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VOI, 20, NO. 1
HHvmmmnfpiauiii
41 ,
The Burials of Bryan
By DUDLEY REID, in Kansas City Post
On every word and action, the devil it outbid
And damneMm if he didn't and damned hin
J BURIAL I.
too flcono was ot Chicago, some twenty years
aso,
Tho west was all oxcitod, as older people know,
'And. silvor was tho Issuo and like a roaring tido
iWftfl riding on tho hordor and swooping far and
Wido.
And on tho eastern seaboard, tho slogan it was
gold,
With followers as lusty, and leadership as bold,
And hearts as firmly centered in what they
thought was right;
And it was plain to every one that there would
bo a fight.
Tho oastorn cause was managed with smooth
finesse and skill
By men llko Grovor Clovoland and David Ben-
nott Hill,
Who sought by spoclous ploadings and super-
. flcial thought, i
To run o'er western farmers their golden jug-
gornaut.
But back upon tho bonches, unknown to fame
thoro sat
A young man with' a lemon, tho "Boy from tho
Platto,"
Who calmly suckod tho acid and blew tho"soods
away.
And shaped tho goldon cadence of destiny that
day.
His wisdom was convincing, his logic was re
plete, His oloquonco was mad'ning and swept men
from their foot,
The choers wore long and doaf'ning, the crowd
was all aflamo,
Tho wost had found, its loaderand Bryan was"
his narao. (
And how tho golden thunder of his supremo
campaign
Reechoed from tho hill-tops and swept o'or fiold
and 'plain,
TTntll.it thrilled tho country and pooplo roso in
mass
To smito tho hosts of Mammon and-government
r by class.
But, ah
Again the precious emblem of equity and light
Wont flown before tho legions of' power and
greed and might, .
And Bryan he was buried so dep in drifts. of
snow
It seomed that God Almighty his gravo would
never know.
BURIAL HI.
But down at old St. Louis, ono thousand-nine-and-four,
Ho had again arisen as healthy as before,
And mot there singled-handod tho boasting gold
bug clan,
And blocked their bold maneuvors, and beat
them to a man.
Yea, wrested from tho straddlors a platform
truo and sound,
And. gave unto tho party some honest fighting
ground,
Till Parker spoiled tho -prospects and made his
race a sham
By adding to tho platform a plank by telegram.
When Parker was defeated, it blocked the Wall
Stroet plan,
And, sick and tired of humbugs, tho peoplo
asked a man,
And so they called to Bryan,' and onco again he
came
And touched tho hills and prairies with elo
quence and flame.
But tho tho cause was gaining, the time was
yet too soon,
The clock had not yet strickon the hour of
golden noon,
So Ephraim hugged Lis idols and hold ,them
fierce and- tight,
And once again the leader went down in gallant
fight.
And then again his comrades picked "up his
mangled bonos
And placed .thorn in tho grave-yard and covered
them with stones,
But as in tear3th.ey left him, their hearts some-
- what in doubt.
His two big toes were active and slowly wricgled
out.
But when tho hate and slander and calumnv
havo passed,
And all tho fires of envy have burned awav at
last, 3
All mankind will remember he worked without
surcease
For thirty golden treaties to keep the world at
peace.
At last when war-clouds gathered and con-
. science and belief
Would not permit him longer to travel with his
Chief,
Ho shook his head in sadness, but calm as man
could be,
And faced tho roaring breaker's and jumped
into tho sea.
BURIAL IV.
h, tho hosts of Mammon, unscrupulous tenM1mi nmn ! Wo- . " .
and bold, . - punon came the big convention of famous Balti-
With, tons of filthy lucre bought up the day
for gold, .
And Bryan ho was buried, jwhilo toarsVoE tender
grief , , .
Bowed down tho hoarts of millions who idolized
their chief.
BURIAL II.
But God Ho sent His angels unto tho lonely
tomb,
And broke tho soal of silonco and made the
flowers to bloom,
And Bryan rose in glory from darkness and the
gravo,' '
To load' again tho banner of all tWjust and
bravo."
Again his clear-cut logic, his eloquonce and
youth,
His magic and hia mannors, his zoal for right
and truth '
Aroused the loyal millions that followed him bc-
foforo, .
And ljko a flame of glory ho swept from shore
to shoro.
This timo tho burning issue on which he made
his fight
Was but tho cause of froodom,tkelprivil6go
and right x - ,
Of pvory land and country to rulo its own do-
j main, ' . - " .
7&voxo.d by wars vt conquest, by outsidogreod
.' or gain. , .
But how thoflag was" flying and Spain was at
' our feet, , :
j The drums and fifos wore ringing and gladness
was ropioto;
And found him strong and activo as in the days
of yore
And Morgan, Belmont, Murphy, and all the Waif
Street crew, '
Wont down before his onslaughts with briskets
black and blue.
He beat them tp tho key-note and pitched it
truo and sound;
And then ho wrote tho platform, the best that'
could bo found. -
And picked out Woodrow Wilson to stand upon
it, too '
And thisft seoms was plenty for any corpse to
And aoform was rip'ningr on every hill and
Th brain; ' th wIsdm of hIs
Xt werVwhUe' " hU
And Domocrats pressed forward to rloan thn
sheaves of light. G n tho
The ws triumphant, and Wilson felt
Ile bright to Billy Bryan the biggest plum he
And asked tho noted leader tnn?f i. t .
Ana-h-jWm in thoS
.And Bryan, ho accepted and lent a wll'lini. h.n i
To overparty meaeuro flt WhSW
cfee SU? ' canning
H6 SU1ef1l!8an'I,nr?BnhtdUSt'er" kn them
And nil the hopes of Bryan and what ho argued 'Ho made a good official, although ,,
for , . chine,' UOU5n tne old. ma-
mXZ"UP mU3l'a-d ""0W WWtU J"" WUU a mali!e .ta seldom
FINAL RESURRECTION
It would havo seemed' less bitter to see him die
on land,
Engaged, again in battle, his broad-sword in his
hand,
Than have him bravo the. ocean and perish in
the sear
And have no resurrection at loast nono seem
ingly. , '; .
But' fortune always favors tho honest and the
brave, -
And soon his smiling features appeared abovo
the wave,
His big, strong arms out-parting tho angry
wave bofore,
His vision calm and steadfast and headed for
tho shore.
As soon as he had landed, ho stood with strcam-
- ing hair,
And spoke for love and patience and mercy
everywhere,
For justice and forbearance, and all those tender
ties -That
knit man tottxis brother and bloss and
k civilize. ' -
While others talked of soldiers and armaments
and guns,
Of shot and shell and powder and battleships
by tons,
And other horrled engines for taking human life,
Sle preached the gentle answor that always con
quers strife.
Again at old St. Louis he was the biggest man,
Became the honored leader of public thought
again,
And sounded there the slogan that won the
most applause
And made the hope of triumph seem brighter
for the cause.
But the elect wore blinded and feared to send
him easJL
Lest he mighrspoil their chances, or damago
them at least,
So in the south and central, and in the north
and west,
They told him to unlimber and do his dog-goned
best.
But when the votes werp counted, the east it
went for Hughes
By such astounding figures it" seemed tho cause
would lose,
Until the western country, whore Bryan had
been sent,
Rebuked the eastern Jingo.es and saved tho
president. , "
And those who scoffed at" Bryan, should take
the map and see .. "
Along his path-of travel tho sheen of victory,
By precinct and by precinct, byw hamlet and by
town,
It was the same old story of truth that would
not down.
Although the east was maddened and voted
blood and war, ' . ;
And battleships and soldiers and strife that all
abhor,
The west it bade the cannon and gatling-gun
surcease,
And voted love and mercy and charity and peace.
And so to Billy Bryan no mail. should say good
bye, Like truth he is eternal simply will not dio;
And tho' he may "bo buried in grief and tears
today,
Tomorrow and her angels slraU roll the stones
awa.v. '
jg' jbltt&aaX" -' toiM to.
