w
June, 1920
The Commoner
11
The Nestor of Political Leadershi
(From the National Magazine, Washington,)
The political horoscope reveals William Jen
nings Bryan as the veteran leader in public
life today. .Two years before Roosevelt was
Governor of New York, four years before he was
even vice-president; twelve years before Taft
was President; sixteen years before Woodrow
Wilson made the race, and twenty years before
Hughes entered the presidential list, William
Jennings Bryan was a national leader and in
1896 a candidate fotr the presidency of the
United States. There is no one personality in
the history of the country that stands out more
clearly and strongly in personal leadership than
William Jennings Bryan. Today he is younger
in years than all the presidential candidates
who came afterwards, except Hughes. In the
full flush of his thirty-six years, William Jen
nings Bryan enjoyed the distinction of being the
youngest candidate for President. His public
career began in Congress in 1890, and it is said
that even in his early years he begun- discus
sion of public questions wi,th people and has
kept at it ever since.
As I sat with him at his winter home, "Villa
Serena," at Miami, Florida, I thought of those
days in Chicago when he led the Nebraska dele
gation in the convention hall and made his
classic address that set ablaze his leadership
and influence in national campaigns. It has
never dimmed in the councils of his party.
The visit inspired a retrospect of political, his
tory. Many important events in history have
been recorded since William Jennings Bryan en
tered public life. Many of the things he has
advocated amid jibes and jeers have become the
statute law of the land. Enumerated they re
veal a fascinating evolution of political events.
First, Tariff Reform; second, Election of Sena
tors by the People; third, Silver; fourth In
come Tax; -fifth, Campaign Against Imperial
ism, with the Promise of Independence of the
Philippines; a , sixth, Anti-trust Legislation;
seventh, Eight-hour Labor Day; eighth, Cur
rency Reform; ninth, prohibition; tenth, Wom
an Suffrage; eleventh, Initiative and Referen
dum. -"
In the Currency bill Mr. Bryan was alone re
sponsible for the important and vital feature of
the measure which provided for the issue of
government instead of bank notes, returning to
the government its sovereign right to issue
paper money
Three of the great constitutional amendments
made in these eventful years were incorporated
in the program of William Jennings Bryan.
First, Election of Senators by the People; sec
ond, Income Tax; third, Prohibition. Tho two
more that .he expects to see incorporated in- the
constitutional amendments during his lifetime
are the Suffrage Bill, almost here, and Initiative
and Referendum, on which he is training his
guns for coming political battles. All this has
been accomplished -without the usual, process
of political backing or the support of large cor
poration interests. Ho launched his career with
out official influence or a hereditary name of
national fame.
When credited with having contributed large
ly to these reforms he insisted upon saying:
"No, it is the ideals that have won and not I.
The ideals have given me what strength I pos
sessed. Movements are not strong because of
individuals, but individuals becauso of ideals.
As he said this-his lips closed firmly showing
that dominant quality determination.
Three times William Jennings Bryan has
made the race for president, and has been a
powerful influence in every convention of the
Democratic party since' he entered public life.
While the reactionaries in his party have
charged Mr. Bryan with loading the party to
defeat, they forget that in 1896, 1900, and 1908,
he polled over a million votes more than Presi
dent Cleveland when tie was elected president
in 1892. In 1900 and 1908 ho polled a million
and a quarter more votes than Mr. Parker in
1904 -but the startling revelation is that in all
the three campaigns which he made, he polled
more votes than Woodrow Wilson, elected
President in 1912, whose nomination he made
Possible at the Baltimore convention.
Viewing his career as a cabinet officer, he has
tho record of having negotiated more treaties
IP
sorting to arms. On September 15, 1914 tho
oneTal?8 f lf hUndrcd mllHon wopu!
one-half the population of tho world, gathered
fie 3trtVn shington and Joined "in sign
SLi treatles?1which made war between tho con-
J gi I)art,ef a romote Possibility. His peace
treaty plan as ho negotiated is regarded as one
of the most important provisions of tho League
of Nat cms. It is tho one thing in which there
is no disagreement or contention, and this was
the dominant idea embodied in Mr. Bryan's un
paralleled collection of treaties.
In public or private life William Jennings
Bryan continues on his way without a press
bureau or personal plans for running for office.
Without employing tho usual mothods in polit
ical propaganda or holding office, his leader
ship remains unchallenged as a vital force in
party deliberations. There are millions of peo
ple ready to hear from the Nestor of American
political life whenever ho has a statement to
make.
When I asked him what name or distinction
in American history ho would appreciate most,
he replied with a twinkle in his eye, "Govern
mental Machinist."
"I have always felt," he continued, "that
the government is a good deal liko any other
machine i needs adjustment and changes to
meet conditions, but principles are eternal."
Continuing he narrowed his eyes, and viewed
the fronded palms in front of us: "I have per
sonally criticized tew public men in my utter
ances or writing, but when a public man gets
in the way of an idea, I am ready for ihe fray.
I first opposed Mr. Cleveland in my own- party.
I opposed Mr. Parker in tho campaign tor the
nomination the election which followed was
one of the most disastrous defeats our party ever
met. I opposed Mr. Harmon and Underwood
in 1912. I opposed Tammany and Wall street
domination which I felt imperilled tbo party.
Even tho interests that opposed him havo now
come to realize that ho is needed to protect them
from the indignation of the people, aroused by
acts of usurping their rights, more than he needs
them for his own political advancement. As
Mr. Bryan quietly remarked, toying a etui) lead
pencil, "I am not trying to recover stolen prop
erty, I am simply trying to prevent wrongdo
ing, and in this I believe I am stemming tho tide
of radicalism, because after me may come the
extremists."
Other public men have used the prestige of
office to accomplish their reforms and ideals
and many have been in office continuously dur
ing their public career. Daniel Webster, Henry
Clay, Calhoun, and other men in history simi
lar in temperament to Mr. Bryan were power
ful wearing the official halo. They heli public
office when dealing with public questions, but Mr.
Bryan has gone on, in office or out of office
with the work that absorbed his life energies,
never depending upon mere official power to
win for his principles.
Mr. Bryan regards the prohibition question
a3 closed, for prohibition is now in the consti
tution The adoption of the amendment by
n'ore than three-fourths of the states and the
decision of the Supreme Court supporting tho
law at every step would seem to make it as final
as the abolition of slavery. Opposing prohibition
is simply lawlessness, the same aa opposition
to any other law. A Pres.'dcnt elected on a wet
nlalform, pledged in advance to oppose prohibi
tion is pledged to violate his oath of office to
sunnort the constitution and the law of the land.
Mr Bryan did not regard a pledged candidate
of the "wets" or liquor interests as a legitimate
candidate for the presidency any more than a
representative of the burglars, pickpockets or
flrebuffs would be in leading a campaign and
making a political issue of violation of the con
stitution. -
In his Miami home, located in a sequestered
woods far up Brickell Drive, Mr. Bryan con
tinued his usual activities during the winter. He
had a Sunday school class, sometimes attended
bv fffteen people. He speaks frequently and
never lacks a large audience whenever he ap
pears. Ho says, "f fool tho neatest privilege f
an American Is to discuss public matters with
follow citizens." Mrs. Bryan also had a claw
on Sunday and tho helpmate partnership- of tho
early days continues on. Mr. Bryan Insisted that
ho did not know of any other person to whose
judgment ho would dofcr moro than Mrs. Bry
an s. This was tho sweet and honest tribute of
a devoted husband. Mrs. Bryan was then seated
at a desk with a typewriter near at hand, indi
cating that sho was kcoplng in close touch with
tho varied activities of her husband.
Some years ago, Mr. Bryan's cousin, Governor
Jennings of Florida, helped him to select Home
land at Miami. With tholr own hands Mr. and
Mrs. Bryan havo helped to build up their beauti
ful homo In tho south. Located on a pictur
esque spot fanned by waving palms It Is a haven
for rest. Buttressed in tho coral roof tho shore
line is festooned with rich tropical foliage of
varied hue. Tho trcos, flowers, and shrubs,
seem to sing of tho glorlos of naturo in thfa
spot. Hero Mr. Bryan continues his work as
arduously as If in his ofllco at Lincoln. Tele
grams woro then coming from all parts of tho
country from his admlrors and frlondo, renew
ing tho pledgo of their loyalty to his ideas and
leadership and even suggesting his nomination
for another race for tho prosldoncy. Tho house,
simple and unprotontlous, with its artistic court
yard has tho atmosphoro of homo life. Here was
a royal palm grown to great staturo in seven
years. Every species of palms was represented
in tho grounds. Thoro was follago suggestive of
tho temperate north blending with tho luxurious
leafage of tho tropics. On tho bay tho water
view, with an Island directly in front, seemed
to focus tho vision on a scone over changing
but restful. The languor of tho tropics was ab
sent, for in this homo Bryan activities were con
tinued at tho livoly torapo characteristic of Mr
Bryan's career. On tho walls in his home woro
themomentos of travels far and wide when Mr.
and Mrs. Bryan made their trip around the
world.
Having mot and mingled with kings and em
perors and tho leaders of many nations, Mr.
Bryan's life and ambition centered In tho prob
lems of governmental machinery as It relates
to the people, protecting and carrying out def
initely and concretely tho purposes of a govern-"
ment by tho people. A cosmopolite Indeed, for
thoro is scarcely aclty in any stnto that has
not hetfrd the clarion notes of Mr. Bryan's voice.
Almost every town, village and hamlet has bad
Bryan as a speaking visitor. His leadership
has been a spoken eye-to-oyo and word of mouth
leadership. While others havo planned political
campaigns with tons of literature distributed
and circuited within tho cloister of four office
walls, William Jennings Bryan has looked Into
tho faces of the people. Ho Insists that from
them he has drawn tho Inspiration for his hopes
and ideas In tho adjustment of governmental
machinery.
In searching carefully thru tho biographies
of famous men of our country, it Is difficult to
find a personality In publlcleadershlp who is a
counterpart to William Jennings Bryan. When
he hung out his shingle to practice law, ho found
In the study of law how much was needed to
rectify the law as It applied to. modern needs and
government. Then and there ho concentrated
himself to a life work as a publicist, uncon
scious at first, but moro conscious as tho work
proceeded. As he insisted, "When I started, I
had.no idea Of entering public life so early, ex
cept possibly that I might servo for a term or
two in Congress." The experience in Congress
and tho political situation as presented in 1890
led him on to his life work in pushing forward
ideas rather than his own candidacy. When I
met him in Chicago, after the Republican con
vention adjourned in 1912, a gleam In his eyes
Indicated something was going to happen to the
slate that proclaimed Alton Parker chairman,
and things did happen the nomination of
Woodrow Wilson resulted.
'Whatever may, bo said about Mr. Bryan po
litically, none can gainsay his clean-handed,
highminded, conscientious, Christian character
and manhood. Unswerving in his principles,
he has held the confidences of a large following
thru tho ups and downs of a political career and
has always "come back." Tho consistency and
purity of his personal Hfo has always held -for
him a legion of devoted admirers. The history
of these stirring times cannot be written with
out taking coenlzance of the activities &q4
achievements of William Jennings uryan.
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