Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1931-09-03

gave a dazzling luster to the snOw
banks that still showed white on the
towering peaks Of Old Badly and
Hollowtop. Strings of automobiles
were winding their way along the
roads Of GaIlatin, Madison and JEFF
ferson counties and even from Broad
water and Beaverhead.
A huge tent had been erected In the
little pioneer mining town OF Pony.
1t was Bryan day. A quarter of a
century before William Jennings Bryan
had flashed into the political arena of
the nation as a candidate for the presi-
dency. He had made that campaign
in 1895-1896 carrying the banner Of BIZ
metallism and with the slogan Of "16
to l." In those days he had been
Montana's idol for he was battling for
the preservation of the silver industry
and as such had the almost solid back
ing Of the great mining industry of
this state.
But on this afternoon he wa merely
appearing as the star of the Ellison
and White chautauqua course. It
was still evident that his popularity
as a public speaker had not waned.
An audience of more than $500 men,
women and youngsters greeted him.
For an hour and a half he enter
tanned them. There had been rumors
that he might be a candidate for the
presidency again but they amounted
only to general gossip.
But on that afternoon when he was
talking to q crowd in the famous little
old mining camp far up in the Tobasco
Root range or the slopes of the Rock
les, a convention was meeting back in
Bryan'S old home town in Nebraska.
About the time that he was closing his
afternoon address while a large audi
ence listened spell-bOund to his elo-
quence, the delegates to the convention
in Lincoln were being stampeded to
Bryan and he was unanimously nomi-
mated for the presidency of the United
States.
1t was his fourth nomination. A
committee was named at Lincoln to
notify Mr.. Bryan and find out if he
would accept. At the very moment
that this committee was being named
Bryan was talking to Frank Hazel
baker of Dillon, now Montana's lieu
tenant governor. Hazelhaker had gone
to Pony to extend to Bryan a welcome
to Montana.
II must talk tonight way up at En-
mis-, but after the meeting there ]
think I will come back to Meadow
brook Inn near Manchester. I under.
stand that the fishing is good in the
Madison and / am just going to take
half a day of and get some trout,
said Bryan.
It took but a few minutes to arrange
the details. Bryan invited Mr.. Hazel
baker, James Moore, county commits
sioner of Gallatin county who had com,
| from Bozeman; Charles L. Stevens
managing editor of the Bozemal
Chronicle; the young lady singers ant
7 entertainers of the chautauqua talent
Mrs. Walker B. Carroll, MI. Stevens
daughter who had come from Butte
; Temple Smith Of Pony, who is nov
Mrs. Charles L. Stevens and one or tw'
: others to be his guests on the fshin'
trip at Meadowhrook Inn.
They had q hurried supper and lef
: for Ennis. 1t was a stormy night an
the trip to Ennis over the foothill
and through the mountain fastnesse
was made with lowering clouds hang
!, ing over. Streaks Of forked lightnin
! aided in following the mountain road
by furnishing needed light for tn
drivers OF the cars.
y In spite Of the storm, another bi
: crowd awaited Bryan at Ennis. A
$ the close Of his speech the party head
: ed back to Meadowbrook Inn at Mac
: alester. They arrived there at mid
: night.
In the meantime frantic efforts wer
q being made by every news gatherin
: agency in the nation, including tn
= Associated Press, the United Press, tn
Scripps syndicate, the Hearst synd!
Gates, the special bureaus of all tn
. great metropolitan dailies and by thou
\ sands Of politicians of every party I
a reach Bryan with the news Of his non
. nation again for president. The
o wanted to know what he was going
do about 1t.
His decision 1t was felt would have
strong bearing on the outcome the TO
lowing November. Warren G.. Hare
v ing had been nominated by the IT
n publican convention in Chicago. jam
M. Cox had been nominated by tt
democratic national convention at Sa
It Francisco over the vigorous protest
Bryan and the drys.
The selection of Bryan as the d.
candidate against these two brougl
the realization that 1t would be a thr,
cornered battle. Eight years before
IS like situation and a three-corner
lie race had been precipitated wht
d Roosevelt had entered the field aft
the nomination of Wilson and Taft.
l. The first effort to get Bryan was
kilograms sent to Pony and Bozema
n When they arrived he was on his WI
n to Ennis. The storm had put tt
a wires out Of commission SO Ennis w
ID Of 10000 during the same time. Beside
ID Ben Dexter was a character that add