South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-04-23
Presidential Possibilities
WILLIAM ]. BRYAN
One of Series of Sketches of Men Prominently
Mentioned for Chief Executive

"Bnl" Bryan is the way his adj
mirers-uuun berins In millions-IiSe
to speak Of him AZ home i'm Ian
coin his old neighbors have seen
little OF him In the last 10 years A
birthday banquet each year general
y caused him 10 return. Always
friendly and genial. his intimatcs
there who call him, William" are
few. II Is Mr.. Bryan When In
1915 he returned with high hat and
dignity OF office as secretary OF state,
even close friends presumed moth
ing more familiar than MIR. Score
tary." His brother Charles who
runs Bryan's business 10 Lincoln,
calls the perpetual candidate .'W.
J."
The former secretary of state un-
der Woodrow Wilson is no longer the
boy orator whose silver tongue and
fervfd espousal OF new ideas put him
at the head OF his party Yet, al
though his hair is thinned and his
age advanced by - years since be
appeared before the democratic ma
tiOnal convention i'm his Gross Of
Gold" speeCh-Which electrified
nation and gained for him the nom
inatfon for president-hIs fervenCy
is unquenched and his power over
the masses remains.
Physically he is still a powerful
man in spite OF his 90 years AL
though the jet black locks he cast
aside while making impassioned APP
peals at the convention Of 1896 have
been reaped by time, and lines have
been carved in his square and rock
like countenanCe, ne still has his
health and his vocal qualities sucn
Is few men OF his age who have
been so active on the platform and
stump can expect
The world has been good To Bryan
in a material way Though his
party could not give him. the pTesl-
dency, IL has made him rich ia
money. Practically all OF the COM
mOners last few years have been
spent on the lecture platform, IN the
pulpit or at an editors desk. His
paper. the COmmoner which he es-
tablished at Lincoln in 1901. fol-
lowing his second defeat by MCkin-
ley. has earned him as much as
500. 600 in a year. il has been esti-
mated. The Chautauqua platform,
too. has yielded him "A modest for
tune. lie recently placed his real
estate holdings at 100000.
At IincoIng Bryan has a home
with a farm nearby, amply stocked
and Weil-tilted. In winter he fees
from the cold prairie "northers" to
the breezes Of Palm Beach or Ashc-
vile or White Sulphur Springs. Col.
and Mrs. Bryan are alone in their
home now Their three children,
now grown and married, have moved
10 other cities.
William Jennings Bryan was born
at Salem, III, March 10, 1850 His
fathers parents were OF irish stock
that had lived in Virginia for three
generations before they went west 70
the Illinois prairies. His mother
was born in Illinois His early edu-
cation was acquired in the public
schools of Marion county. Later he
attended an academy at Jackson
vile. and took his college course AT
Illinois college, Jacksonville, from,
which he was graduated in 1851
with a bachelor of arts degree. Two
years later ne was given an LII. B..
degree from Union college of law,
Chicago. now a part of northwestern
university.
Young Bryan's first law practice
was at Jacksonville, where ne and
his bride. who was Miss Mary EliZ-
abeth Bair OF Perry, H., lived for
four years before moving 10 Lin
coin, Neb., TO make their new home
Bryan had been in Lincoln, then
an ambitious prairie town, but few
months before he became interest
ed I'm local. county and state politics
In 1890 ne was elected 10 congress
from the third Nebraska district. He
was reelected in 1899. During his
four years I'm congress and in his
race for the senate. in which ne was
defeated in the legislature by John
NJ. Thurston, republican, he advo-
Gated no fewer than Il radical de-
partCres IN government and politics.
He was an early exponent OF a