Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (July 19, 1912)
mmBBammammmmmm r IT It'll i ifrrirti mUmmim-MMtWM i "f.- ''"Wi,. X1' 12 The Commoner VOLUME 12, NUMBER Sg Jt fr j.jJM". . IV I, I 111 ei y-i k ' m- m m , in -which not only all good democrats, bttt all good men, must horeaftor hold tho sardonic flguro at Baltlmoro In his rago and spleen, throwing off disguise of prudonco and showing himself in his true color of ingrato, traitor and pharisoo; the baffled domagoguo spitting upon hands that had befriended him; tho beaten mountebank, balked of his prey, the rattlosnako rovbalod, exuding poison that disease and death may follow in tho wako of his tortuous course?" This rumbling diatribe will not hurt Mr. Bryan any more than tho schoolmastor label marred the chances of Woodrow Wilson. To thoso who looked on at the remark able convention, Mr. Bryan soemed tho most smiling and cheerful person on tho floor. His rage and spleen wero manifested only against meas ures. His charity and toleration to ward his opponents as followmon was manifest evory moment. His disagreement with their opinions, he declared, did not offset his esteem for them as persons. His opponents and oven some of thoso who agreed with him, characterized his sway ovor the convention in tho language of Gen. Pierro Bosquot concerning the chargo of tho light brigade at Balaklava, "It is magnificent, but it is not war." Tho final result might have pro voked from tho reactionaries tho his toric exclamation of Gen. Cham bronno when tho imperial guard broko in disorderly panic at Water loo. Mr. Bryan in spite of the anathemas of tho reactionaries may bo characterized as on'o who "can smilo at Satan's rago and face a frowning world." ..I,,. i Thomas B. Mills of Superior, Wis., has been elected exaulted ruler of the Elka. An Ideal Gift Book Thoro is no gift moro appreciated by tho receiver, nor one that better reflects tho tastes of tho givor. than good books. Tho mfluenco of good literature can not bo measured it lives and grows, long after ma terial things are for gotten. An ideal gift, for your friends, your relatives, or in your own home, would be a set of I Mr. Bryan's Speeches and Lectures In two handy volumes. A now, completo edition, containing- all of his most Important public uttorances, from his first entry into public 1, ul?U,to tho Prcsont time. Tho only authori tative collection of hia speeches over issued. You can follow Mr Bryan through practU cally his entiro career, from his valedictory oration at Illinois Col lege in 1881, through his early public life, ill! presidential campaigns his world tours, hft platform experiences and his participation in nclnes of Sreanlza Uons devoted to na tional progress, as well as international con. eresaos. " from tho fSnrtJnnfr .of t!ies? Pee covers a wide range of topics, to the hfKheSt?deaVHtanfrt vItaI Problems of national and world life to the student of ioHS1 endoavvr- A hand means of reference This eoiiiTnHn J!S5lal. Problems of tho present and future. 7Kn ? JL0"001.01 comprises two handsome 12 mo. volumes eonfninino. II on goodVn;fa?lllcal Introduction by Mary Baird Bryan. Printed i n boou paper In lareo, clear typo and handsomely bound. SPECIAL OFFER TO COMMONER READERS boScs WFor thiJyner of Th0 Commoner to have a sot of these UDon'rJMnt11 PoUorP03A w...ttro making this liberal limited offer: . Siiii.V xtiiii v . W1" Henu prepaia one a vol. Bet of The 1 fSbsinUo'n Yn,Utt feJK ""Z?". 2.d In cloth, and enter 5? subscrihtinn wihu !iJVv , iUl uuu -uu 'Cttr' or your present half inn Vw J iiibe cro2!tS3 for on0 vear mro. If you want tho Booka JnA nnSlt!2n and )J0 Commoner one year, enclose $3.25. flHcd nSnWA1 t0 &orent addresses If cleBlred. All orders mica promptly. Address. TIIH COMMONER, Lincoln, Neb. Fill Out and Mail This Coupon for Special Offer 'THE COMMONER, LIhcoIh, Nefc. TMCin 1nd $?-25 fPr. ono. 2vo1' Bot of Tke Sesfce of William JchhIhks llrjHH, bound In cloth, and The Commoner for one year. Namo P. O '...., , .,,, (If half leather edition, Is wanted, send $3.25';) mmmmmSSSSSSmR Fighting the Belmont -Ryan Control Tho New York Times, in its issue of Juno 30, printed the following Baltimore dispatch, referring to Mr. Bryan's announcement that the country would not suhmit to such control: Bryan's intention to make this an nouncement had been iioised about for hours before the convention met, and certain delegates had determined to stop him from getting a hearing. They failed, solely because Bryan 1b not the sort of man who can be stopped. "When he found out what tho game was, he left his place in the Nebraska delegation, went up on tho platform and stood there, and it was so evident that nothing could prevent him from being heard that Murphy sent orders to Congressman William Sulzer, who was temporarily presiding, to give in and let Bryan speak. He did speak, and he never spoke bettor in his life, though there were none of the old cross of gold ora torical tricks in what lie said. It was a business-like warning that he would not take part in the nomina tion of any candidate whose nomi nation was obtained through the vote of the state of New York. That change in his manner of speaking which has been noticeable ever since he came under the in strongly exemplified as in his attacks strongly exemplified as in his attacks by name on Ryan, Belmont, Parker, and Murphy. The opposition made the mistake of trying to interrupt him with questions about whether he would bolt or not, and Bryan dominated them and hurled them aside with ease. He did not at any time answer the questions categori cally, but he did answer them so defi nitely that his position was not In doubt, and yet he still preserved his standing as a member of the conven tion. Bryan could not say "Yes, I will bolt," for if he had the question of his right to participate further iu the proceedings would have been raised immediately. At the same time he wanted his position made clear. Therefore, when the delegates who were against him arose in their places, shouting the Question at him. Bryan replied that he would answer no hypothetical questions, and that he did not expect a Ryan-Belmont candidate to be named. Some of his hearers described this as an at tompt to dodge the issue, but it was nothing of the kind. It was the clearest and most definite and de cisive intimation that he would not support a Ryan-Belmont nominee, and it was made in that form solely for the reason that to make it in any other form would be to deprive himself of his right to sit in tho con vention and vote. Bryan-Roosevelt Deal . It was expected then that the con vention would vote the resolution down, and that this would give Bryan his excuse for bolting. But Murphy, advised by ex-Judge Alton B. Parker and JustfoA HniminTi unA the wisdom to order the Ryan-Bel-mont-Hoarst delegates to vote for and not against the resolution. This done, and the resolution carried by a vote of nine-tenths of the con vention, Bryan's attempt to create a situation calling for a bolt had failed ' To bring about such a thing again it wuh necessary to una a new scheme, and he did. He found one which presented a situation never paralleled in any convention of either party, state or national. He had not taken any trouble to prevent his intentions from becom ing public, and Murphy was aware of them, and very much disturbed. He realized that this cnnvAn Hnn v.,i solved itself into a fighj; between Bryan and Murphy, and lie felt him self outclassed.- He had coped fairly well with the situation presented when Bryan moved Ms Ryan-Belmont resolution, but he could not figure out a way to meet the one which he know Bryan would pre sent today. Roger Sullivan, Tom Taggart, Thomas F. Ryan, August Belmont and all his other advisers were unable to suggest any better scheme than to put up to Bryan the question of whether he would bolt or not, with tho idea of getting him to answer affirmatively, and then moving to put him out of tho conven tion. But Bryan foiled them. Bryan's announcement was made when he switched his vote from Clark to Wilson, as he had a perfect right to do under the decision reached by the convention on the unit rule question. He had voted for Clark under his instructions for thirteen ballots. He had done this in spite of the fact that Clark and Hearst, Clark's manager, had made a deal with Murphy and Belmont whereby the Clark votes were swung against Bryan on every proposal brought before the convention. He had played fair and had even leaned over backward. Nobody could blame him for switching now to the man who had stood by him on all those votes whereon Clark had deserted him. He made his sensational announce ment on the pretext of explaining his change of vote. Nothing more absurd had ever been seen than the attempt of Murphy's men to deny Bryan a hearing, for even thjeir friendB wanted to know what Bryan was go ing to say. The fuss began on the fourteenth' ballot, when Nebraska asked to be passed. Everybody knew" what was going to, happen, and when the roll was reached and the clerk called that state again there was a wild uproar. Congressman Sulzer was temporarily in the chair. Chairman James, ex pecting trouble when the announce ment was made, had asked Sulzer to assist him in presiding, and had intended that they should do it jointly, but he had not expected the trouble to come so soon, and so he was out of the hall. Messengers were sent for him, and when he got there he and Sulzer presided to gether, but his absence gave Sulzer tho opportunity at the beginning of presiding over the start of the most astonishing scene ever witnessed in a convention. James was perfectly right in get ting an assistant It is the first con vention that ever had two chairmen presiding at the same time, but in view of what was likely to start the moment Bryan made his threat of a bolt James's mpderation in having only one fellow-chairman was re markable. James and Sulzer together could hardly control the situation, and it was nothing to their discredit. If they could have impressed Jack Johnson and Jim Jeffries into ser vice as co-chairmen, they would have been justified in doing it. "I want to explain my vote;" Bryan said, as he arose in his place in the Nebraska delegation, which is just before the platform. Then the uproar broke. It started with a tem pestuous roar of "no," and passed Into yells of derision and angry shrieks of protest. Not a cheer broke the monotony of this organized snarl. The Bryan and Wilson men. let the other crowd have the floor. After a while Sulzer could be heard, and in accordance with the orders Murphy had sent him through. Charlie White, he refused permis sion to Bryan to apeak. The scream or rage that thn Brvon mn if I. as soon as Sulzer made tnia deciglo. - py