the Is
sues in Texas. and became fighter for pro-
hibition
"He had been against prohibition earlier in
life and once he had notable debate with
Representative Joseph w Bailey, who was
at the moment in favor of prohibition Poll
tics changed Bailey's view and religion
changed Johnsons; but there were no more
debates between himself ana Johnson on that
issue. the reason being that Johnson rather
put muhier on Bailey in the previous en-
counter
Later, however, Johnson went after Bailey
again. This was on the issue OF whether
Bailey should so to Denver as a delegate 70
the national convention in 1904 Johnson, as
leader OF the Progressive Democrats In the
State opposed Bailey and Bailey went home
from Washington and fought for himself
Both Johnson and Bailey are great campaign
speakers, and It was ding-dong for some
weeks. Bailey won by 1900 votes IN a total
Of 100000, but he has never been the same