Evening star., 1925-07-27

/ Wnlle mere. anu IHdI everybody eiu
mired his profound learning. merry
wit and sympathetic geniality.
resignation was announced. Sum-
moned to the White House on a
bright June morning, Mr.. Bryan en-
tered the Presidents private office
| unruffied. apparently believing that
by throwing his powers of persuasion
onto the scale he could convince his
chief that the note should not be sent
Bowed to President.
After they had talked alone for an
hour, Mr.. Wilson pressed a button on
his desk and a negro usher entered
| to find the President calm and silent
and the Secretary nervous and
voluble.
Mr.. Bryan wants a drink of
water" said Mr.. Wilson.
When 1t was brought Bryans hand
was so unsteady that he upset a part
of it as he raised 1t to his lips. He
demonstrated later in many ways that
he had been cut to the quick by his
failure to avoid what he believed was
a warlike gesture by his country, and
i by his parting from the man he had
helped lift up into a greater leader
ship than he himself had been able to
| attain.
The zeal of Mr.. Bryan to bring
about world peace led him in the ex-
cess of his enthusiasm, 1t was said, to
public speech and acts that brought
upon him a great deal of hostile criti-
cism. Before the United States en-
tered the war the Nebraskan had
pledged himself to accompany an ex-
| pedition financed by Henry Ford, the
Michigan manufacturer. to Europe for
the purpose of getting the boys out
of the trenches" Mr.. Bryan later
changed his plans and did not go.
Subsequently he was accused OF unin-
tentionally aiding the propaganda of
the central powers by his speeches and
| writings. Early In the war he declar-
ed it was 'fomented" by profit seek
ers. In an address in San Francisco
he said that ''for the United States to
go to war with Germany would be
like challenging a madhouse-"
Later Backed War.
Some time before this he was re
ported as being opposed TO permitting
the United States TO make any loans
to the belligerents. When the United
States picked up the gage of battle
| thrown down by Germany. however,
Mr.. Bryan promptly declared she
must be defeated at all costs" and of
fered his services to President Wilson
| as a private soldier.
While Secretary of State, Mr.. Bryan
| was often absent from Washington as
a lecturer and this subjected him to no
| little amount of raillery in the press
In public statement he said the S12,-
| 600 salary he received as a cabinet of.
hcer was insufficient to meet the or
dinary household demands upon his
purse and he felt obliged to supple
! ment his income in other ways. One
OF his most popular lectures was The
Prince of Peace"
When he entered the cabinet Mr..
! Bryan astonished Washington by an,
| nouncing that grape juice would be
substituted for alcoholic beverag ages
whenever the Secretary of State and
Mrs: Bryan entertained the members
| or the diplomatic corps. Indeed, Mr.
! Bryan in his long advocacy of teetotal.
ism was credited by many with having
done more than any other American
| outside of the prohibition party TO
| force the adoption of the eighteenth h
amendment to the Constitution, max.
ing the United States a dry" nation.
From March, 1918, he was president
OF the National Dry Federation.
Opposed Two Candidates.
he did not oppose Mr. Wilson's re
nomination in 1916, but the party can.
didates of 1920 and 1924 were chosen
over his opposition. He went on a
vacation trip during most of the
campaign of James NJ. Cox, but he
took the stump for John w. Davis in
1924.
At San Francisco In 1920. however
most of his energies were directed
toward the writing of a platform
rather than the choice of a candidate
HIS night this time was for a bone
dry plank and he took the speakers
stand In its espousal In old-time
1orn, his face shining and his ewes
a1ght. he sent his rounded periods
T. ING and rollicking through the
S'tat convention hall, and when the
speech was ended the delegates gave
him an ovation that lasted for an
hour. His intimates said that until
the vote was taken he firmly believed
that once more he had stampeded a
national convention, but it was only
the tribute of party for an old and
trled friend, for the plank he advo.
Gated was lost overwhelmingly.
Even more spectacular was his part
in the New York convention of lust
a year ago. A member of the sub
committee which drafted the platform
he was in the thick of the fight over
the League of Nations and the. Ku
klux Klan.
Leadership Failed at End.
At the end OF one futile all.
| night session of the subcommittee
when the members had agreed tc
separate for a few hours rest, he
rose in his place at the committee
table and asked his colleagues to re
main for moment while he led in
prayer. Then with bowed head he
asked Providence for guidance in the
dark hour of dissension and bitterness
Later he took the floor before the
convention, on one occasion to defend
William G. McAdoo and on another
to oppose plank condemning the
ku Klux klan by name. But fol
the first time he had found a Demo
cratic convention he could not quiet
Applause. mingled with misses anc
boos, came both from the floor and the
gallery. His delivery lacked the fire
of other years and his presence the
| command that was it's wont. Onl,
once or twice was there a flash OF
| the old-time brilliance, as when he
| took up the challenge of a spectator
| who applauded his remark that this
might be the last convention he would
attend.
Don't applaud" he said, 'I ma,
| change nv mind -