Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-07-03
GREAT COMMONER IN
FIGHT OF HIS LIFE
Bryan Receives Great Tribute
From Democratic Convention
Even in Defeat.
by Associated Press to Every EveDiu,

BY Associated Press TO Every Evening
San Francisco, July 3 White with
fatigue wet eyed with emotion, deafened
by the roaring tribute ~ thousands, VIM
j. Bryan last night stood before the
convention at n new crossing in his quarter
century Of public life
Silent. with sober eyes his heavy figure
in wrinkled black alpaca under the
merciless glare Of the spotiights, he
heard a sonorous chorus of noes" one
by one strike down the FIVE issues he had
raised
But there was no gainsayinR the gen
uiueness of the tribute he received even
in defeat II WIS given To the man with
an utter abandon, without aid Of band or
pipe organ or other trappings of organized
political demonstrations. IL spranR from
the galleries, the voteless multitude that
made the moment IFS own and swept into
tumult of its admiratiOn for the man
From the moment when reading Of the
platform was finished and he took the
stand amid cries Of Bryan, Bryan,
BRYAN, 10 present the planks for which
he proposed 70 fight the old leader was
keyed for the effort 0f his life.
In the twenty minutes ~ dramatic
appeal which closed his crusade he reached
his last defiance BE- the liquor traffic with
4 prediction that when the veil was torn
aside. wien the women of the nation were
given fall political liberty through the
ratification of the suffrage amendment by
another state. they and their children
would he found battling for the cause ne
chsrnpioned. a great shout went siIrglng
up into the vauited dome 0f the root in an
endless saa III sound
Texas ds.iaeates pulled the state stand
ard from the floor and drove through the
aisle 10 the platform. 4 score Of state
standards joined to form n hedge along
the platform front. a battle was fought
around the California standard and II was
smashed TO fragments 4 woman dele
gate from California finally was taken up
to the speakers stand waving frantIcally
q tattered remnant Of the State emblem.
Another woman dressed in white and with
q drum sElng 70 her side was lifted 70 the
speaker table
BRYAN came again and again 70 the
edge Of the stand TO wave TO the crowd
below. His face was shining and the
spotIights made the tears that rolled
slowly over the deep fuTTows of ms face
sparkle like Jewels. He was moved deeply
His eyes went always toward that silent
group OF delegates which yielded no
lot TO the tide OF feeling that swept down
from the galleries.
1t took desperate pounding OF the gavel
to quiet the storm. It died slowly only
to swell uD again. Finally after a threat
that the galleries would be cleared, BAN
bridge Colby, Secretary Of state, rose To
answer for the administration on the
league issue,
President Wilson's spokesman struck
at once at the emotional qualities IN the
appeal that BRYAN had made. He DIS
missed the great effort OF the NebraskaI
on prohibition almost without notice
approached his own topic with lIghtness
Of touch that brought laughter at times
and with consunmate skill sought to turn
aside the rush OF feeling Bryan had count
ed upon The crisis was over.
1t hardly needed the effort OF Senator
Glass as platform committee chairman tC
assure the complete victory for the ad.
ministration forces and the committe,
draft platform which followed,
Even the crowd in the galleries appear
ed to expect 1t, for despite the tribute i
| had paid Bryan a chuckle OF amusement
and a spatter of handclapping greeted
the volley Of noes which sent tbs
BRYAN treaty plank to defeat.
The vote on the dry plank was over
whelming a roll call having been demand
ed by Bryan, and It went down with al
most3 to against it. In the succeeding
votes on his proposals, the thunder Of tn,
negative almost blotted from memory
the fact that a scattering, feeble murmu
of ayes had preceded 1t in every case