idst of a whirlwind
of angry noise, ex-Governor McCorkle of West Virginia, jumping up and
facing him, shrieked in a voice heard above the cyclone: "Are you a
Democrat?"

"My Democracy has been certified to by six and a half million voters.
But," pointing his palm-leaf fan at McCorkle, with magnificent
contempt, "I will ask the secretary to record one vote in the negative
if the gentleman will give me his name."

He won; Wilson was nominated. He brought his great following into line
for an Eastern man, and Wilson was elected. The new President,
following a precedent set by Taylor, Garfield, and Harrison, made him
Secretary of State.

Then Bryan showed a new side of his character to the country. He
effaced himself in Wilson's interest; he became a loyal subordinate,
accepting a minor place cheerfully and laboring with might and main to
make the Administration a success. It is chiefly due to his efforts
that it was one for its first two years. The new President was unknown
to most of his party, and the legislation he recommended would have
met with internal opposition but for Bryan. The Secretary whipped his
followers into line even for legislation so repugnant to them as the
Currency bill, and the Presidential program went through. In two years
Mr. Wilson had become a definite personality to the country, and had a
following of his own; but his initial success was due to Bryan, and
but for Bryan Mr. Wilson might have had to face a party as divided as
did Cleveland, and might have seen his Administration wrecked as
Cleveland's was.

Mr. Bryan hoped to make an enduring name for himself as Secretary of
State. In the years that had elapsed since he was Colonel of the Third
Nebraska he had become an ardent pacifist, and he dreamed of going
into history with a title greater than that of any other statesman who
ever lived--for such, surely, would have been the meed of the man who
abolished war. That mind of his, honest as the day, but far from
great; strong but not broad, sees everything as simple, not as
complex. Is there a wrong? Why, then, abolish it; it is as simple as
A B C. War is wrong; therefore let us stop it. How? Why, get everybody
to agree not to fight without taking a year to look into the thing.
And he busied himself drafting and negotiating treaties with all the
world to get it to agree to this simple but certain remedy. The
"glorified circuit rider" was at the head of the Department of State
of the United St