JULY 28, 191J
The Commoner.
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Bryan Wins Great Fight When Timid
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(By .Virgil V. McNitt, for Central Press Ass'n.)
,r .Washington, July 19. What is to be tho poli
tical future of William J. Bryan? His enemies
have ceased predicting that he is eliminated.
You can not eliminate a man who holds' the
confidence of great numbers of people, nor can
siich a, man abdicate his leadership when his
followers decline to let him.
. It is a part of Mn Bryan's philo&ophy that to
bq. worthy pf participation in a great cause, one
must not bo fraid to die. JtThere were plenty of
gopd m.en a.t the democratic convention timid
jgood mpn, who oared ta disturb harmony, who
shivered with apprehension every time. Bryan
sot out tp rmake a stand for principle.
. . .To vopppge .Barker, to denounce Ryan and
jyurphy and: Belmont, and to renounce' tho aid
Lo Jthe .predatory Interests, in view of. .the spirit
of the convention, looked like political auicido
jfp.r Bryan. He undoubtedly took hid. political
.life in his hands whenever he rose in the .con
vention. Ho knew that ho. could not. he'p mak
ing enemies, and he knew that any chance ho
might hayo for the nomination would be de
stroyed. He was not seeking the nomination,
,and he preferred to fight for the right rather
than to avpid enmities.
During the Chicago and Baltimore conven-
.tions I worked in close association with Mr.
Bryan, and, a. non-combatant myself, was
enabled to see a great deal of his fight, from
tho inside.
Bryan expected to find a progressive con
vention at Baltimore, and be planned to take
an inconspicuous part in its affairs. Ho felt sure
that assembled democracy would realize that its
supreme opportunity nad come. He. found in
stead that Thomas F. Ryanwas on the job ahead
, of, hi,m, a , very busy delegate, though a very
jiuigt, one,,. He found Charles. Murphy, of Tam
vm.iiy, in high favor. He heard rumors of plans
for a money-bags campaign with plenty of
swag for the workers.
Amid almost tearful pleadings to keep out
and to let harmony prevail, Bryan made his
fight for the temporary chairmanship, and was
defeated. Very few men in Baltimore had the
sagacity to congratulate Bryan on this defeat,
and very few could understand his appearance
of good cheer afterward. There was great gloom
among some pf his friends. "If Bryan had only
listened to reason!" they exclaimed mourn
fully. Tho truth of the matter is that most of
Bryan's enemies and many of his frfends lacked
the clearness of vision which should have made
plain the fact that his first defeat was in reality
a victory, as it brought to him reinforcements
of millions of home folks who stayed by his side
from that time, and helped him win his final
victory.
It is needless to recount the incidents con
nected with the presentation )f the Morgan-Ryan-Belmont
resolution. It took a bitter
struggle to get it before the convention, and
even after it was adopted it was denounced as
. the monumental work of folly of a determined
trouble-maker. A week afterward the news--papers
that so denounced it were forced to admit
that by this act Bryan divided the Bheep from
the goats, gave the convention a" character, and
made possible the nomination of Wilson.
"WE WIN IF WB LOSE" WAS BRYAN'S VIEW
Mr. Bryan was sure of the success of his reso
lution. "Even if it should fail of a two-thirds
vote," he told mo, "the delegates would have to
nominate a progressive to square themselves."
The resolution contained a concluding clause
stating that the same influences Morgan and
Ryan) had dominated the Chicago convention
and nominated Taft. Soon after Mr. Bryan
reached the platform to make his fight he was
invited to meet Mrs. Taft, who was attending
,th convention that evening. He of course com
plied with the request, and on his return to the
platform he ran a pencil through that part of
the resolution so that the president's wife might
not bo embarrassed by anything ho might do.
Following the tornadp that accompanied the
passage of the resolution, Mr. Bryan lef tthe con
tention liall and entered the room of the resolu
tions c&mmittco. ' Leaving behind the slowly
.kahsiding storm- of excitement and entering tho
committee room' two or three minutes lateral
found Mr. Bryan dictating to Bob Rose, in tho
most calm and matter-of-fact manner conceiv
able, tho opening sentence of hfs story for tho
morning papers:
, "This has been a day of interesting develop
ments." Mr. Bryan took his stand against Speaker
Clark very reluctantly. He was disappointed
and perplexed when so many of the Clark dele
gates voted against him in his fight for tho tem
porary chairmanship, but his own course was in
' no way shaped through this partial desertion
by his friend Clark. "It Is hard td part with old
friends," he said. "This is tho saddest part
of politics."
Champ Clark, abetted by Hearst,' scorod Bryan
roundly, but Bryan's replies may "bo summed up
in these words: "I have not accused Mr. Clark
of wrongful acts, but merely of failure to act.
Ho is generally bolovcd, and his falluro to secure
the nomination is no reflection on -his personal
' charactor or general ability."
Mr. Bryan's valedictory in the closing hoilrs
of tho convention, when ho surrendered the
leadership to Woodrow Wilson and pledged his
support to tho ticket, was received with an at
tention so close that tho proverbial pin might
have been heard had anyono dropped it. The
convention was willing at last to show respect to
the man who had possessed tho courage to op
pose tho majority, and by opposing, save it from
its own mistakes.
Mrs. Bryan was with her husband through tho
convention, and she Btood by him soitcitiously
through all his struggles, urging him to get
.more rest, and taking care that he did not forget
liis meals. When reminded, Mr. Bryan was al
ways .ready to eat when tho proper time came,
no matter how great the stress.
Mr. Bryan enjoyed his experiences as a cor
respondent very much at Chicago, whoro ho was
not personally involved in tho warfare. He
lived at the University club, and was accustomed
to dictate his stories each evening to a stenog
rapher. Stretched out in an easy chair In his
room, with eyes twinkling whenever a good sally
occurred to him, he worked rapidly. That is, ho
turned out the pages fast enough when not dis
turbed. He was constantly interrupted hy call
ers, and by friends who wished to speak with
him over the telephone. When his story was
at last finished, he revised it carefully before
permitting it to go out.
Serving as a correspondent at Baltimore, in
view of his other activities, was a herculean
task. He always held in mind the needs of the
papers that were relying upon Tilm, however, and
he kept at work in the second week of tho con
vention, after the other big-money special writ
ers had ceased.
Without doubt a large share of Mr. Bryan's
strength at Baltimore was due to the fact that
he reached a national audience daily through
his articles for the press. Many thousands of
telegrams were sent to delegates by those who
were following his fight, and who wished him
to win his greatest battle.
0
-
An old-time reader of The Commoner
writes: "Wherever The Commoner is
regularly read tho democratic votP in
creases. One of the most effective
methods of increasing Governor Wilson's
vote would bo by tho circulation of Tho
Commoner (particularly among men
who have heretofore voted tho republi
can ticket) in every state of the union.
I suggest that yon mako a special rate
for campaign purposes and I am sore
there arc many hard working democrats
who will take advantage of that rate to
put The Commoner regularly Into the
hands of their republican neighbors."
The Commoner will be sent to any
one- from now until the close of the 1012
campaign for the sum of &c, or three
subscriptions will be eatered antil the
close of the campaign for $llOO.
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TRIUMPH OF PROGRESSIVE JJEMOGRAOY
' Tho Lincoln (Nob.) Daily Star, hcretoforo an
independent republican nowopapor, has taken
its stand in favor of Wilson and Marshall, in tho
following editorial:
In tho nomination of Woodrow Wilson for
president, and Governor Thomas R. Marshall of
Indiana for vice president, the democratic con
vention at Balthnoro has sont out a bugle call
to tho progressives of this nation that Is echo
ing and rovorboratlng through ovory. atate from
ocean to ocean.
In this triumphant call thoro Is no false note
no note of fear or timidity.
For weeks, and especially sinco tho republican
fiasco at Chicago, tho truly progressive of both
parties have centered their hopes in the out
come of tho Baltlmoro convention. Theso hopes
havo not been misplaced. Tho answer fomcs
thundoring back: "Wo will keep the faith!"
and that answor has sont a thrill through tho
fibre of ovory citizen who unselfishly and patri
otically bolloves that, tho government of tho
United States should be returned to thp .custody
,of the people.
It has beoft evfdont for somo time-that noth
ing really progress! vo could bo expected from
ihe republican party as an organization. Tho
adminlstratlnn of President Taft has boon such
that it has discredited him with a majority of
tho thinking voters of his own party.
Tho actions of Theodoro Roosovelt, both be
fore and during tho Chicago convention, havo
not been such as would bring confldenco to tho
real progressive.
With tho republican organization hopelessly
split and no chanco of remedial legislation from
that sourco, tho democratic tlckot and platform
present a solution that tho electorate will most
certainly take adVantago of.
The Star believed, and tho majority of the
democratic voters of Nebraska believed, that
Champ Clark was tho logical candidate to lead
the progressives to victory. His work as
speaker of the house seemed to qualify him par
ticularly for this work, and his long years of
conscientious service had endeared him to the
people.
In his hour of disappointment tho hearts of
his loyal followers go out to him with a message
of faith and devotion. Missouri's grand old
democrat has still his work before him in con
gress and ho still lives in tho affection of his
friends. For eight straight ballots Champ
Clark received tho vote of a majority of tho
delegates, and in defeating him for tho nomi
nation a precedent of seventy years' standing
was overturned.
That tho bitterness and soreness engendered
in tho great struggle will linger for a while goes
without saying, but those feelings will soften
with time, and the democratic party will present
a united front in November.
Regardless of personal feelings or personal
preferences, it Is gratifying to all Nebraskans
to know that there was one figure that stood
out above all the others at Baltimore, and that
figure was William Jennings Bryan. Unmindful
of jeers or hisses from his opponents, he defied
tho predatory interests of Wall street and
brought out of the Baltimore "melting pot" a
ticket and a platform of hfs own choice.
. Tho Star Is a progressive newspaper, fighting
the battles of the people as it sees the light.
With absolutely no other interest than the
rights of tho people in view it will work from
now until November for the election of Wood
row Wilson as president of tho United States,
because It believes that in the progressive prin
ciples laid down in the democratic platform lies
the only hope of relief for the American peoplo
from the enormous evils of government to which,
they have been subjected.
0
RECALL OF JUDGES IN 1780
. On tho 1st day of May, 1780, at a convention
of the settlers of Tennessee, held at Nash
borough, (now Nashville) "Articles of Agree
ment or Compact of Government" were entered
into. One of the first articles provided for tho
election of a court of twelve triers or judges.
Pfovisions for tho "recall" were also adopted,
in the following language: "As often as the
peoplo in general are dissatisfied with the do
ings of tho Judges or triers so to be chosen,
they may call a new election in any of the said
stations, and elect others in their stead, having
due respect to the number now agreed to be
elected at each station, which -persons so to be
chosen shall have the same power aS' tb'pie'in
Vhose' room or place they shall ormayb
'chosen." ' -, J ,, r
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