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LINCOLN NBB., SATURDAY. OCTOBER 10, 1806,
EXTXUD IK TH POST OTT1CM AT LIXCOUI
A LCOKD-CLASS MATTXK
PUBLISHED EVERY 8ATURDAT
BI
TIE COORIER PRINTING AND P0BL1SHIN6 Ct
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1 OBSERVATIONS 1
Wo have entered upon the last month
of the campaign. A few weeks more
and the voice of the stump speaker will
be stilled, the campaign torch will have
sputtered and Hashed for the last time,
and, it is to be hoped, there will come a
compensating quiet for the turbulence
of what has been one of the most re
markable political contests in the his
tory of the country. At this time, when
the campaign is two-thirds gone, it may
be interesting to review some of its
more prominent features.
The presidential campaign of ISflG
started with an oratorical feat, and
oratory has been a distinguishing char
acteristic ever since. There have been
more speeches and better speeches in
this campaign than in any that have
preceded it. In some campaigns there
have been debates and addresses quite
as conspicuous as any that have marked
the present contest, but when we con
sider the number of oratorical achieve
ments, the diversity of effort, the dig
nity of the speakers, in the campaign
that is now on, it must be clear that all
records have been broken.
Mr. Bryan has. done a world of talk
ing that very properly went into one ear
and out of the other. With theeo eph
emeral and very boyish declamations
we have nothing to do in a consideration
of the eloquence of political debates.
But Mr. Bryan has made two remark
able speeches, one the inflammatory and
more or less incendiary utterance in
Chicago that was used as a bait for the
presidential nomination, and the other,
the labored and much ridiculed address
delivered in Madison Square Garden,
New York. The crown of thorns and
cross of gold speech, ridiculous as it
seems, when dissected and considered
sentence by sentence, was a masterful
appeal to the emotions and prejudices
of mankind, and stamped its author as,
it not a great man, at least one who
understands human nature. Much as
it has been criticised and condemned and
made light of that speech was
the greatest act of Mr. Bryan's life.
Mr. Bryan went to Chicago with
a definite object in view. Ho was to
meet a multitude of strangers, and by
the simple eloquence of a speech, win a
nomination for president. Did ever
orator for such honor contend? Mr.
Bryan knew full well that his address
must be no ordinary, conventional
speech. It must stir men to their very
hearts, and rouse them as they had
never beon roused before. Mr. Bryan
set about his task with a s erene confi
dence that almost make us believe
he is a great man. And the result! In
that Bpeech he sounded the depths of
human cupidity and desire. lie in
flamed men with his fiery words, lie
melted them with his emotion, lie
aroused them with bis holiness. To ac
complish his purpose he ventured closer
to the red flag of danger than ever man
in a like position ventured before. lie
risked a riot and won the prizj! That
achievement must ever stand as an un
exampled personal triumph, worthy of
ranking with the greatest efforts of the
world's greatest orators. The second
speech of importance made by Mr.
Bryan, that in New York, accepting the
popocratic nomination, was remarkable
for the contrast to the Chicago speech
which it afforded. In the heart of the
"enemy's country" Mr. Bryan laid aside
all of those arts and graces with which
he bad hypnotized the national demo
cratic convention, and made a sober at
tempt to convince the people of the east
that he was not as dangerous a man as
the public had been led to believe by
his unbridled eloquence in the first
speech. While it lost in force by rea
son of the fact that it was made up of
denials of what were in many cases
imaginary accusations, instead of being
an aggressive independent declaration
of principles, it was a fair presentation
of the socialist program which he is
pledged to carry out, and was one of
Mr. Bryan's best speeches. In fai.t it
was the only dignified address on the
issues in this campaign that Mr. Bryan
has delivered.
In the annals of American public
speeches there is no recDrd of an
achievement such as Mr. McKinley ha.
wrought at Canton since ho received the
republican nomination for president.
Tho pilgrimages to the little Ohio to-vn
have made a demand upon the candi
date's intellectual powers that, had he
been an ordinary man, would have
vielded a product that would have sub
jected him to much advereo criticism.
Few men would have attempted to re
spond to thesd unlimited calls, and prob
ably no man in the country could have
duplicated Major McKinley's great
triumph. The republican candidate
has appeared in a new light. Ho has
been shown to bo a man of versatile
talents, of infinite tact, of great mental
power, of broad statesmanship, of un
varying dignity.
But Mr. Bryan and Major McKinley
have not had a monoply of tho oratory
in this campaign. Bourko Cochran, in
many respects, the best public speaker
in the country, has given us some of his
best work from the platform and Carl
Schurz has added to his renown. The
best all round stump speeches that have
been made on either side have been the
witty talks, full of apparent concessions
the enemy, delivered by Tom Reed.
President Harrison, our own Thurs
ton, Poraker, Sherman, Depew, Tillman
Watson, Williams aud many others have
mado notable efforts. It has been a
talking campaign.
The tour or tho generals was an inspira
tion on the part of tho re.
publican campaign managers.
And the pilgrimages to Can
ton constitute one of the most effective
campaign demonstrations. Mr. Bryan's
tour is without a parallel. Whether it
was a good move may be apparent after
election. Tho most striking fact on the
popocratic side is that the pseudo demo
cratic candidate is making his tight
without any assistance whatever from
the men who have in times past led the
party. Arthur Puo Gorman continues
to croon "Maryland, My Maryland." He
does not shout for Bryan. David Ben
nett Hill is preserving a golden silence.
Grover Cleveland is dumb. Bland has
retired. Carlisle, Palmer, Morton,
Watterson, Dana the brainy men of the
democratic party, are all working
against Bryan. Mr. Bryan has over
turned precedent, ignored committees,
and ridden rough shod over all political
traditions and usages. He has invoked
the assistance of irresponsible and irre
pressible men like Tillman aad Pen
noyer and slighted the only men who
could have been of any use to him.
Another striking fact is the unanimity
of tho press. Not fifteen journals of
metropolitan importance are supporting
Bryan. Never before has thoro b.on
anything like tho present unanimity.
On tho republican Bide it is to bo noted
that in tho first half of the campaign
the managers were stricken with fear,
and that in tho latter halt they are over
confident, and altogether too jubilanti
But the overshadowing fuct of this
campaign is that for the first time in tho
country's history, socialism has forged
its way to tho front, and become the
only question at issue botweon political
parties. It is idle to contend that the
free and unlimited coinage of silver at
the ratio of sixteen to ono without
waiting for the consent of any
other nation, is tin issuo in
this campaign. This is a mero pre
text. Tho real question to bo decided
on the 3rd of November is whether so
cialist or communist idei.s shall prevail;
whether this country shall bo turned
o'er to novices with revolutionary ideas,
to tho exclusion of men who have made
this government what it is. This is a
socialist campaign, and Mr. Bryan is the
chief socialist. It is frco socialism
against conservatism.
Mr. Bryan has now been before the
public constantly for two months. He
has mado a distinct impression on the
public mind. The thought is su?g3sted.
Have we, here in Lincoln and Nooraska,
where we know Mr. Bryan so well, done
him full justice? Have wo been mis
taken in our estimate of the boycandtdate?
Has our famiiiarity with him made us
insensible to his qualities of greatness?
Is he a great man? Mr. Bryan has been
critically considered in these columns,
and our endeavor has been to bo entire
ly honest and fair in our opinions. We
have always conceded Mr. Bryan to ba
a remarkable man. and with due re
Bpect to his achievements in this cam
paign, it does not seni that any further
concession is warranted. Washington
was a great man; 6o was Jefferson; so
was Hamilton; so was Lincoln; so was
Grant; so, in a measure was Blaine, and
so, equally qualified, is Cleveland. Mr
Bryan is not great like any of thesomen.
It must be remembered that Mr. Bryan's
triumphs have always been purely ora
torical. He has never manifested in
tellectual power. He is dsvoid of origin
ality. His name is associated with no
principle of government, no great ac
complishment, no successful legislation.
He has simply taken up with his tongue
what others have originated in their
brains, and given a glitter toother men's!
thoughts. He has remarkable
adaptability. He has a good'
understanding of men, and a'
genius for politics. As a proph9t he has
won great triumphs and scored signal
defeats. He is daring and pugnacious.
He has never lost his temper more than
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