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"Mr. Bryan vs. Special Interests
y
. 'Mr. Bryan vs. Special Interests," was tho
abject assigned Richard L. Metcalfe at tho
Bryan birthday dinner, given in Lincoln, Neb.,
on the evening of March 20.
The Lincoln Journal for Saturday, March 25,
prints the following: The most widely discussed
speech of the Bryan birthday banquet was de
livered by Richard L. Metcalfe, associate editor
of' The Commoner. A stenographic report fol
lows: In 1888, as a reporter for an Omaha news
paper, it was my privilege to report the first
speech delivered in that city by the gentleman
Whom wo honor tonight. That was a tariff
speech, and I thought then it was the best tariff
speech I had ever heard. Ho was a young man
then at least, considerably younger than now,
and he had considerably more hair than he has
at this time. Two years later I helped nominate
him for congress in the old First district of
Nebraska, and later I helped elect him to con
gress, when he transformed in that year a re
publican plurality of three thousand into a
democratic plurality of six thousand.. Since then
it has been my privilege to have been associated
with this gentleman in politics. Upon several
occasions I have marched with him to the up
lands of victory; on many occasions I have gone
with him into the ditch of defeat. But I do not
mind saying to you that every defeat I have had
the honor of encountering with him was glorious.
THEY SOMETIMES DISAGREED
I have not always agreed with this gentleman
as to policies. Frequently I have heartily dis
agreed with him. Years ago, when he was tho
editor of an Omaha newspaper and I was his
associate editor, we disagreed radically as to a
certain proposition. I insisted that my course
was the better course "and was the plan that
appealed to the experienced, thoughtful news
paper man, "although," I added, "it may not
appeal so strongly to the statesman." Mr. Bryan
brought the somewhat Jieated discussion to a
close by rubbing his chin and exclaiming, "Well,
between your effprts to make a newspaper man
.out. of me and my effdrts to make a statesman
"out of you, I don't know which will get the worst
of it."
I have often thought it strange that Mr. Bryan
Is not better understood by some of his country
men, particularly by newspaper editors. Re
cently I read in an Omaha paper this reference:
"Col. W. J. Bryan, more or less perpetual can-
. dldate for the presidency." I'll tell you how
I know him. Office is not the goal for which
he strives. It Is with him a mere incident, and
I believe that he would run for justice of the
fpeace if that were necessary for the promulga
tion of his ideas and if no one else could be
found to bare his breast to the foe.
PLAIN TALK NECESSARY
..The democratic party is not concerned in the
mistakes of the past except as they serve to
protect it from mistakes in the future. It would
not be wise to undertake to conceal the fact that
affairs with the Nebraska democracy are some
what complicated. Too often we are afraid to
touch upon certain questions because we call
them questions too delicate for discussion; but
sometimes a frank and open consideration of
conditions brings order out of chaos. In the
long ago I learned at the knee of a fine old
democratic instructor:
"Tender-handed stroke a nettle
And it stings you for your pains;
Seize it like a man of mettle,
And it soft as silk remains." .,
In this spirit, then, I approach the discharge
of a duty which I believe should be discharged by
-someone having the welfare of the democratic
party at heart. Many mistakes were made in
1910. It was a year of bumps, and, as has on
various occasions been said of glory, it may be
said that In that year there were bumps enough
for all. I received several severe wounds my
self, but I hope I do not bear a single scar.
And if I may seem to speak plainly, I ask you
to believe that the bluntness of my speech is not
that I may give offense, but rather that I may
render service.
AN ECHO OF 1909
It has been charged that the entire responsi
bility for the disorder in our paTty is charge
able to Mr. Bryan, and it is perfectly fair to
him that that charge be analyzed on this occa
sion. The trouble began when, at the legisla
tive session of two years ago, the lobby of the
liquor interests defeated the initiative and refe
rendum and boldly boasted of Its disastrous
work. Many of you will remember that tho tem
perance papers at that time were filled with
criticisms of Mr. Bryan, and they devoted great
attention to an incident happening in our state
capitol. The charming lady who is the chief
of tho W C. T. U. In Nebraska approached Mr.
Bryan with a temperance petition. Ho returned
the paper to her saying, "Wait until we get tho
initiative and referendum." Nothing seemed
too mean for some temperanco publications to
say of Nebraska's distinguished citizen at that
time. They were about as unkind in their refer
ences to him as some of tho gentlemen on tho
other side who later disagreed with his position
upon the liquor question. This temperanco
question is one that seems to separate friends,
shatter friendships, and divido families and with
the leaders of either party to the controversy, so
far as concerns the politician, it is a clear-cut
case of "damned if you do and damned If you
don't."
TRIED TO AVOID A FIGHT
But Mr. Bryan's earnest efforts to persuade
the democratic legislature of two years ago to
pass the initiative and referendum were futile
because of the work of the liquor Interests, and
so he tried to keep that question out of tho
campaign of 1910 In the hope that democrats
who differed upon that one question but agreed
upon almost every other question might work in
harmony for the things upon which they did
agree. He urged the calling of a special session
of the legislature. He failed in this perhaps
largely because of the natural reluctance of
party leaders to incur what they called tho
"enormous expense" of an extra session. Later
developments indicated that for the state and
for all parties and for the people generally It
would have been one of th.e best Investments
that could have been made.
Then came Mr. Bryan's effort to write county
option in the democratic state platform. I say
frankly that I did not agree with Mr. Bryan as
to the propriety of that effort. I thought there
was a better plan, and you will pardon me for
being somewhat personal since I must do that
in order tp fully describe the situation. Some
of you will remember that I had what was called
a compromise plan at Grand Island. That plan
provided that the state convention should pledges
that if the people, speaking through the legis
lature, should adopt a county option bill, the
governor would approve the measure, at the
same time relegating the question to the various
districts of the state In order that it might be
settled locally in those districts.
Mr. Bryan was ready to accept that plan at
Grand Island. But the convention was not
permitted to consider it. According to the plan
by which that convention was controlled, the
delegates who were presumed to represent the
rank and file of the party throughout the state
were not permitted to vote upon any resolution
until the same had been presented to them by
tho resolutions committee. Under this plan the
delegates could not consider this compromise
plan, and the plank I had prepared embodying
this plan was ditched by a trick.
Then came the primaries, when an army of
wet republicans marched into the democratic
primaries, defeated Shallenberger for the re
nominatlon to which he was entitled, and nomi
nated a man of their own choosing.
NO APOLOGIES TO MAKE
So far as I am concerned, I desire to say that
I have no apologies to offer here or elsewhere
for the part I took in aiding to defeat the
democratic candidate for governor. I have,
however,, never said one word in personal dis
paragement of him; on the contrary I say here,
as I have said on many occasions before, that
in a long acquaintance with him I never knew
him to be guilty of a cheap political trick. What
ever difference we may have had upon public
questions, I have known him to be a manly,
square fighter.
If there are men who complain because Mr.
Bryan and perhaps forty thousand other demo
crats refused to support this nominee, they
should have heard some of the speeches this nom
inee delivered soon after the primaries. Repeated
ly he Bald that this was not to be a democratic
and hepubllcan fight, but that It would be a wet
arid dry contest; adding that those who did not
expect him to carry out the policies to which he
gave such enthusiastic support need not vote for
him thus absolving democrats, who wore not
quite so wet as he was from giving him their
support. "'Twas no fooman's hand , that slow
him; 'twas his own that gave tho blow.''
LOTS" OF INCURABLE WOUNDS
In tho ensuing campaign it was plain .that
tho party was' in tho control of tho liquor in
terests; more so, perhaps, than any other party
organization in American history. Was 'It
strange that Mr, Bryan, who has spont his years
in fighting special Interests, should resent that
control by tho most obnoxious of all tho special
Interests?
I know that many wounds mado In that con
tost will never hoal. I know that many deep
seated hatreds wore incurred in that campaign
that will never bo cured. But the men whoso
ambitions nave been blighted and whoso hatred
has been stirrod are, after all, small In number
when compared with tho democrats who havo
no axes to grind and whoso solo anxiety is that
their party shall becomo an effectlvo Instrument
for the perpetuation of popular government in
Amorica.
"THE TRAIL OF THE SERPENT"
Control of a party or a legislative body by
any special interest Is bad enough. There is,
however, just a bit of choice on this proposition.
For instance, if tho railroads controlled a party
or a legislature there would bo some chance
that tho people would get good results on every
thing except the particular issue in which tho
railroads were specially interested that is,
whore it was not necessary for "tho powers that
bo" to swap good for bad in order to protect
their own interests. But when tho thing wo
call the liquor interest controls a party, or a
legislature, it is bad all along tho line, and "the
trail of tho serpent is over it all."
Then came tho famous Grand Island conven
tion that fearfully and wonderfully mado
affair. I don't mind telling you that I havo tho
most profound admiration for tho genius dis
played in equipping that convention's machinery,
as I havo a most perfect memory of tho speed
and the regularity with which they threw us,
from the greatest to tho humblest, over tho
transom. Now I don't complain when I am
thrown over tho transom. You cannot hurt mo
by that process; In fact, going over a transom
has been ray normal condition for many years.
My body has been covered with bruises from
the encounters I have had while engaged in the
service of the democratic party; and I know
that when two forces meet there has to bo a
transom and somebody has to go over It. I
don't object because I was ono of the lambs
picked for the slaughter on this occasion.
"MY OLD FRIEND, BILL DECH!"
There were many interesting incidents at that
famous convention at Grand Island. It was,
Indeed, the most dramatic affair, as it was tho
most perfectly organized I havo ever witnessed.
Public attention was so riveted upon Mr. Bryan's
part in that convention that one significant in
cident escaped general notice. My old friend,
Bill Dech, was a delegate in that convention.
Bill is a "middle-of-the-road-pop," and although
I have known him for more than twenty years
and have, during that time been intimately ac
quainted with democratic conventions I never
knew him to hold a seat in a democratic stato
convention prior to the one that assembled last
July in Grand Island, The managers of that
convention picked my old friend Bill Dech as
the orator-in-chief to reply to the gentleman
who had on three occasions been the democratic
party's nominee for the presidency. Now, never
a word would I utter against my old friend
Bill Dech. "With all his faults, I love him still."
I know him to be as faithful to his enmities as
he is to his friendships. Up there on his farm
in Saunders county he has a machine which,
during his spaTe moments, he has been using
in grinding axes. One of these axes has been
regularly ground for Mr. Bryan's benefit. Upon
that ax he has worked and worked for lo, these
many years, hoping that some time, somewhere,
ho might find opportunity for its use. The op
portunity did not come until, with the passing
of the years, the liquor interests took control
of the democratic state convention; then on
that hot July day my old friend Bill Dech, ax
in hand, crawled under the canvas of the big
convention tent at Grand Island and became the
orator-in-chief of the forces in control of that
magnificently organized convention. I would
not do justice to my intimate acquaintance with
my old friend Bill Dech, nor justice to Bill him
self, if I lid not say that he surely knows how
to use an ax.
As I said, that convention was the most dra
matic affair I have ever witnessed. The 'men
in charge' of that convention controlled-It by
an overwhelming majority aside from the pecu-
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