Explore our nations past. As a Public Service and brought to you today by your television provider. Good evening and welcome to the third installment of cspans contend series. We look at Williams Jennings bryant. What better way to introduce to you the man than hearing directly from him. Heres a portion of the speech that he delivered at the Democratic National convention back in 1896. Its commonly referred to as the cross of gold speech which led directly to his first run at the white house at the age of 36. We do not come as aggressors. Our war is not a war of conflict. We are fighting into our homes, our families and prosperity. We have petitions, and our petitions have been scorned. We treaties and our treaties have been disregarded. We have begged and they have mocked when our calamity came. We beg no longer. We entreat no more. We petition no more. We defy them. We go forth confident that we shall win. The words of William Jennings bryan coming to you from his home in nebraska. Its kind of referred to as fairview because it gave you a fair view of the land. William Jennings Bryan and his wife moved back here in 1902. Were coming to you from the first floor of his parlor. His study is just below us. He had much of his writing and entertaining in this house. We want to welcome our two guests. Michael casic, hes the professor at georgetown. And author of life of William Jennings bryan. Gentlemen, thank you both for being here with us. Michael, let me begin with you to set up the speech. The man who delivered it, the setting in chicago and the impact it had on democratic delegates in 1896. Well, the country was very divided in 1896. There was a Great Depression on. The incumbent president Grover Cleveland was very unpopular as president s usually are during Great Depressions. Bryan comes into this depression in chicago as sort of a dark horse candidate for the presidency. Everyone knows hes of order and defending free silver, helping debtors, helping people in trouble economically. And he gives a speech which people go wild when they hear it partly because he had a wonderful joycvoice. The tape that you played was 1883, not 1896, the technology did not exist to record a speech in 1886. At 36, he was robust, vigorous, he had an amazing voice that could be heard without ampfication of 10,000 people at a time. He would set this up to give a speech at a time and convention where he knew the majority of delegates were for him, but at the same time, no real speech had been given yet for the silver cause at that time. So, he had found his moment. And he used it to great effect. Well, thomas, we want to hear more from the cross of gold speech and as you indicated his words recorded but heres a race in which he was challenging William Mckinley. He was relatively unknown. Served two terms in the house of representatives in nebraska. Ran for the senate, won the popular vote but lost because the Republican Legislature here in nebraska gave it to the republican candidate. Thats right. Move through this period and William Jennings bryan. Sure, it was a tumultuous sometime. There had been a Major Railroad strike. And revealed to americans maybe how unstable the economy was and how deep the depression might become. And William Jennings bryan ran as a democrat and populist in 8 1894. He contained a lot of attention in 1894. I would liken it to the lincolndouglass debates and gave him great visibility among the political class. So, he emerged as sort of a National Figure at that time. And the country was desperate for leadership. It was all of the parties were divided. The republicans were divided. The populists were on the scene. The republicans had won the president ial contest in nebraska in 1892. But the second place votegetter was the populists. And the democrats, cleveland, was far behind. So the Democratic Party was in deep trouble in this part of the midwest. William Jennings Bryan one of 14 candidates who lost the election but changed american politics in lincoln, nebraska. Heres more of the words from William Jennings bryan from his famous class of gold speech. They tells that you the great cities are in favor of the Gold Standards. We areply that the great cities rest on fertile prairies. Burn down our cities and our farms and your cities will spring up again as if by magic. But destroy our farms and the grass will grow in the streets of every city of the country. We cannot line the battle that is fought. We cannot have another nations help us, we reply then instead of having a Gold Standard, because england has, we were restored by medalism. And let england have by medalism, the cause that the United States has. If they dare to come in the open field we will fight them to the outer most. 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 the demand for the Gold Standard by saying to them, you shall not press down upon the bowe of labor. You should not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold. Michael, how long was the speech in 1896 and why was it referred to as a cross of gold . Its 45 minutes long. And drawings of gold was a powerful met tall metaphor for Williams Jennings bryan was a serious christian. For him, wanted to keep debtors in debt. Wanted to keep Interest Rates high, wanted to restrict the fly of money. For bryan and many people who supported him, this was a way to keep americans who are poor, poor. Americans in debt, deeper in debt. It was a way to keep the british the british economy was based on the Gold Standard. So, sounds like a very technical issue. But really it was an issue with the have against the havenots as we saw it the way bryan saw it. So to crucify with gold would be against Pontius Pilate crucifying christ. In the same way bryant and populist democrats and republicans, too, thought that the American Economy was being run for the interest of those who already had property. Those who already had money. Those who already had banks and big industries. So, theres really a class divide in american politics at that time. Now, you know, we have a lot of anger about economy. But the anger is not focused on money the same way it was then. After all, remember then, every dollar people had in their pockets could be redeemed for a dollar in the treasury. First gold and then silver as well which meant a lot more dollars could have been minted in coin because there was more silver in circulation than there was gold. It was really a call for cheaper money. Lower Interest Rates and greater Economic Opportunity for a Small Business person, for a small farmer and for a worker who wanted to be a Small Business person or farmer. In your book, you talk about his charisma. And what he meant at that time. That he essentially became a celebrity. That was receiving as many as 2,000 letters a day in the 1896 campaign. Yes. You also wrote about something that was viewed as revolutionary which is campaigning for office as opposed to William Mckinley who had the front porch strategy in ohio. Can you explain. He was able to get checks from johnny rockefeller, other big industrialists would just write him checks. There were no restrictions whatsoever on Campaign Donations back in 1896. Bryan, because he was running as a candidate of Small Farmers and workers couldnt get that kind of money so he had to go out and campaign for himself. He wasnt able to depend on a large machine to do that for him. He was a wonderful speaker. He loved to speak. For him it was a positive thing. He made necessity into riches, if you will. He traveled at least 18,000 miles. Had his own jet. And his own railroad car. He spoke many times a day, for example. So, for him, this was an opportunity, as will said, to become known. And also, it was the only chance he had, he thought to really reach americans directly. Hes also the First Campaign tore use the railroad in this way. And to really Campaign Across the country. Steven douglas had doing something similar in 1860, in the crisis of the nation trying to take a Campaign Swing through the south and parts of the north and revitalize the Democratic Party. But for the most part, after 1860, american president ial candidates sat on their front porch and other people campaigned for them. And bryan went out there and campaigned at every whistle stop town in illinois, ohio, virginia, pennsylvania, new york, traveling all over america, bringing his campaign to the people. As always, we want to hear from you on cspan. Area code 2were in lincoln, nebraska, the home referred os fairview when William Jennings bryan moved here in that. Lets take a step back. He ran for the house of representatives, served two terms and born in salem, illinois, walk us through the early years of William Jennings bryan and how did he end up here in nebraska. Well, he was born in 1860, and a world that transformed, obviously, the railroad growth, the civil war that followed 1860 to eight 61865. He was too young to serve in the civil war. That was something that he came back to in his life. He had not served so many of the men in his period of political activity had served in the military. So, he did not have that opportunity as a young man. Instead, he read for the bar went in to practice as a lawyer in lincoln, nebraska, in the 1880s. He started his own law firm, a partnership with doth talbot. And he practiced law in a growing prairie. And thats when he became active in politics. If i could just add, at the time and many would still go to law school was always good training to go into politics. He always wanted to go into politics. His father was a judge in illinois. And his father helped write the Illinois State constitution in the late 1850s. So, really, politics was his blood, i think. And he never he never thought of doing anything else but politics in a serious way. He became a lawyer because he wanted to get involved in politics. He moved to nebraska because he knew the Democratic Party was very weak here and he thought there would be an opportunity for a young man to rise very quickly in the Democratic Party in the state. Let me go back to the way he was able to capture the imagination of the country. Three times getting the democratic nomination. Has that ever happened where you received the nomination and lost three times . The person you profiled the first time, clay, received twice in the wig party. A lot different than 100 years ago. A lot more voters, a lot more media, more money involved. This was really unlike clay had a very small country, america wasnt just a country by at 18th century this was a modern day. You say 75 to 80 of eligible voters 80 . Cast their ballots. Some women, actually, women voted in colorado, a couple of those state which is he won, actually but, yes, 80 of that was actually thats the highest percentage of eligible voters in the election, you know, from then to the present. Weve never had that High Percentage of voters again. If you could touch briefly on his senate bid in 1894. Sure. Well, he started out campaigning to get the populist and the democratic nomination. The populists, of course, were an Insurgent Movement in american paolitics, rapidly rising. They had secured the house in nebraska. And the irony of the 1894 Senate Campaign is that the republicans win the legislature. And the democratic candidate actually wins the governorship. And this was reversed of what had been the case before. So bryans campaign largely actually there were two debates. One in lincoln and one in omaha. 7,000 people turned out for the debate in lincoln in october of 1894. And 15,000 people turned out for the debate in omaha. So, this was a great event, to come to this Political Campaign and be part of it for the public. Bryan started out talking largely in the campaign about the income tax. This was an important issue. The democrats had passed the first income tax since the civil war in 1894. And bryan had been part of that. It was a 2 flat tax on everyone making 12,000 a year so on the rich. He started his debate with John Thurston on that issue. Then he went to the Union Pacific railroad and its monopoly power. And the silver issue was down on the list in 1894. It was not as significant as it would come in 1896. Can we point to income tax quickly . In 1895, the Supreme Court had ruled unconstitutional which was a radical thing to do to say that Congress Passed a law and signed that law. It helps inflame things on bryans side. And to fast forward, the irony of the signing of the 17th amendment which stated what . Yeah. The directed electi election of. Bryan is, of course, expecting to get elected. And hoping to get elected. The republican majority elects John Thurston to be the senator out of nebraska. Another irony, thurston becomes the Republican CommitteeNational Chair in 1896. And the guy bryan ran against in 1894 was the republican chair. Michael, were going to go downstairs and look at his study in just a moment. But does this home reflect William Jennings bryan. In many ways, it was a great home for the times. It was aconsidered a mansion. As you see, its well furnished. He made a lot of money speaking in that respect it was a prize. He worked here with his wife mary very closely. Youll see the double desks that they worked together. Thats an important thing to mention, too, about him, he and his wife were partners in his career which is often true of political wives now. You dont think of that in the 18th century that being through. Bob pushendorf is joining us. He is in the study of William Jennings bryan. Thanks for your time in cspans the contenders series. How large did he use the home and how often was he in the study writing . Well, he would have used the study probably daily in lincoln. The study was the heart of the home, as he said. Ill have you walk in and show us what the desk looked like and some of the artifacts on top of the desk. Well, this is the partners desk that he and his wife shared. They would exchange conversation, compose writing, send letters and help formulate some of the positions that he may have wanted to take for the day. On the top of the desk, a copy of the commoner. What was that and why was that significant in his life . I know he has signed the copy thats directly in front of you. Well, i think it can best be stated right in a quote, the First Edition of the commoner which i have here. It says the commoner will be to satisfy if by identity to the Common People it proves to its right to be the name which it has been chosen. Youve studied the man. Youve studied his home, youve studied his life. What do you find especially interesting about William Jennings bryan and how its reflected in his home back in 1902 . Well, the home can really tell us a lot about the lifestyle of mr. And mrs. Bryan and their family. I think one of the most important stories that came out of the restoration of this house was the role of his wife and the interpretation of her life which is best represented here in this office. And the two sat directly across from each other and worked on everything, basically, correct . They certainly did. Bryan mentioned had said that his wife was a beloved wife and help mate. How much of the material is original . Very few of the pieces of original bryan furnishings survived. These furnishings in this office have been collected to represent what was originally in the room, based on some very fine 1908 photographs of these spaces. But if he was seated in that chair adjacent to you, would he feel comfortable . Would it feel like his study at the turn of the century . It would be very much like his study at the turn of the century. Even the cluttered desk and the open bible. Bob puschendorf at the nebraska state historical society. Ill check in with you. Thank you very much. James is joining us from virginia as we welcome your calls in participation in the third in the series of looking at the life and political career of William Jennings bryan. Go ahead, james. Caller id like for you to talk on there about thomas mast. Thomas mast. Thomas mast was a great cartoonist responsible for, among other things, the most popular image we have of santa claus in this country. He was a german immigrant. Very popular images he created the images of the democratic donkey and the republican elephant but by the time that bryan ran, 1896, i dont remember if mast was still alive or not