Speeches of William Jennings Bryan
Bryan, William Jennings, 1860-1925
> wHv, *. '• V : V->. ' *■ V ‘ v V ■ V wgm. 'Ui». ,.r*H l»<<i4i»«t4«U<»*‘' Speeches of William Jennings Bry VOLUME I Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2019 with funding from Kahle/Austin Foundation https://archive.org/details/speechesofwilliaOOOObrya Photograph by Walinger, Chicago (X*<- « ' - Speeches of William Jennings Bryan Revised and Arranged by Himself WITH A BIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION BY MARY BAIRD BRYAN, HIS WIFE In Two Volumes VOLUME I 264 FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY NEW YORK and LONDON 1911 fc_ 1^7 Cc V . ^-\ COPYRIGHT, 1909, BY WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN Printed in the United State* of America Published November, 1909 ! I do not know Where falls the seed that I have tried to sow With greatest care; But I shall know The meaning of each waiting hour below Some time, somewhere ! — Rev. F. S. Browning. 165899 CONTENTS VOLUME I PAGE Biographical Introduction . xi SPEECHES ON TAXATION AND BIMETALISM I. The Tariff (1892). II. Bimetalism (1893). III. Unconditional Repeal (1893). IV. An Income Tax (1894) V. The Omnivorous West (1894). VI. Money (1894) .... VII. In the Chicago Convention (1896) VIII. The Silver Question (1896) IX. The Tariff (1908). 3 78 . 146 . 159 . 180 . 191 . 238 . 250 . 291 1 VII BIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION XII BRYAN’S SPEECHES were born, all of whom are deceased. The oldest, William, removed to Missouri in early life and lived near Troy. John and Howard died in in¬ fancy. Jane married Joseph Cheney and lived at Gallipolis, Ohio. Nancy married George Baltzell, and lived in Marion County, Illinois. Martha married Homer Smith, and lived at Gallipolis, Ohio, later removing to Marion County, Illinois. The next child, Robert, a physician, was killed in a steamboat explosion while yet a young man. Silas Lillard, father of William Jennings Bryan, was born November 4, 1822, near Sperryville, in what was then Culpeper, but is now a part of Rap¬ pahannock County, Virginia. The next child, Rus¬ sell, located at Salem, Illinois. Elizabeth, the youngest of the family, married another George Baltzell and removed to Lewis County, Missouri. About the year 1828 John Bryan removed with his family to the western portion of Virginia, in what is now West Virginia. His last residence was near Point Pleasant, where both he and his wife died, the latter in 1834, the former in 1836. Silas Lillard Bryan, when still a boy, went West and made his home a part of the time with his sis¬ ter, Nancy Baltzell, and a part of the time with his brother, William. He was ambitious to obtain an education, and after making his way through the public schools, entered McKendree College, at Leb¬ anon, Illinois, where he completed his course, grad¬ uating with honors, in 1849. Owing to lack of means he was occasionally compelled to drop out of college for a time and earn enough to continue his studies. At first he spent these vacations working BIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION xrn as a farm hand, but later, when sufficiently ad¬ vanced in his studies, taught school. After gradua¬ tion he studied law, was admitted to the bar, and, at the age of twenty-nine, began practice at Salem, Illinois. On November 4th, 1852, he married Mariah Elizabeth Jennings. During the same year he was elected to the State Senate and served in that body for eight years. In 1860 he was elected to the circuit bench, and served twelve years. In 1872 he was nominated for Congress upon the Democratic ticket, receiving the endorsement of the Greenback party. He was defeated by a plurality of 240 by General James Martin, Republican can¬ didate. As a member of the convention of 1872, which framed the present Constitution of Illinois, he introduced a resolution declaring it to be the sense of the convention that all offices, legislative, executive and judicial, provided for by the new Constitution, should be filled by elections by the people. Before his election to the bench, and after his retirement therefrom, he practised law in Mar¬ ion and the adjoining counties. He was a member of the Baptist Church, the church to which his parents belonged, and was a very devout man. He prayed at morning, noon and night, and was a firm believer in providential direction in the affairs of life. Silas Lillard Bryan was a man of strong charac¬ ter, stern integrity and high purpose. He took rank among the best lawyers in Southern Illinois, and was a very graceful and forcible speaker. His mind was philosophical and his speeches argumenta¬ tive. In politics he was a Democrat in the broadest XIV BRYAN’S SPEECHES sense of the word and had an abiding faith in re¬ publican institutions and in the capacity of the people for self government. He was a staunch defender of higher education and gave financial as well as moral support to various institutions of learning. He regarded the science of government as highly honorable and set apart the guest cham¬ ber of his home for “politicians and divines.” He was broad and tolerant in his religious views. It was his custom, after he removed to the farm, to send a load of hay at harvest time to each preacher and priest in Salem. While a public man during a large part of his life, he was eminently domestic. He died March 30, 1880, and was buried in the cemetery at Salem. His will provided that all of his children should be encouraged to secure “the highest education which the generation af¬ fords.” The J ennings family has lived so long in America that descendants of its pioneers do not know the date of their coming to the colonies ; nor is it known nositively from what country they came ; they are believed to have been English. Israel Jennings, who was born about 1774, is the earliest known an¬ cestor. He was married to Mary Waters about 1799, and lived in Mason County, Kentucky. In 1818 he moved with his family to Walnut Hill, Marion County, Illinois, where his wife died in 1844 and he in 1860. He was the father of eight children: Israel, Jr., George, Charles Waters, of whom I shall speak later ; William W. ; Elizabeth, who married William Davidson; America, who married George Davidson ; Mary, who married Ed- BIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION xv ward White, and Ann, who married Rufus Mc- Elwain. All are now dead. Charles Waters Jennings was married to Maria Woods Davidson, on December 14th, 1826, and es¬ tablished a home adjoining the Israel Jennings homestead. He died in 1872, and his wife in 1885. To this pair were born eight sons and two daugh¬ ters: Josephus Waters, deceased, who lived near the home of his father; Harriet, who married B. F. Marshall, of Salem, Illinois, both deceased; Sarah, who married Robert D. Noleman, of Centralia, Illi¬ nois, both deceased; Mariah Elizabeth, the mother of William Jennings Bryan; America, deceased, who married William C. Stites, then of Marion County, Illinois; Nancy, who married Dr. James A. Davenport and lives at Salem, Illinois; Docia, who married A. Van Antwerp, and lives at St. Louis, Missouri; and Zadock, who lives near Wal¬ nut Hill. Mariah Elizabeth Jennings, Mr. Bryan’s mother, was born near Walnut Hill, Illinois, on May 24th, 1834. She attended the public schools of the neigh¬ borhood, and when nearly grown was the pupil of Silas L. Bryan, who was nearly twelve years her senior. At an early age she connected herself with the Methodist Episcopal Church, which was the church of her parents, and remained a member until about 1877, when she united with the Baptist Church, at Salem, to which her husband belonged. She was a woman of excellent sense and superior skill in management. Her husband’s frequent ab¬ sence from home threw upon her a large portion of the responsibility for the care and discipline of the XVI BRYAN’S SPEECHES family, and for some years after his death her en¬ tire time was given to the nurture and education of the five minor children. When the boys were grown she removed from the farm to Salem, and became an active worker in her church and in socie¬ ties for social improvement. She always took a deep interest in the political fortunes of her son William, and for counsel and instruction he has always felt indebted to her equally with his father. She lived during the later years of her life in a home which William bought for her use with the first savings from his Congressional salary. After a lingering illness, which she bore writh great pa¬ tience, she died on the 27th of June, 1896, and was laid to rest by the side of her husband. To Silas Lillard and Mariah Elizabeth Bryan were born nine children. Of these Virginia, John and Hiram died in infancy. Russell Jones, born June 12th, 1864, died at the age of 17, on the eve of his departure for college; and Nancy Lillard died at the age of 34. Four children are now liv¬ ing, namely: Frances Mariah. born March 18th, 1858 ; William Jennings, born March 19th, 1860 ; Charles Wayland, born February 10th, 1867 ; Mary Elizabeth, born May 14th, 1872. Francis M. Bryan (now Baird), lives at Shaw, Mississippi, and Charles W. and Mary Elizabeth Bryan (now Allen) live in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Bryan, Lillard, Jennings and Davidson fami¬ lies all belonged to the middle classes. They were industrious, law-abiding, God-fearing people. No member of the family ever became very rich, and none ever abjectly poor. Farming has been the BIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION xvn occupation of the majority, while others have fol¬ lowed the legal and medical professions and mercan¬ tile pursuits. "William Jennings Bryan, as a boy, was sturdy, round-limbed and fond of play. There is a tradi¬ tion that his appetite developed very early. The pockets of his first trousers were always filled with bread, which he kept for an emergency. One of the memories belonging to this period is that he was ambitious to be a minister, but this soon gave place to a desire to be a farmer, and that to a deter¬ mination to become a lawyer “like father.” This purpose became the controlling one, and his educa¬ tion wras directed toward that end. Mr. Bryan’s father purchased a farm of five hundred acres, one mile from the village, and when William was six years old the family removed to this new home. Here he studied, worked and played, until ten years of age, his mother being his teacher. He learned to read quite early. After committing lessons to memory he would stand upon a little table and speak them to his mother. This was his first recorded effort at speech-making. His work was to feed the deer which his father kept in a small park, and help care for the horses, cows, pigs and chickens ; in short the variety of work known as “doing chores.” His favorite sport was rabbit hunting with dogs. I am not sure that these expeditions were harmful to the game, but they have furnished his only fund of hunt¬ ing adventures for the amusement of our chil¬ dren. At the age of ten William entered the public XVIII BRYAN’S SPEECHES school at Salem. During his five years’ attendance he was not an especially brilliant pupil, tho he never failed in examinations. In connection with his studies he developed an interest in the work of literary and debating societies. His father’s Con¬ gressional campaign in 1872 led to his first political awakening. From that time he always cherished the thought of entering public life. His idea was first to win a reputation and secure a competency at the bar, and then to enter politics, but he seized an unexpected opportunity which came to him in 1890. At fourteen Mr. Bryan became a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Later he joined the First Presbyterian Church at Jacksonville, Illi¬ nois, and upon our removal to Nebraska, brought his “letter” to the First Presbyterian Church of Lincoln, and later took his “letter” to the West¬ minster Presbyterian Church of the same city, to which he still belongs. As a matter of convenience, however, he and his family attend the Normal Methodist Church near his farm. At fifteen Mr. Bryan entered Whipple Academy, the preparatory department of Illinois College, at Jacksonville, and with this step a changed life be¬ gan. Yacation found him at home, but for eight years he led the life of a student, and then took up the work of his profession. Six years of his school life were spent in Jacksonville, in the home of Dr. Hiram K. Jones, a relative. The atmosphere of this home had its influence upon the growing lad. Dr. Jones was a man of strong character, of scholarly tastes, and of high ideals, and during the existence BIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION xix of the Concord School of Philosophy was a lecturer upon Platonic Philosophy. Dr. Jones’s wife, too, was a woman of rare attainments, and having no children, they gave the youth a home in the fullest sense of that word. Mr. Bryan ’s parents wished him to take a classi¬ cal course and while sometimes he grumbled over his Latin and Greek, he has since recognized the i wisdom of their choice. Of these two languages, j Latin was his favorite. He had a strong preference for mathematics, and especially for geometry, and has believed that the mental discipline acquired in this study has since been useful in argument. He was also an earnest student of political economy. This entrance into college life brings to mind an incident which shows both the young man’s rapid growth and his father’s practical views. During the first year of his absence from home he discov¬ ered, as his holidays drew near, that his trousers were becoming too short, and wrote home for money to buy a new pair. His father responded that, as it was so near vacation, he need not make any purchase until he reached home, and added: “My son, you may as well learn now, that people will measure you by the length of your head, rather than by the length of your breeches.” In college athletics, while he played very little at baseball or football, he was fond of foot-racing and jumping. Three years after graduation, on Osage Orange Day, he won a medal for the broad or stand¬ ing jump, in a contest open to students and alumni. The medal records twelve feet and four inches as the distance covered. XX BRYAN’S SPEECHES A prize contest always fired Mr. Bryan’s ambi¬ tion. It may interest boys who read these pages to know of his record then in contest, and to note his gradual rise. During his first year at the Acad¬ emy he declaimed Patrick Henry’s masterpiece and not only failed to win a prize, but ranked well down in the list. Nothing daunted, the second year found him again entered with “The Palmetto and the Pine” as his subject. This time he ranked third. The next year, when a Freshman, he tried for a prize in Latin prose, and won half the second prize. Later in the year he declaimed “Bernardo del Carpio,” and gained the second prize. In his Sophomore year he entered another contest, with an essay on the not altogether novel subject, “La¬ bor.” This time the first prize rewarded his work. In the Junior year an oration on “Individual Power” gave him the first prize. A part of this prize was a volume of Bryant’s poems. Mr. Bryan afterwards gave me this book, his first gift, because it contained his favorite poem, “An Ode to a Water- fowl, ’ ’ which concludes : He who, from zone to zone, Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight, In the long way that I must tread alone, Will lead my steps aright. The winning of the Junior prize entitled him to represent Illinois College in the intercollegiate ora¬ torical contest which was held at Galesburg, Illinois, in the fall of 1880. His oration was on “Justice,” and was awarded the second prize of fifty dollars. Gen. John C. Black, of Illinois, was one of the BIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION xxi judges in this contest and marked Mr. Bryan one hundred in delivery. Upon invitation of Mr. Black, the young man called on him at his hotel and re¬ ceived many valuable suggestions on the art of speaking. At the time of graduation he was elected class orator and, having the highest rank in schol¬ arship during the four years’ course, delivered the valedictory. Upon entering the academy he had joined the Sigma Pi society, and was an active member for six years, profiting much by the train¬ ing in essay, declamation and debate. My personal knowledge of Mr. Bryan dates from September, 1879. He was then entering his Junior year. At the risk of departing from the purpose of this biography, I shall speak of my first impres¬ sions. I saw him first in the parlors of the young ladies’ school which I attended in Jacksonville. He entered the room with several other students, was taller than the rest, and attracted my attention at once. His face was pale and thin ; a pair of keen, dark eyes looked out from beneath heavy brows; his nose was prominent — too large to look well, I thought; a broad, thin-lipped mouth and a square chin, completed the contour of his face. He was neat, though not fastidious in dress, and stood firmly and with dignity. I noted particularly his hair and his smile, the former black in color, plen¬ tiful (it is thinner now), fine in quality, and parted distressingly straight; the latter, expansive and expressive. In later years his smile has been the subject of considerable comment, but the well- rounded cheeks of Mr. Bryan now check its onward march. No one has seen the real breadth of his XXII BRYAN’S SPEECHES smile who did not see it in the early days. Upon one occasion, a heartless observer was heard to re¬ mark, ‘ ‘ That man can whisper in his own ear, ’ ’ but this was a cruel exaggeration. During the summer of 1880 Mr. Bryan was booked for his first political meeting. I record the details of this gathering for the encouragement of young speakers. He was to make a Democratic speech at a farmer’s picnic near Salem, and the bills announced two other speakers, Mr. Bryan standing third on the list. On reaching the grove he found the two speakers and an audience of four, namely, the owner of the grove, one man in control of a wheel of fortune, and two men in charge of a lemonade stand. After waiting an hour for an audience which failed to come, the meeting ad¬ journed sine die, and Mr. Bryan went home. Later in the fall, however, he made four speeches for Han¬ cock and English, the first being delivered in the court house at Salem. The graduating exercises of Illinois College oc¬ curred in June, 1881. Mr. Bryan’s oration and valedictory address will be found in this collection of speeches. When the autumn came he entered the Union College of Law at Chicago. Out of school hours his time was spent in the office of ex- Senator Lyman Trumbull, who had been a political friend of Mr. Bryan’s father. This acquaintance, together with the fact that a warm friendship ex¬ isted between Mr. Bryan and his law school class¬ mate, Henry Trumbull, the judge’s son, led to the establishment of a second foster home — a home in which he and his family ever found a cordial BIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION xxiii welcome. In this home, then lately bereft of its head, he spent his first Sabbath after the Chicago Democratic National Convention of 1896. ■> Mr. Bryan ranked well in the law school, taking an especial interest in constitutional law. He was connected with the debating society of the college, and took an active part in its meetings. At gradu¬ ation his thesis was a defense of the jury system. His first fee was earned in the County Court at Salem. To these years of study belong many things which are of interest to us, but which are too trivial for the public eye. I shall venture upon one, how¬ ever. Many people have remarked upon the fond¬ ness which Mr. Bryan shows for quoting Scripture. This habit is one of long standing, as the follow¬ ing circumstance shows. The time came when it seemed proper to have a little conversation with my father and this was something of an ordeal, as my father was a rather reserved man. In his dilem¬ ma, William sought refuge in the Scriptures, and began: “Mr. Baird, I have been reading Proverbs' a good deal lately, and find that Solomon says: ‘Whoso findeth a wife, findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord!’ ” Father, being something of a Bible scholar himself, replied : “Yes, I believe Solomon did say that, but Paul suggests that, while he that marrieth doeth well, he that marrieth not doeth better.” This was dishearten¬ ing, but the young man saw his way through. “Solomon,” he rejoined, “would be the better authority upon this point, because Paul was never married, while Solomon had a number of wives.” XXIV ' BRYAN’S SPEECHES After this friendly tilt the matter was satisfactorily arranged.* On July 4, 1883, Mr. Bryan began the practise of his profession in Jacksonville. Desk room was ob¬ tained in the office of Brown & Kirby, one of the leading firms in the city, and the struggle encoun¬ tered by all young professional men began. The first six months were rather trying to his patience, and he was compelled to supplement his earnings by a small advance from home. Toward the close of the year he entered into correspondence with his former law school classmate, Henry Trumbull, then located at Albuquerque, New Mexico, and discussed with him the advisability of removing to that Terri- * Readers will like to have printed here a note, obtained by the publisher, as to the lady whom Mr. Bryan married. Mary Baird Bryan was the only child of John and Lovina Baird. John Baird was a prosperous merchant of Perry, Illinois. Mrs. Bryan was born June 17, 1861. After a course in the public schools she attended for one year Monticello Seminary, at Godfrey, Illinois, and for two years the Presbyterian Academy at Jacksonville, Illinois, gradu¬ ating from the latter institution with first honors in June, 1881. She has continued her studies since graduation, giv¬ ing special attention to German. After her marriage, in 1SS4, she read law, with her husband as instructor, taking the course prescribed in the Union College of Law of Chi¬ cago. She was admitted to practise in the Supreme Court of Nebraska in November, 1888. This course of study was not taken up with a view to entering practise, but in order to put herself in closer relations with her husband, to whom she has been a real helpmeet in every sense of the term. He has often acknowledged his indebtedness to her for con¬ stant and valuable assistance in his work. She is devoted to her home, and to her children has been both mother and companion. She became a member of the Methodist Church, the church of her parents, in early life, but after her mar¬ riage took a “letter” to the Presbyterian Church. BIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION xxv tory. After the 1st of January, however, clients became more numerous, and he felt encouraged to make Jacksonville his permanent home. The fol¬ lowing spring he took charge of the collection de¬ partment of Brown & Kirby’s office, and in a little more than a year his income seemed large enough to support two. During the summer of 1884 a modest home was planned and built, and on Octo¬ ber 1, 1884, we were married. During the next three years we lived comfort¬ ably, tho economically, and laid by a small amount. Politics lost none of its charms, and each campaign found Mr. Bryan speaking, usually in our own county. Three years after graduation he attended the commencement at Illinois College, delivered the Master’s oration, and received the degree. His subject on that occasion was “American Citizen¬ ship.” In the summer of 1887 legal business called him to Kansas and Iowa, and a Sabbath was spent in Lincoln, Nebraska, with a law school classmate, Hon. A. R. Talbot. Mr. Bryan was greatly imprest with the beauty and business enterprise of Lincoln, and with the ad¬ vantages which a growing capital furnishes for a young lawyer. He returned to Illinois full of enthusiasm for the West, and perfected plans for our removal thither. No political ambitions entered into this change of residence, as the city, county and State were strongly republican. He arrived in Lincoln, October 1, 1887, and a partnership was formed with Mr. Talbot. As Mr. Bryan did not share in the salary which Mr. Talbot received as a railroad attorney, he had to begin again at the XXVI BRYAN’S SPEECHES bottom of the ladder. During this winter our daughter Ruth and I remained in Jacksonville. In the following spring a second house was built at 1625 D street, and the family was reunited in its Western home. The practise again became suffi¬ cient for our needs, and during the three years which followed we were again able to add to our reserve fund. I might here suggest an answer to a hostile criticism, namely, that Mr. Bryan did not distinguish himself as a lawyer. Those who thus complain should consider that he entered the prac¬ tise at twenty-three and left it at thirty-one, and during that period began twice, and twice became more than self-supporting. At the time of his election to Congress his practise was in a thriving condition, and fully equal to that of any man of his age in the city. Mr. Bryan often met such demands as are com¬ monly made upon lawyers in the way of short ad¬ dresses, toasts, etc. Some of this post-prandial oratory was employed in the discussion of questions of public importance. The following was a toast upon “The Law and the Gospel,” delivered in the spring of 1890 at a banquet given by the St. Paul Methodist Church of Lincoln, in honor of some distinguished visitors : It is rather by accident than by design that this senti¬ ment has fallen to me. Had not my law partner been called unexpectedly from the State he would have responded with more propriety and more ability to “The Law and the Gospel.” These are important words : each covers a wide field by itself and together they include all government. There is not between them, as some suppose, a wide gulf fixt. Many have commenced with us only to be called to a higher sphere, BIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION xxvii and a few ministers have come to us when they were con¬ vinced that they had answered to another’s call. In the earlier days the prophet was also the lawgiver. He who wore the priestly robe held in his hands the scales of justice. But times are changed. For the good of the State and for the welfare of the church, the moral and the civil law have been separated. To-day we owe a double allegiance, and “render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.” Their governments are concentric circles and can never interfere. Between what religion commands and what the law compels there is, and ever must be, a wide margin, as there is also between what religion forbids and what the law prohibits. In many things we are left to obey or disobey the instructions of the Divine Ruler, answerable to Him only for our conduct. The gospel deals with the secret purposes of the heart as well as with the outward life, while the civil law must content itself with restraining the arm outstretched for another’s hurt or with punishing the offender after the injury is done. Next to the ministry, I know of no more noble profession than the law. The object aimed at is justice, equal and exact, and if it does not reach that end at once it is because the stream is diverted by selfishness or checked by igno¬ rance. Its principles ennoble and its practise elevates. If you point to the pettifogger, I will answer that he is as much out of place in the temple of justice as is the hypo¬ crite in the house of God. You will find the “book on tricks” in the library of the legal bankrupt — nowhere else. In no business in life do honesty, truthfulness and uprightness of conduct pay a larger dividend upon the investment than in the law. He is not only blind to his highest welfare and to his greatest good, but also treading upon dangerous ground, who fancies that mendacity, loquacity and perti¬ nacity are the only accomplishments of a successful lawyer. You cannot judge a man’s life by the success of a moment, by the victory of an hour, or even by the results of a year. You must view his life as a whole. You must stand where you can see the man as he treads the entire path that leads from the cradle to the grave — now crossing the plain, now climbing the steeps, now passing through pleasant fields, now wending his way with difficulty between rugged rocks ■ — tempted, tried, tested, triumphant. The completed life of every lawyer, either by its success or failure, emphasizes XXVIII BRYAN’S SPEECHES the words of Solomon — “The path of the just is as a shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” By practising upon the highest plane the lawyer may not win the greatest wealth, but he wins that which wealth cannot purchase and is content to know and feel that “a good name is rather to be chosen than great riches; and loving favor rather than silver and gold.” There are pioneers of the gospel whose names you speak with reverence, Calvin, Knox, the Wesleys and Asbury, besides many still living, and you love them not without cause. There are those in our profession whom we delight to honor. Justinian and Coke, Blackstone and Jay, Mar¬ shall and Kent, Story and Lincoln, men who have stood in the thickest of the fight, have met every temptation peculiar to our profession, and yet maintained their integrity. It is a fact to which we point with no little pride, that with a history of a hundred years no member of the Supreme Court of the United States has ever been charged with corrupt action altho untold millions have been involved in the litigation before the court. Nor do I now recall any member of the supreme court of any State who has been convicted of misusing his office. “The Law and the Gospel.” Great in their honored names, great in their history, great in their influence. To a certain extent they supplement each other. The law asks of the gospel counsel, not commands. The gospel goes far beyond the reach of law, for while the law must cease to operate when its subject dies, the gospel crosses the dark river of death and lightens up the world which lies beyond the tomb. The law is negative, the gospel positive ; the law says “do not unto others that which you would not have others do unto you,” while the gospel declares that we should “do to others that which we would that others should do unto us.” “The Law and the Gospel.” They form an exception to the rule that in union there is strength, for each is strongest when alone. And I believe that the greatest pros¬ perity of the State and greatest growth of the church will be found when the law and the gospel walk, not hand in hand but side by side. Mr. Bryan became actively connected with the Democratic organization in Nebraska immediately after coming to the State, his first political speech BIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION xxi:< of importance being made at Seward in the spring of 1888. Soon afterward he went as a delegate to the State Convention; this gave him an acquaint¬ ance with the leading Democrats of the State and resulted in a series of speeches. He made A canvass of the First Congressional district that fall in be¬ half of Hon. J. Sterling Morton, and also visited some thirty counties throughout the State. Mr. Morton was defeated by thirty-four hundred, the district being normally republican. When the campaign of 1890 opened there seemed small hope of carrying the district and there was but little rivalry for the nomination. Mr. Bryan was selected without opposition, and at once began a vigorous campaign. An invitation to joint de¬ bate was issued by his committee and accepted by his opponent, Hon. W. J. Connell, of Omaha, who then represented the district. These debates ex¬ cited attention throughout the State. I have always regarded the first debate of this series as marking an important epoch in Mr. Bryan’s life. The meet¬ ing took place in Lincoln. I had never before seen Mr. Bryan so pre-occupied and so intent on making his effort acceptable. He had the opening and the closing speeches. The hall was packed with friends of both candidates and applause was quite evenly divided until the closing speech. I dare not describe this scene as it stands out in my memory. The people had not expected such a summing-up of the discussion ; each sentence contained an argu¬ ment; the audience was surprised, pleased and en¬ thusiastic. The occasion was a Chicago convention in miniature, and delighted Mr. Bryan’s support- I 8 XXX BRYAN’S SPEECHES ers. In addition to these eleven joint contests, Mr. Bryan made a thorough canvass, speaking about eighty times and visiting every city and village in the district. Tho these debates were crisp and sharp in argument, they were marked by the utmost friendliness between the opponents. At the close of the last debate, Mr. Bryan presented Mr. Con¬ nell a copy of Gray ’s Elegy in a brief speech which will be found in this collection. When the returns were all in, it was found that Mr. Bryan was elected by a plurality of 6,713. De¬ siring to give his entire time to his Congressional work, he, soon after election, so arranged his affairs as to retire from practise, altho retaining a nominal connection with the firm. In the speakership caucus with which Congress opened, Mr. Bryan supported Mr. Springer, in whose district we had' lived when at Jacksonville; in the House, he voted for Mr. Crisp, the caucus nominee, and in the Fifty-third Congress voted for Mr. Crisp both in the caucus and in the House. Mr. Springer was made chairman of the Commit¬ tee on Ways and Means, and it was largely through his influence that Mr. Bryan was given a place upon that committee. His first speech of conse¬ quence was the tariff speech of March 16, 1892. This was the second important event in his career as a public speaker. The place which he held upon the Ways and Means Committee is rarely given to a new member, and he wished the speech to justify the appointment. It is perhaps unnecessary for me to comment at length upon the reception ac¬ corded this speech, as the press at the time gave BIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION xxxi such reports that the occasion will probably be re¬ membered by those who read this sketch. This speech increased his acquaintance with pub¬ lic men, and added to his strength at home. More than one hundred thousand copies were circulated by members of Congress. Upon his return to Nebraska he was able to secure reelection in a new district (the State having been reapportioned in 1891) which that year gave the Republican State ticket a plurality of 6,500. His opponent this time was Judge A. W. Field, of our own city. The Democratic committee invited the Republicans to join in arranging a series of debates, and this invitation was accepted. This was even a more bitter contest than the campaign of 1890, Mr. McKinley, Mr. Foraker and others being called to Nebraska to aid the Republican candidate. Be¬ sides the eleven debates, which aroused much enthu¬ siasm, Mr. Bryan again made a thorough canvass of the district. The victory was claimed by both sides until the Friday following the election, when the result was determined by official count, Mr. Bryan receiving a plurality of 140. In the Fifty-third Congress Mr. Bryan was reap¬ pointed upon the Ways and Means Committee and assisted in the preparation of the Wilson bill. He was a member of the sub-committee (consisting of Representatives MacMillan, Montgomery and him¬ self) which drafted the income tax portion of the bill. In the spring of 1893, through the courtesy of the State Department, Mr. Bryan obtained a report from the several European nations which collect an income tax, and the results of this re- xxxn BRYAN’S SPEECHES search were embodied in the Congressional Records during the debate. He succeeded in having incor¬ porated in the bill a provision, borrowed from the Prussian law, whereby the citizens who have tax¬ able incomes make their own returns and those whose incomes are within the exemption are re¬ lieved from annoyance. On behalf of the commit¬ tee, Mr. Bryan closed the debate, replying to Mr. Cockran with the speech given in this volume. During the discussion of the Wilson bill, Mr. Bryan spoke in its defense. His principal work of the term, however, was in connection with monetary legislation. His speech of August 16, 1893, in oppo¬ sition to the unconditional repeal of the Sherman law (printed in this volume) brought out even more hearty commendation than his first tariff speech. Of this effort, it may be said that it con¬ tained the results of three years of study upon the money question. While in Congress he made a fruit¬ less effort to secure the passage of the following bill : Be it enacted, etc. : That section 800 of the Revised Stat¬ utes of the United States, of 1878, be amended by adding thereto the words “In civil cases the verdict of three-fonrths of the jurors constituting the jury shall stand as the verdict of the jury, and such a verdict shall have the same force and effect as a unanimous verdict.” The desire to have the law changed so as to per¬ mit less than a unanimous verdict in civil cases, was one which he had long entertained. In February, 1890, in response to a toast at a bar association banquet in Lincoln, he spoke upon the jury system, advocating the same reform. His remarks were as follows: One of the questions which has been for some time discust,, BIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION xxxra and which is now the subject of controversy, is, “Has the jury system outlived its usefulness?” I think I voice the opinion of most of those present when to the question I answer an emphatic No. To defend this answer it will not be necessary to recall the venerable age of the system, its past achievements, or the splendid words of praise which have been uttered in its behalf. It finds ample excuse for its existence in the needs of to-day. The circumstances which called it into life have passed away and many of its characteristics have been entirely changed, but never, I am persuaded, in the history of the English speaking people, has the principle which underlies the trial by jury been more imperatively demanded than it is to-day. This is an age of rapid accumulation of wealth, and the multiplication of corporations gives to money an extraordi¬ nary power. One million dollars in the hands of one man or one com¬ pany will outweigh, in the political and social world, ten times that sum divided among a thousand people. Can the temple of justice hope to escape its polluting touch without some such barrier as that which the jury system raises for its protection? Is there not something significant in the direction from which much of the complaint against the system comes? If the question, “Shall the jury be abandoned or retained?” were submitted to a vote, we would find prominent among the opposing forces the corporate influences, the wealthy classes, and those busy citizens to whom jury service, or even the duty of an elector, is a burden. While the great mass of its supporters would be found among those who are compelled to fight the battle of life unaided by those powerful allies — social position, political influence and money — men wThose only sword is the ballot, and whose only shield, the jury. The jury system is not perfect — we do not look for perfection in government — but it has this great advantage, that if the verdict falls to one side of the straight line of the law it is usually upon the side of the poorest adversary. All stand equal before the law, whether they be rich or poor, high or low, weak or strong ; but no system has yet been devised which will insure exact justice at all times between man and man. We choose not between a perfect system and an imper* XXXIV BRYAN’S SPEECHES feet ona, but between an imperfect system and one more imperfect still. And if the scales of justice cannot be per¬ fectly poised, the safety of society demands that they tip most easily toward the side of the weak. Faith in trial by jury implies no reflection upon the in¬ tegrity of the bench. We recall with pardonable pride the names of our illustrious judges whose genius and learning have given luster to our professions and whose purity and probity have crowned it with glory. But they won their distinction in expounding the law and left the decision of the facts to those fresh from contact with the busy world. 