Bryan

William Jennings, an American statesman and political leader. He was born at Salem, Illinois, March 19, 1860. He was graduated at Jacksonville, 1881, and at the Union College of Law, Chicago, 1883. After four years of practice at Jacksonville he removed to Lincoln, Nebraska. In 1890 he was elected to Congress where he served four years. On his retirement from Congress Mr. Bryan acted as editor of the Omaha World-Herald. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention at Chicago in 1896. He electrified the convention by an address in which he said:

"No, my friends, that will never be the verdict of our people. Therefore we care not upon what lines the battle is fought. If they say bimetalism is good, but we cannot have it until other nations help us, we reply, that instead of having a gold standard because England has, we will restore bimetalism, and then let England have bimetalism because the United States has it. If they dare to come out in the open field and defend the gold standard as a good thing, we will fight them to the uttermost. Having behind us the producing masses of this nation and the world supported by the commercial interests, the laboring interests and the toilers everywhere, we will answer their demand for a gold standard by saying to them: You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns. You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold."

He was nominated for the presidency on a free silver platform and carried on a remarkable train-end and platform campaign. He was defeated by William McKinley. In 1900 he ran again, but was defeated by Mr. McKinley a second time. Mr. Bryan improved an interval of rest by taking a trip around the world. He wrote articles for a syndicate of newspapers and, on his return, he accepted extensive platform engagements. In 1908 Mr. Bryan ran for the presidency a third time, and was defeated by William Taft. In 1900 he established The Commoner, a political weekly devoted to the interests of the common people, as Mr. Bryan interprets those interests. Mr. Bryan's career has many points in common with that of Henry Clay. He is a ready speaker. None doubt his integrity of purpose.