life of william jennings bryan. then, the palestinian president on application for u.n. membership. then, israeli prime minister netanyahu. now, the life of william >> good evening, welcome to the third installment of c-span's "the contenders" series. we look at the life of william jennings bryan. what better way to introduce you to the man by hearing directly from him. this is commonly referred to as the "cross of gold" speech. >> we do not come as aggressors.

our goal is not a goal of conquest. we are fighting in defense of our families and prosperity. we have traditions and our traditions have been scorned. our in treaties have been disregarded. we have begged and they have bought an hour, amit-- we have balked. we brought forth confidence that we shall win. >> the words of william jennings bryan. we are coming to you from his home and office in the state capital of nebraska. and hisjennings bryan wife moved here in 1902. we are coming to you from the

first floor. he did much of his riding an entertaining here in this house. we welcome our guest, a professor of history at georgetown university. chairalso joined by the of the department of history at the university of nebraska here in lincoln. to set up this speech, the man that delivered it and the impact that it had bought democratic delegates. >> the country was very divided. there was a great depression. the democrats were split down the middle. the incumbent president was very unpopular. bryan comes into this convention as a dark horse candidate. he is defending the cause of free silver. this is to help people in

trouble economically. he gives this speech and people go wild when they hear it. this was actually recorded later. the speech was from 1896. he was robust, vigorous. he had an amazing voice. he has really stepped this up so he could give a speech at the time when he knew that the majority of delegates were for him but at the same time, no living speech had been given at that time. he had found his moment and he used it to great affect. >> as you indicated, his words recorded in 1923 but here is a

race in which he was challenging william mckinley. he served only two terms in the house of representatives. he won the popular vote but lost because a republican legislator gave it to the republican candidate. >> it was a tumultuous time in an american politics. there was a major strike that tore the country apart and revealed to americans just how unstable the economy was and how deep this depression might become. william jennings bryant ran as a democrat and a populist for the u.s. senate and ran against a railroad attorney. he gained a lot of national attention with this senate campaign in 1984. he had a series of debates and this gave him great visibility

across the nation. he emerged as a national figure at that time. the country was desperate for leadership. all of the parties were divided. the republicans had won the presidential contest in nebraska in 1982. the second place vote-getter was the populist. cleveland was far behind. the democratic party was in deep trouble in this part of the midwest. >> he is one of 14 presidential candidates who lost the election of a change to politics. from nebraska, more of the words from william jennings bryan. >> the great cities are in favor of the gold standard. the rest upon our broad and

fertile prairies'. your cities will spring up again if -- as though by magic. destroy our farms and the grass will grow in the streets of every city in the country. england has a gold standard. if they dared to come out and defend the gold standard, we will fight them to the uttermost. supported by the interest and the labor is everywhere, we will

answer the demand for the gold standard. you shall not pushed down against labor. you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold. >> how long was this speech in 1986 -- 1896? >> it was about 45 minutes long. this was a powerful metaphor for most people. william jennings bryan was a christian. he wanted to keep the country on the gold standard. they wanted to restrict the supply of money. for many people that supported him, this was a way to keeping the americans who were in debt deeper in debt. it was a way of keeping the british economy the supreme economy in the world.

it sounds like a technical issue but this is a half against the have nots. to crucify mankind on a cross of gold was connected to pontus pilot crucifying christ. in the same way, they thought that the american economy was run for the interest of those who already had property or money or banks. there was a real class divide at that time. now, we have a lot of anger about the economy but this is not focused the same way as it was then. every dollar that people had in their pockets could be redeemed for some old.

this was really a call for cheaper money, lower interest rates, and greater economic opportunity. >> you talk about his charisma and what he meant at that time. he essentially became a celebrity. he was receiving as many as 2000 letters a day. you also write about something that he did which was viewed as revolutionary which was campaigning for the office as opposed to the strategy in ohio. >> they had a lot of money. he was able to get checks from john a. rockefeller. there was no restrictions on campaign donations.

ryan could not get that kind of money. he had to go out and campaign for himself. he could not campaign on a large machine. he was a wonderful person and he loved to speak. he made necessity as a virtue. he had to go on passenger trains. he spoke as many as 6000 times and that campaign. for him, this was an opportunity to become known. also the only chance he had to reach americans directly. >> he is the first campaigner to use the road in this way and campaign across the country.

stephen douglas had done something similar in 1860. he was trying to take up campaigns through the south and through parts of the north. for the most part, american presidential candidate sat on their front porch and other people campaigned for them. brian campaigned at every town in illinois, ohio, virginia and traveled all over america bringing his campaign to the people pu. >> as always, we want to hear from you. we are and lincoln, nebraska. this is referred to as fairview. let's take a step back. he ran for the house of representatives, and yet he was born in salem, ill..

how did the end up in nebraska? >> he was born in 1860 into a world that was being transformed. the civil war that followed, 18621865. he was too young to serve in the civil war. -- the civil war that followed, 1862-1865. he did not have that opportunity. instead, he read for the bar and went into practice as a lawyer in lincoln, nebraska. he started his own law firm, a partnership. he practiced basic law in a growing urban environment. that is when he became active in politics.

>> at the time and in many ways still, going to law school is good training to go into politics. his father was a judge in illinois. a very close associate of stephen douglas. really, politics was in his blood. he never thought of doing anything else but in politics. he became a lawyer because he wanted to get involved in politics. he came to nebraska because he knew that the democratic party was very weak here. >> let me go back to the way he was able to capture the imagination of the country. have you received nomination and he lost all three times? >> henry clay received the

nomination. this was a little bit different 100 years ago. there was a lot more voters, and a lot more media. more money involved. clay had a pretty small country. america was not just a country, this was a modern campaign. >> as you write in your book, for 14 million americans of voted in that election. that was 80%. >> they voted in colorado. that is the highest percentage of voters. we have never had that a high percentage of voters again.

>> can you touch on his senate bid in 1894? >> cher. he started out to get the populist and democratic nomination. the populist was an insurgent movement in american politics rapidly rising. they had secured the house in nebraska. the irony of his 1894 senate campaign was that the republicans win for the legislature and the democratic candidate actually wins the governorship. there was two debates, one in lincoln and 1 in omaha. 7000 people turned out for the debate in october of 1894.

ryan started out talking about the income tax. this is the first income-tax in 1894. on the rich, and they started his debate with john thurston on that issue. the issue is down on the list in 1894. >> in 1895, the supreme court ruled that the income tax was unconstitutional.

congress passed a law, this is not constitutional. this helped to enflame the things on brian's side. -- on bryan's side. the republican majority alexa john thurston to be the senator from nebraska. bryan runs for president and gets the nomination and demand that he ran against was the republican committee chair for mckinley. >> does this home reflect william jennings bryan? >> it was considered quite nice

for the time. it was a prize for his career. he worked here. the work here with his wife. he and his wife were partners in his career. >> we're joined by a -- how long was he in that study writing? >> he would have used that probably daily.

the study was the heart of the home. whaty don't you show us the desk and look like. -- desk looked like. >> these are the partner desks that he and his wife shared. they would exchange conversation, they would compose letters, and they would formulate some of the positions he would want to take. >> on the top of the desk, a copy of "the commoner." why was that significant? >> it can best be stated right and a quote in a first edition. "it would be to set aside if by kennedy to the common people and proves to its right to the name

which it has chosen." >> it would be set aside if by the community to the common people. >> how does this reflect him when he moved in in 1892? >> this reflects the life style of mr. bryant and their family. -- of mr. bryan and their family. >> the two sat directly across from each other and work on everything, correct? >> they certainly did. his wife was a beloved wife and help make. >> how much of the material there is original? >> very few of the pieces are original furnishings. these furnishings and this office have been collected to represent what was originally in

the room based on some very fine photographs. >> he was seated in that chair, would it feel like his study at the turn a century? >> it would feel very much like his office at the turn of the century. >> we will check in with you throughout the program. thank you for opening up this home to c-span cameras. we're joined from west virginia. we welcome your calls and participation. caller: i would like tyou to talk about thomas nast. >> he was a cartoonist who was

responsible for the image that we have of santa claus. by the time that bryan ran, besides those images, he is best known for these really a fact is images of the corrupt boss of tammany hall in new york. his images of boss tweed looking like a cd devil really helped to bring tweed down. there was a prosecutor who was able to bring down the tweed ring. >> we will go now to sacramento,

calif. caller: my question originates from the american presidents series. there was a question about what grover cleveland thought of volumes jennings bryan -- of william jennings bryan. i am curious what he hated him for and if that was true. >> i will start. you can follow up. grover cleveland was a hard money democratic president. he did not like bryan's position. it was the silver at issue and the breaking of the cleveland administration of the purchase

act that most got the ire of clover cleveland -- of grover cleveland. >> the democratic party, especially from the east where cleveland was from. people who believed in thomas jefferson and that the government should not do very much in the economy. during the depression of the 1890's, grover cleveland said that the people should support the government but the government should not support the people. this is different from what bryan believed. he was a liberal. he believed the government should help those who could not help themselves. he wanted to reset the balance between corporate power and the power of workers and small farmers. cleveland had broke the strike

with federal troops. the cleveland attorney general was grover's attorney. for bryan, cleave the thought that he represented all that he did not like about politics. -- cleveland thought that he represented all that he did not like about politics. >> they're filled with convictions and bereft of charisma who are willing to lead a charge against secular forces. >> bryan was a champion of those who needed help. he was a man of great conviction. one of the things he was trying to do that was most difficult was to take on the economic

powerful class that had emerged in american politics in a way that did not look like class for their -- class warfare. he was trying to speak to the people without tearing down but instead attempting to build up. that was a very hard case to make. he did it beautifully but it was a very difficult attempt to repeal the inadequacies of american society at the time without looking like someone who was just tearing down the american ideal. >> those are your words. they are parallel to someone today an american politics? >> i'm not sure. there are people who want to be william jennings bryan. sarah palin, might try to be.

they believe that a small greedy elite is after the majority of americans. bryan was representative of a movement. a movement that people believe that corporate america was taking the country in a revolutionary direction. we have come to grips and come to peace with big business. we cannot imagine a society where that is not there. >> we just looked at the desk that he worked with mary side by side. most businesses were like that in the 1870's and 1860's and 1850's. they were small partnerships and firms. that time before 1896 was a time of enormous industrial growth.

0 colossal corporations. these were corporations with enormous resources, and thomas wolfe, enormous power. -- enormous wealth, a enormous power. the change was arresting. bryan was speaking to that massive transition and american society and life. >> i want you to listen to the 1900 campaign in which william jennings bryan talk about the issue of transparency. >> on election is a public affair. this is held for the benefit of the public and as a means through which the people select their officials.

there is no sound reason for secrecy in regards to campaign methods and publicity will prove a purifying influence in politics. the people of to know what influences are at work in the campaign. they will decide whether any party has made it impossible to protect the rights of the people. >> has anything changed a century later? >> that sounds like the base of citizens united. obviously, people love money. they want the government to do the things they want the government, too. there is a lot of influence if you have a lot of money.

bryan was in favor of public financing. he did not want private individuals to give any money to elections. he realized that would not fly at the time. his idea was to let least publicize the donations. let's make sure that everyone knows it is above board. standard oil was involved. he wanted that to be known. the first campaign finance law which had passed which banned corporations from taking money directly. influence and money is still something we argue about all the time and fight about all the time.

>> good evening, how are you today? >> just fine. >> i have a question i wanted to ask. i just got the program and i wanted to understand, william jennings bryan, was he a supporter of the gold and silver standard for currency in america? >> prices would have gone up, but that also meant that people who produced crops would have also been able to see what they made for their crop go up. the interest rate would have gone down if more was in circulation. it sounds archaic to us today, but the best way to think of it is just, as cheaper money, more

money in people's pockets, interest rates will go down. he got the nomination in 1886. he is renominated in 1900. what happened in 1904? >> >> the democrats decided to go for a candidate who they thought could appeal to a more traditional, conservative electric -- electorate. they chose a man who did not go against -- around the country giving speeches. politics,e of brian's but none of his charisma, none of his appeal to ordinary americans, and he got killed in a landslide. >> and then the party comes back to william jennings bryan in 1908. why? >> the party is in great need of

a leader. it is a party that is divided by region. it had a great deal of difficulty united around -- uniting around a candidate in making its voice heard in a national election. william jennings bryan was a tremendous charismatic figure. >> teddy roosevelt becomes president and and william howard taft is elected in 1908. let's go back to something else that was rather revolutionary, the debate that took place and how that occurred, technically speaking, in 1908. >> it was not a debate the way we have debates now. it was the first time in which both candidates recorded on wax cylinders. you can still see very scratchy rendition of them. perhaps you apply one. the library of congress on some of these copies.

it was like the original short length records. they did not last very long, two-three minutes. william jennings bryan sold them to campaign supporters. it was a way that his staff could go out and get you directly. we take that for granted now, but that was a novel idea at the time. >> we are going to begin with the words of william howard taft followed by william jennings bryan. >> i have known a good many people who were regular attendance at church. religious people, if you choose to use that term. i did not realize the immense importance of foreign men. the truth is we have to wake up in this country. there are lots of people who are

dependent on us to help them on in the world. >> imperialism is the policy of an empire. a republic cannot be an empire, for republic rests upon the theory that government derives its power from the consent of the government. our experiment in colonialism has been unfortunate. instead of profit it has brought loss. instead of strength that has brought weakness. instead of glory, it has brought humiliation. >> the words of william mckinley and william howard taft. jennings bryan change as a candidate -- of course taft went on to win the election. did william jennings bryan go on to change as a candidate?

>> in 1900, the big issue was imperialism. the u.s. was fighting in the philippines to try to stop the philippine independent movement from winning a war of the insurrection against u.s. occupation of those islands, and that was a big issue of that campaign. william jennings bryan tried to make the power of the trust, the power of big corporations the issue. he said let the people rule. taft was perceived as progress of the time. and secretary of war under teddy roosevelt. teddy roosevelt was a progressive president. many of your viewers may remember george h. of the bush in 1988 running as the hand- picked successor -- george h. w. bush in 1988 running as the hand-picked successor to ronald reagan. he was not a charismatic

figure, but people felt, i liked reagan, i guess i can vote for bush. people who like roosevelt felt they would be safe with taft, and that is why he won. william jennings bryan tried to use some of the same rhetorical techniques. he talked as he had done before, but it was not very successful. the country was prosperous again after a sharp recession in 1907. times looked really good. taft was popular because he is the handpicked successor to a very popular president, theodore roosevelt. >> his closest race was 1896. for the election results, we're joined by marie in connecticut. welcome to the conversation. >> i wanted to know, how did williams jennings bryan come to live in miami, fla.?

>> in fact, coral gables, florida. >> he contracted really bad, crippling arthritis. -- his wife contracted really bad, crippling arthritis. she could not live in the winter climate anymore. miami was beginning to be a place for older people to go if they could afford to. also, he had business out there. he had a lot of supporters there. they would go to miami, stay in france houses. they decided to move there. it was a very good move for her, certainly. >> you tell a story in the book about how the venetian school in florida is still there today. >> after he had given up all hope of becoming president, he began to make some money giving speeches for promoters.

this is now one of his more honorable adventures, perhaps, but he needed to make money, and he did. >> we move to 1912 and the democrats finally win the white house, but it is not william jennings bryan. it is woodrow wilson. >> the democrats has struggled for some time and he had led much of the struggle against the republican party, working for the votes of working people and the broad middle class. the republicans were able to call what many of the issues the populists and democrat -- coopt many of the issues that the populists and democrats had brought forward. william jennings bryan and the democrats had a very difficult time reaching the broad middle class and convincing those that they could bring progressive

change, not radical change, but progressive change. wilson was able to do that. he was a professor at princeton. he had been governor of new jersey. he was a very moderate reformer, but a progressive reformer. he was able to succeed where land jennings bryan was not. >> some believe that the only reason will drill wells and one was because the republican party split 19 -- woodrow wilson won was because the republican party split in 1912. if republicans had stayed united -- we will never know what would have happened, but it is quite possible that wilson would not have been elected. >> author of "the godly hero, the life of williams jennings bryan."

josh is joining us from phoenix. good evening. welcome to the program. >> thank you. great show. thank you for your show. i wanted to add something a little different. i wonder if the gentleman could speak to his foreign policy and what he thought about, say, the spanish-american war or american colonialism, and if he ever went abroad. what did the gentleman think about how he would handle, for example, afghanistan and iraq and the invasion? what was his mind set back then in terms of hal -- how the major colonial powers around the world were going into other countries and occupying them and such?

in general, his foreign policy. >> thank you for the call. he served as our 41st secretary of state. what best reflects his views on foreign policy? >> he served in the spanish- american war. he was opposed to the occupation of the philippines. he did travel around the world the whole year with his family from 1905-1906. as he went around the world,, egypt was then controlled by the dutch. india was controlled by the british. at each stop, he would see european powers. in principle, he was opposed to rich countries dominating and

controlling poor countries. he was opposed to what he thought of as unjust wars. he resigned as secretary of state because he thought the united states was about to enter world war i. after the lusitania had been torpedoed by a german u boat. he resigned because he was so opposed to the war. he thought world war i was an insane war that the united states should not be a part of. >> what was his campaign like with woodrow wilson in 1912 and in his tenure as secretary of state? >> he supports william -- supports wilson and helped put him over the top. it was a very old stock

convention, 46 ballots. ian wilson never were close. wilson -- he and wilson were never close. wilson had not supported him in earlier elections. the two did not really trust each other. wilson was an intellectual, and william jennings bryan was not. the two were not close. william jennings bryan became secretary of state in large part because a political opponent at that time was not at all unusual when the leading figure in the party was not the nominee. in many ways, he expected to be secretary of state. one of the reasons he was unhappy as secretary of state is because he did not get the kind

of responsibility would have wanted. but one thing he did do, of which showed his views about war and peace, he convinced foreign powers to sign peace treaties with one another saying they would not go to war. these were pretty much symbolic, but he gave each of them a little bronze plaque with a line from isaiah about plowshares as a symbol of the trees. in the and, of course, the treaties did not stop world war i. as a christian, showing his humanitarian face to the world was one way to practice. >> welcome to the program. >> thank you. i do have a religious question about his religion. first, let me say that i applaud his efforts to level the playing field for the common man against

big business. free enterprise defeated communism and i expect it will defeat democracy. what impact you think his fundamental christian religious police had on his election results? >> thank you for the call. we should point out too that the bible is opened to the book of ezekiel. what about the role of religion in his wife and his wife's life? >> is a good question. one of the things about him that is very important is that he never really separated it from politics. we think about that now with some more conservative people thinking we should have a christian government and a christian nation. but for him, christianity was the social gospel. he believed that if you're a good christian, you wanted to go

out and save the world, help the poor, health workers, level the playing field as the caller mentioned. for him, religion and politics were not separate. some people were not evangelical product -- evangelical protestants. most americans were, at the time. he was a crusader. also, prohibition beginning in 1910. he was a great supporter of what became the 18th amendment of the constitution. this is a very divisive issue in american life. he came to prohibition because he wanted to purify the american body politic. that meant that a lot of people from 1910 on did not trust him, even people who voted for him, because he was a prohibitionist. he did not drink, but he did enjoy eating.

>> 0 yes. sometimes he is many as six meals a day. he was known to devour three chickens at one sitting. >> if you're just joining in, we are looking at 14 candidates for the presidency. all 14 lost, but in their own way they shaped american politics and many of the issues they put forth resonate today. we are coming to you from lincoln, neb., now part of the center here in the state castle -- state capital. our phone lines are now open. this is an exterior view of what the home looks like. you can see the center directly adjacent. this home is open to the public. it does offer tours for those of you who travel through lincoln,

nebraska. we're joined from palm springs, california. >> hello, i'm from desert hot springs near palm springs. i have a kodak picture in my files. he had a relationship with my family. i am not a mormon. it is just my hobby. i researched my family. i have 60 two hundred names. -- 6200 names. i would like to know about buying the book, where it is, and where i send the money. >> what is your connection to william jennings bryan, through your family research? >> he is in a car in this

picture. it is like a kodak picture. it is a single-seater with the top down. i know is thought that the other man was the one whose name -- always thought that the other man was the one whose name i can remember who believed and religion. i can remember his name now. but he is in my family. i have 60 two hundred names i have researched on my computer. i do not say, i would like to have that one. i researched them to be sure they are my relatives. >> i'm going to ask you to stay on the line and get your phone number so that we can get you connected to the book. stay on the line. we will get your phone number. she brings up another part of his life.

dayton tennessee, the monkey scopes trial and clarence darrow. >> we have put all of his speeches on line on our digital project. if she would like to use her computer to look at those speeches, there are hundreds of them. every speech he gave is online. >> all of the material from this series is available on-line. 14 weeks, looking at the presidential contenders. the scopes trial. >> william jennings bryan is known, if at all, to most americans because he was one of the prosecutors in tennessee. he was prosecuting a teacher named john scopes who was

teaching the theory of evolution in high school in dayton, tennessee. what is interesting about this is that this issue is still pretty much alive. a large number of americans believe that the bible, the book of genesis, is the truth. is how the earth was formed. bryant believe that too, but it is important to remember that he believes in social darwinism, survival of the fittest, might makes right. he put out a series of lectures about evolution before the scopes trial. for him, to be a good christian meant that you could accept the social theory of evolution.

he did not understand the science very well, but he believes, rightly or wrongly, that the way the science was being applied was to say that those who were doing well in society were those that should do well. this is one of the things he disliked about the theory. but again, he was a fundamentalist. he believed what the bible said was true and that people should not be learning something that should counteract that. >> there is an iconic photograph of clarence darrow and william jennings bryan in tennessee. how did the two come together for this historic moment in american history? >> bryan was asked by the prosecution to help in the trial. the state law was just passed that year in tennessee. they knew if he helped them, it would draw a lot of attention to the case. similarly, clarence darrow was a

great defense lawyer, a defense lawyer for labor. when he heard the william jennings bryan was going to work for the prosecution, clarence dara said he had to work for the other side. -- darrow said he had to work for the other side. many people might have seen inherit the wind, the famous movie. unlike what the movie shows you, scopes' never went to jail. scopes' agreed to be a defendant because he knew a trial was going to take place some time -- somewhere in tennessee and he wanted to bring business to tennessee. that is why the trial took place there, because scopes' agreed to be the defendant. >> technology was a factor in

the trial. cameras were allowed in the courtroom and it was broadcast nationwide on the radio. >> one of the things that is so remarkable about this trial, not only that it was broadcast on the radio and tens of thousands of americans listen to it, but it was a court room. for bryan to try to defend his christianity in creationism in the courtroom -- and was the context of the courtroom in cross-examination that made it so difficult for him to say what he meant and what was so poor and about creationism in his thinking and about the social darwinism logic that he thought was infecting american society. it was a very difficult context in which to make that argument. bryan and his life, really, as sort of a man -- ends his life,

really, a sort of a man out of context. the context of the courtroom in dayton, tenn., proved very challenging for him. >> peter is on the phone from new jersey. welcome. >> how're you doing? >> what is your question? >> i would like to make one point. then i will get off. you are a douche bag. >> we will go to mark in arlington, texas. >> i am calling because i have noticed that the gold standard debate seems to have come back recently. people are arguing against the gold standard and against the federal reserve and for the government ability to print it sound currency. those people in particular almost seem to "william jennings

bryan to support their argument. -- quote william jennings bryan to make their argument. he seems to be making a comeback. >> let's bring it to the 2012 campaign, because ron paul is talking about the federal reserve, and even governor carey has been critical of ben bernanke, making -- perry has been critical of ben bernanke, making some of the same points that william jennings bryan was making a century ago. >> the legacy of that debate was the federal reserve system. we got off the gold standard eventually in the early 1930's. what people on that side wanted was a more flexible money supply. in hard times, interest rates would go down and more money would be in circulation.

in prosperous times, they would go up. it is kind of like the fed today. at the time, it was seen as a great reform. of course, when we get in economic trouble like we're now, people look for a panacea, going back to the gold standard, for example. as an historian, one of the reasons we have been able to avoid serious economic downturn between the great depression and now is because we have had a flexible money supply that has been able to take charge when necessary. >> one of the big issues that william jennings bryan was trying to confront with the silver issue and the gold standard was the great contraction of the american economy. we have lived through a similar contraction recently. i think it is not surprising that some of these issues are coming forward when they are renowned. i think the difference is, of

efforts toat bryan's broaden the money supply were mainly aimed at trying to rescue a class of americans who were struggling deeply with their financial well-being and their situation. so, i do not see that quite playing out today in the same way when the gold standard is being brought up. >> our history professor representing georgetown university and the university of nebraska, lincoln. we also have the author of "the iron out way: railroads to the civil war and the making of modern america's." we're joined from ohio. good evening. >> it seems rather ironic, many of the parallels from his day and hour day. it is just amazing. again