believes what he says, and his entire lack of artfulness 

 makes him invincible.'""' 



The Democratic campaign reached its climax with a 

 great meeting at the Omaha Coliseum on election 

 eve where Boyd, the conservative old-line candidate 

 for governor, and William Jennings Bryan, the 

 dynamic young aspirant for Congress, appeared 

 together. '"5 



On election day, the miracle occurred : Bryan cap- 

 tured the congressional seat in the First District, 

 winning a significant plurality, but not a majority. ""* 

 He had benefited substantially from several factors 

 not directly related to his personal popularity, in- 

 cluding a vigorous struggle against prohibition which 

 resulted in some 4,000 fraudulent votes being cast in 

 Omaha for the Democratic ticket.'"" Without the 

 departure of many Independents from the Republican 

 Party, Bryan could hardly have hoped for success, but 

 the Alliance candidate was relatively weak and pulled 

 fewer votes than a stronger figure might have done. 

 Bryan, himself, undoubtedly attracted some Inde- 

 pendent support. One other factor contributed to 

 Bryan's victory: 1890 was a Democratic year through- 

 out the nation, with significant Democratic gains in 

 Congress. Although he campaigned vigorously and 

 attracted much public notice, his own efforts con- 

 stituted only a partial reason for his success. 



Nevertheless, his supporters were enthusiastic about 

 the campaign and its results.'"* There is little doubt 



'»< Ibid., October 29, quoting the Plattsmouth Journal. 



'"» Ibid., November 3 and 4. 



'"8 Paolo E. Coletta, "The Morning Star of the Refor- 

 mation: William Jennings Bryan's First Congressional Cam- 

 paign," Nebraska History (1956), vol 37, pp. 103-119; the vote 

 stood Bryan, 32,376; Connell, 25,663; Root (Independent), 

 13,066. 



""Jesse E. Boell, "The Career of William Jennings Bryan 

 to 1896" (master's thesis. University of Nebraska, 1929), pp. 

 63-64. 



108 Bryan papers, congratulatory messages to Bryan from 

 friends. P. O. Cassidy, of Lincohi, wrote on November 6, 

 1890, "Your canvas was manly, brilUant and aggressive. Such 

 a fight as yours was bound to win." Charles M. Chamberlain, 

 of Tecumseh, enthused on November 6 : "It is a grand campaign 

 that you have made & a grander outcome." C. T. Brown, 

 of Omaha, was amazed at the candidate's endurance, November 

 6: "I am frank to say to you that I don't believe there is another 

 man in the Democratic party in Nebraska who could have 

 taken the stump and made as many votes as you did . . . ." 

 Even some Republicans were impressed: W. R. Kelly, the 

 General Attorney for the Union Pacific System in Nebraska, 

 wrote, November 7: "I cannot withhold from you my personal 

 congratulations upon the brilliant canvass which you have 

 made . . . ." Omaha's Democratic press prophesied a great 



that both the candidate and his friends were pro- 

 foundly impressed by Bryan's energetic work and its 

 result in the First District. It seemed clear to Bryan 

 that he had won his victory almost single-handedly. 

 J. Sterling Morton, the grand old man of the Deino- 

 cratic Party in Nebraska, contributed not at all to the 

 new Congressman's election.'"^ His campaign had 

 been, to a considerable degree, separate and distinct 

 from the organization's work on behalf of Boyd and 

 against prohibition, and he had attracted support 

 from voters who were not normally Democrats, 

 running ahead of the ticket nearly everywhere. The 

 campaign of 1890 was another demonstration to Bryan 

 of his unusual powers as an orator and campaigner, 

 and another rehearsal for the great struggle of 1896. 

 During his two terms in Congress, Bryan established 

 a substantial reputation as an orator. Of his efforts, 

 two were particularly noteworthy. On March 16, 

 1892, he spoke on the tariff, arguing in favor of the 

 Wilson Bill, which modified the high duties of the 

 McKinley tariff, and urging that protection be given 

 to the American home, "the grandest home industry 

 that this or any other nation ever had." "" On 

 August 16, 1893, he delivered an even more important 

 address on the free-coinage issue in which he combined 

 impressive erudition, an apparent mastery of the 

 economic issues, and an eloquent appeal on behalf of 

 the "forgotten men" of the United States — the pro- 

 ducers, the farmers and laborers, and the small busi- 

 ness men who would be hurt by a bill passed in the 

 interests of the financiers of Wall Street and England. 

 Finishing in a blaze of emotional rhetoric, Bryan 

 declared : 



God raised up an Andrew Jackson who had the courage 

 to grapple with that great enemy [the United States 

 Bank], and by overthrowing it, he made himself the idol 

 of tlie people and reinstated the Democratic party in 

 public confidence. What will be the decision today? 

 The Democratic party has won the greatest success in its 

 history. Standing upon this victory-crowned summit, 



future for the candidate: "And if the World-Herald reads the 

 stars aright the time will come when W. J. Bryan will have a 

 reputation which will reach far beyond Nebraska." (Omaha 

 World-Herald, October 18, 1890.) 



'"" Ibid., letter from J. Sterling Morton to Bryan, November 

 3, 1890. 



""Bryan, Memoirs, p. 497. Mrs. Bryan remembered the 

 tension of this first great speech and her relief as its pronounced 

 effects were felt in the House (p. 238). An admirer wrote to 

 Bryan after this speech, "How old are you? Am for you for the 

 Democratic Presidential nomination if you are old enough" 

 (p. 101). 



64 



BULLETIN 24 i: CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 



