The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-06-12

Mr. Bryan's future activities will be the
subject of speculation by many of his friends and
opponents He has foremost place ora
tor who can strike a popular chord and his serv-
ices will be in demand by every Chautauqua cir
cult in the country. He has developed passion
for peace, but he has ever been belligerent in
his party. In politics he has been a wrecker. He
first came into public notice by his opposition to
President Cleveland's recommendation for the re-
peal of the Sherman silver purchase law. Mr..
Bryan jumped into the leadership of those who
opposed the Democratic President That was in
1894 and while the President with the sup
port of Republicans, Mr.. Bryan went on the war
path, and in the next two years aided in organic
ing an opposition to the administration which
scored control of the National Convention in
1896. !. was not the Cross OF Gold speech which
swept the convention from the control of the ad-
mnstraton forces. The Presidents friends never
had control. Mr. Bryan had been at work for
two years, and the silver were in the ma
jority in the convention. They wrote the plat
form and it had word of commentator for
the only Democrat who had been President in
forty years. President Cleveland and his admin
istration were deliberately ignored snubbed by
the National Convention of his party, other
elected President had ever been snubbed. Mr.
Bryan wanted free, silver but he wanted to humili
ate Grover Cleveland and in his campaign he
divided the country geographic lines. desig
mating the East "the enemy's country
In 1903 he offered his services soldier to
President Mckinley ito help win victory from
Spain but in 1900 he made imperialism his para
mount issue and sought to ndict the government
for the victories he had volunteered to help win.
He again sought to divide the country and his
own party the issue OF the war In 1904 he
announced that he would stand aside and allow
his party to select new leader, but when it had
done so he used his sharpest ard longest dagger
on Judge Parker, making his campaign hopeless
in the West from the beginning. 1t was another
division, with the cnemy's coun-
try" kept conspicuous the only part where
Democrats gave loyal support to the ticket. In
Ioo8 Mr.. Bryan again took command of his
party. They driven with whips of scorpions
from the sheep pasture and told to 60 over with
the goats, and they did In 1912, Mr.. Bryan
again ostentatiously stood aside and gave his sup
port to Speaker Clark securing from the official
primary in Nebraska instructions binding him to
vote for the Speaker. But when Clark had the
almost within his grasp with ma
jorty on three ballots. Mr.. Bryan tore up his
primary instructions, and led the stampede from
Clark to Wilson.
and with his desk piled high with serious work
on embarrassing foreign relations he gave his
time to patronage, not hesitating to place in Of
fee men whom he knew to be unfriendly to his
chief and who did not hesitate long in their trouble
making for the administration. He continued his
speech making and his speeches were often more
to the President and his party than
TO the opposition Mr.. Bryan wrecked the Cleve-
land administration wrecked the Democratic
party and by doing kept it personal asset
for sixteen years. He is still preaching peace for
all the world and keeping up fight in the Dem
ocratc family 1t is not surprising that some
Democrats should doubt Mr.. Bryans sincerity in
his preaching. for peace like charity should begin
at home. Mr.. Bryan has given the Democratic
family monkey and parrot exhibition for more
than twenty years. Will he continue and go
down in history : the most successful wrecker
the Democratic party has ever known