Evening star., 1925-07-27
IDOL OF MILLIONS, BRYAN'S LIFE
VAS PANORAMA OF SENSATIONS
''SilUer-T Ongued Orator. SUayed audiences in Many
Assemblies, But EIoquence Crumpled Before
InpGssireness of Wilson,

subsequently Bryan received the NOM
nations of the Peoples and the Ma
tional Silver parties.
The nominee broke all speaking rec.
ords In his first campaign, travelling
more than $4,000 miles and making
about 600 speeches in q States. He
| polled 6,502,925 votes to McKinleys
| 1lO4,779 and received in the electoral
college 176 votes to his opponents 271.
Although defeated, Mr.. Bryan re-
manned the leader Of his party. and
after the Spanish hAmerican War in
1898. In which he commanded the Sd
Nebraska Volunteer Infantry as it's
! colonel, he opposed the permanent re-
! tention of the Philippine Islands by
| the United States.
Nominated Again.
| In 1900, when again nominated for
/ the presidency, he made "anti-imperial-
! ism the paramount issue, but refused
| 20 omit an explicit party declaration
| In favor of free coinage of silver in
| the party platform. This time he was
! defeated with a popular vote of {, ,358,-
l53 as against 7,207,923 for his oppo-
nent- He received 155 electoral votes
| to Mckinleys 292
Mr.. Bryan returned to Lincoln and
| started the publication of a weekly
| political journal called the Commoner
| Four years later, 1904, although not
| actively a candidate for the nomina-
| ton, which eventually went to Judge
Alton B. Parker. he vigorously op-
/ posed Democracys conservative" at
| titude.
The interim between this period and
! the next presidential election Of 1908
was occupied by Mr.. Bryan, now
| known by many of his followers as
the Peerless Leader" in several en-
! terprlses that kept him in the public
| eye. Notable among these was his trip
! around the world. on which he started
September q, 1905. Accompanied by
| his wife, son and daughter, Mr.. Bryan
hrst went to Japan and China, where
| ne was hospitality entertained and
made numerous addresses. one of
which, entitled THE White Mans Bur-
| den, was commended by the Japanese
American Society. The Bryans were
presented to the Emperor of Japan
and were everywhere accorded the
| honor of foremost Americans. Later
the party went to the Philippines,
| where Mr.. Bryan's views on Filipino
independence were welcomed. During
| this visit the savage Moros of Min
danao Island created the Nebraskan a
'datto' or chief of one of their tribes.
interviewed" Royalty.
Leaving the Philippines, the party
! Austria Hungary, Germany, Russia
| Italy, Norway, Sweden and other F,u-
ropean countries, finally arriving in
! London on July 8, 1906 Meanwhile
| Mr.. Bryan had interviewed" King
| Edward VII, the Emperor of Russia
and other potentates. and Count Leo
| Tolstoi, and had made numerous
! speeches, all Of which were reported
| in the American press and which in
aCiF IA .
| Gratis at home to give him a great
| reception, which was done upon his
| return to America the following Sep
| tember.
| About this time Mr. Bryan came
out for sworld disarmament, an ideal
| which is said to have prompted his
| drafting in 1918, when he became Sec
retary of State, of the particular form
| of peace treaty between the United
States and foreign nations ''by which
all disputes were to be submitted to
an impartial investigating commission
| for year before hostilities could
| begin. This has been regarded as
Mr.. Bryan's greatest achievement,
for 80 foreign nations, representing
three-fourths Of the population Of the
earth, became Signatories to the docu-
ment. About year later the World
War broke out in all it's fury.
In 1908 Mr.. Bryan was again
named as the Democratic standard
bearer. The campaign was waged on
the principal issue of opposition to
! trusts" and for a third time the
Democratic nominee suffered defeat.
polling 6.309,104 votes to Taft's
7,678,908 and receiving f62 electoral
votes to his opponents 321.
Was Good Loser.
Notwithstanding Mr.. Bryan's re-
verses in politics. it is said, he was
"a good loser" OF Presbyterian for
bears, optimistic and of a religious
! nature, his setbacks failed to make
him lose faith in his future He re-
fused to become discouraged. For the
next four years, or until the cam
pafgn of 1912, which resulted in the
election of President Wilson, Mr..
Bryan continued to edit his news.
paper and to attend the councils of
his party.
In his first campaign his home in
Lincoln was a mecca for prominent
Democrats, where Mrs. Bryan, a
scholarly woman. formerly Miss Mary
Z. Baird of Perry. ILL.,, who had great
ly aided her husband in his political
career, was a charming hostess. The
Bryans had three children, one son
and two daughters.
| Always in demand as a lecturer, es.
| peclally at chautauquaS, Mr.. Bryan'S
income was augmented by his writings
for newspaper and magazines and his
authorship Of several books. The lat
ter included THE First Battle" $3.50,
Under Other Flags" G9o4, THE Old
| World and Its Ways" $500, Heart to
Heart Appeals" Q910. In addition to
his Nebraska home. Mr.. Bryan, after
his final defeat for the presidency, es-
| tablished residences in Asheville, N. C..
and Miami, Fla.
The part he took in the Baltimore
convention of 1912 was of a piece
with the spectacular strain that ran
through and through his whole career
Rising on the convention floor at
| time when his longtime friend, Champ
| Clark, was within reach of the nomi-
nation, he denounced the Clark forces
for accepting the support of Tam
many, and declared Wall street was
| trying once again to fasten it's talons
on the Democratic party. The reac-
| ton to Wilson, who had been running
| well behind, was instantaneous, and
Bryan was one of the first to be
named to the Wilson cabinet. The
breach between Bryan and Clark
never was bridged.
AS Secretary of State he came
under attack many times, was ridi-
culed by many, both at home and
abroad, for his policies, but always
| Loyalty supported by his friends, and