i
10 The Conservative.
. ;
BRYAN , WILLIAM JENNINGS.
Editor , valedictorian and retired
politician. Born , Salem , 111. , March
10 , 18GO , with a silver ladle in his
mouth. Has been using it over since.
Reckoned on basis of sixteen to one ,
lie was sixteen years of ago at the end
of his first year , which accounts for
his extraordinary precocity , and is
now 056 years old , which accounts for
his marvelous sagacity.
In 1887 , acting on the principle of
"sweets to the sweet , " ho moved tow
" , ' , . )
EDITOR BRYAN IN HIS "SANCTUM. "
Lincoln , Neb. , "Lincoln to Lincoln"
being his motto. Entered congress
1 r f 1 in 18fll , and was chosen Almost-Soua-
* fii [ tor in 1898 and 1804 , as a member of
" " . the Near-Silk wing of the Nebraska
democracy. In 1896 ho was sent as a
' delegate and correspondent to the national
: , f
tional democratic convention at Chicago
cage , and knowing how to write , an
.WI accomplishment early acquired in the
public schools of Illinois , ho framed
a silver plank in the party platform.
As a reward for this achievement ,
augmented by a ten-minute speech of
the 16 to 1 order sixteen parts elo
quence and one of reason ho received
the nomination for the presidency of
the United States defeating William
Sulzer , Benjamin R. Tillman and
Andrew Jackson , by tlio signal major
ity of a unanimous vote.
An active campaign followed , and
Mr. Bryan traveled six thousand
leagues and made four hundred thou
sand miles of speeches , with such
effectiveness that ho was . granted
leave of absence from public service
for four years , although his platform ,
calling for an oighteon-cont dollar
and the execution by hanging of the
supreme court of the United States ,
appealed strongly to a large 'number
of his fellow citizens. Ronominated
In 1900 and was again defeated by ac
clamation. Since 1900 has retired to
Lincoln , Nob.
During the Spanish war Mr. Bryan
raised an infantry regiment the
Third Nebraska volunteers becoming
, w 1 ?
its colonel. It penetrated Spanish
territory as far as Jacksonville , Fla. ,
but met with such \inoxpected resist
ance from the forces intrenched at
Washington that it never succeeded in
reaching the front.
Mr. Bryan was mustered out in
1900 , and has remained on the outside
ever since. He has his fine points
and is every body's friend , but has
practically renounced his presidential
aspirations by becoming an editor.
In rejecting 99 per cent of the MSS.
submitted by his fellow democrats , as
required by the limitations of space
to do , he has naturally weakened his
hold upon his party , and it is doubt
ful if he is over again chosen to lead
it to defeat. Business address , Lin
coln , Neb. ; permanent home , Way-
Back-on-the-Sit-Down Salt River
- - - - , ,
U. S. A. Kansas City Star.
POSTAL CURRENCY.
A unique feature in congressional
legislation this winter is presented in
the promotion of a postal currency.
The system was devised , perfected
and patented by a private citizen , who
offers the result of his effort to the
government free of all cost. The sys
tem has the approval of many officials ,
and is endorsed by a long list of man
ufacturers and business houses
throughout the country. Publishers
and farmers are especially interested ,
in that the new currency promises an
easy way for a man in the country to
promptly send remittance for his
favorite publication. Under the pres
ent inconvenient inonoyjwdor system
the individual desiring to send a small
sum of money through the mail is met
by the necessity for a time-killing
journey to the postoffico to obtain
safe money. This sets up a barrier
to the prompt transaction of business
and results in much loss from the
fact that many people never carry
out their original intention to sub
scribe or purchase. The need is for
money in the hands of the people
that can be safely and instantly sent
by letter.
The provisions of the "post check"
currency bill , now before congress ,
introduced in the senate by Mr. Mc
Millan , and in the house by Mr.
Gardner , of Michigan , provides for
printing the one , two aud five dollar
bills in the future with blank spaces
on the face. These bills , of course ,
pass from hand to hand before
the blanks are filled. When
it is desired to send one in
the mails the blanks are filled in
with the name of the payee , his city
and state , a 2-cent [ postage stamp is
placed , in another blank space and
canceled with the initials of the send
er in ink , the name [ of the sender is
signed on the back , andrpresto 1 his
money has suddenly ceased to exist as
currency and has been transformed
into a check on the United States gov
ernment , having all the safety of any
bank check , and ready for iuclosuro
in his letter. When the payee receives
this check ho treats it just as he
would'any other check indorses it ,
goe's to the nearest bank or postoffico
and deposits it or has it cashed.
The paid check finally reaches the
treasury department , when it is re
placed by a new one with the spaces
unfilled. This keeps the circulation
at par. No change whatever is made
in the financial policy of the government -
ment , the only change being in the
character of the printing on thejjills
of five dollars and under.
The bill also provides for the issue
of $75,000,000 "of fractional currency ,
with blank spaces similar to the
larger denominations , in place of an
equal amount of money of larger de
nominations , presumably twenty and
fifty dollar bills. The provision un
der the new system for a continual
reissue insures clean money both in
the fractional currency and in the
larger bills. The government fee on
the five , ton , fifteen , twenty-five , and
fifty cent pieces is to bo one cent
each. Washington Star.
MYSTERY IN THE SCHLEY CASE.
It was supposed that four official
inquiries and the fervid discussion
of the Santiago campaign for nearly
four years by the press had left no -
thing unsaid about the Schley case.
The English language had apparentlv
been exhausted in giving expression to
every shade of opinion that could bo
imagined or tortured from the one
undisputed fact of the destruction of
Oorvora's fleet.
But yesterday's Chicago Journal
contained the following enigmatical
and highly sensational line imbedded
in its report of the house committee
on naval affairs refusing to consider
the subject further :
stcltrglar&r ( mstoi.b : ff@notbaam
This necessitates a reopening of the
whole case , but the American people
have an unquenchable curiosity for
the solving of cryptograms. If Ad
miral Schloy is not our "baa" whoso
"baa" is ho ? Chicago Record-Her
ald.
ANNOUNCEMENT.
Wo have been for some weeks past
publishing little extracts from the
Journal of Captains Lewis aud Clark ,
illustrating the adventures that befell
them on their road across the conti
nent , by way of tholMissonri and Co
lumbia rivers , in the winter of 1804-5.
Wo begin with this issue of The
Consorvativo7"a series of articles on
other early explorers and inhabitants
of the Louisiana Purchase and the
