xt7gxd0qrt2g https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7gxd0qrt2g/data/mets.xml Bradley, William O'Connell, 1847-1914. 1916  books b92-152-29699145 English Transylvania Printing Company, : Lexington, Ky. : Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Bradley, William O'Connell, 1847-1914.Thatcher, Maurice Hudson, 1870-1973. Stories and speeches of William O. Bradley  : with biographical sketch by M.H. Thatcher. text Stories and speeches of William O. Bradley  : with biographical sketch by M.H. Thatcher. 1916 2002 true xt7gxd0qrt2g section xt7gxd0qrt2g 















































/0

 




Stories and
Speeches of











     William 0. Bradley












                   with
           Biographical Sketch
             By M. H. Thatcher


          TRANBYLVANIA PRINTING COMPANY.
                 PUBLISHERS
             YLIaNaTON, KENTUCKY.
                    1916

 



































        Copyright, 1916.
            -by-
Transylvania Printing Company
         (Incorporated)
     Lexington, Kentucky.

 








             PUBLISHERS' PREFACE

    In publishing this volume of "Stories and Speeches" of Senator
William 0. Bradley, we desire to extend thanks to Hon. M. H.
Thatcher, former Governor of the Canal Zone, and the intimate friend
of the Senator, for the biographical sketch herewith included, as well
as for his compilation of the speeches of Senator Bradley herewith
published, and for suggesting their inclusion; also, for other very
valuable work rendered in relation to this undertaking and in
reading and revising the proofs. We also desire to extend thanks to
Mr. Arthur B. Krock, of the Louisville Courier-Journal for valuable
services rendered by him to Senator Bradley, shortly before the latter's
death, in helping to put the stories in shape for publication. In these
thanks the members of the Senator's family most earnestly join.
    The members of the Senator's family have felt some diffidence in
permitting the publication of these stories for the reason that, with
characteristic Bradley candor, the real names of the actors are
called, and the stories are told without reservations; and there has
been expressed the fear that the feelings of some of the relatives
and descendants of some of those who figure in these portrayals might
be wounded. We believe, however, that this will not be the case. Some
of the ancestors and kinsmen of the chief officers of the publishing
company are so named herein, but we know that Senator Bradley loved
these men-and, in fact, loved all the sturdy Kentuckians about whom
these stories and reminiscences cluster-and what is herein portrayed,
though true to life, is portrayed in the spirit of love and humor, and
never otherwise. Hence, we do not believe any umbrage can be taken
on this score. Moreover, we believe that the frankness with which
the stories are told will greatly add to their value. For the most part
they refer to Kentucky's yesterday, when the weaknesses and dissipa-
tions of men were more open than now, and when candor-always a
Kentucky characteristic-went far to redeem those faults which grew
up chiefly from the spirit of good fellowship. All this Senator Bradley
knew and appreciated, and as he lived through that day as one of its
strongest characters, these stories of his observation and experience
became part and parcel of his life, and were ever retained in his
wonderful memory. It was natural, therefore, that with his remark-
able story-telling gifts, and with his recollection of all these humorous
incidents, he should desire to record and preserve them. It had been
his hope to see the collection in print during his life-time, but the

 



IV                    The Publishers' Preface.

constant exactions of public duty delayed the completion of the work,
and the hope was denied him. The publication is now being made in
accordance with his wishes.
    Confident that the collection of stories and speeches of so notable
a man as William 0. Bradley will be widely read and appreciated, and
that it shall prove a unique, most valuable, and popular contribution to
the literature of the day, and of the days to come, we submit same to
the reading public.
                                       THE: PUBLISHERS.

    Lexington, Kentucky, November, 19i6.

 





                William 0. Bradley

0 wondrous man of magic, golden tongue,
    Who, looking ever sunward, didst uprise
    And pierce the glory of our civic skies,-
How shall the story of thy life be sung
To keep thine honored name forever young
    How shall we term that dauntless enterprise
    Which, in Mischance, finds Fortune's skilled disguise,
And gains and holds the ladder's highest rung
No song thou need'st: thy deeds have wrought thy fame
    And launched it on its journey through the years;
Death only raised and glorified thy name,-
    Thine youth eterne began amidst our tears.
By gifts divine the heights thou didst ascend,
And Time shall know and claim thee to the end.

    The writer has been asked to prepare a sketch of the life and
labors of William 0. Bradley, to be published with this volume of his
stories and speeches. While deeply appreciative of this honor, and
while the work is one of love, the writer is nevertheless, very
diffident in undertaking it. Senator Bradley was made up of such
strong and unusual elements that only the pen of a Plutarch could do
him justice. It goes without saying, however, that the poor, unaided
boy who could mount to the high estate of eminent lawyer, orator,
successful political leader, Governor and United States Senator, in the
face of the heaviest and most adverse political odds, was no ordinary
character.
    There is nothing more fascinating than the study of biography;
nothing more interesting than to upward trace the career of great-
souled men and women who have struggled from the valleys to the
summits. The great personages of history are the stars which up-light
the night of the past; and they serve the necessary purpose of guiding
the present and future generations along the paths of worthy endeavor.
Extinguish these lights, eliminate all history of these men and women,
and the world would be immediately plunged into darkness and
despair. Character has been variously defined, but there is certainly
one element which enters into its composition which is its surest
proof. It is the element of endurance; it is strength, force; and,
having strength and force, it possesses the eternal quality. It is the

 
Biographical Sketch of William 0. Bradley.



law of effort that those who, on this plane of struggle, strenuously
strive for right or for wrong, shall live long after they have ceased
to labor; and if their labors have been for the right they shall be
loved and revered as long as the flower of gratitude blooms in the
human heart. What man has done, man may do again. The noblest
inspiration must come from the contemplation of the heroic deeds of
our fellow beings; and it is of the highest importance that the lives of
those who have driven the chariots of progress be faithfully portrayed
to the multitude to the end that the multitude may be informed and
inspired. Each nation has its history, its heroes, and its historical
characters. A few there are, like Shakespeare and Goethe and the
prophets of old, who are universal in their influence. They were not
of a single country, but were of all the race; and because they spoke
fundamentally to our human sympathy and need, by all are they
understood. Then, there are others, like Washington and Lincoln,
who though identified with great movements, national and local in
their immediate scope, yet spoke and wrought mightily for the
principles of liberty and justice, and pointed the way to those ultimate
conditions of liberty and justice, which, in the course of ages, the race
hopes to reach. These, too, with the unfolding of time, shall make
their universal appeal. These, too, were, and are, the brothers of all
mankind; and all mankind shall come to recognize them as such.
    The skill of the biographer depends on at least three essentials,
viz.: First, a sufficient statement of details of the subject's life an1
labors to properly set forth his character and achievements; second,
the proper deduction from these facts and their just interpretation;
and, third, the ability to present all in such a way as to fix and hold
the attention of the reader.
    The present sketch, however, is not ambitious. 'Moreover.
in this volume there is not room for an extended narrative. Only the
more essential facts of Senator Bradley's life, together with some
general comment and deduction, can be given; and these follow.
    William O'Connell Bradley was born in Garrard County, Ken-
tucky, near Lancaster, on March 18, 1847, and died in Washington.
D. C., on Mlay 23, I914. He was of Scotch-Irish descent. His father
was Robert M. Bradley, and his mother was Ellen (Totten) Bradley.
The mother was a woman of fine intelligence and capacity. Under the
general law of maternal transmission this could not have been other-
wise; for it seems to be pretty well conceded that weak fathers may
sometimes have strong sons, but strong sons, rarely, if ever, are the
children of weak mothers. But so far as strength of character and
unusual intelligence were concerned, Senator Bradley was fortunate as



VI

 

Biographical Sketch of William 0. Bradley.



to both father and mother. The father was a man of great force,
intellect, and gifts of speech; and though altogether "self-made," wvas
one of the strongest men Kentucky has produced. He was the son of
Isaac Bradley, a sturdy character who had come to Kentucky from
Virginia in the earlier days, and his wife, the mother of R. M. Bradley,
was Miss Rachel Bretner, a Kentucky woman noted for her beauty.
During the period of his practice, R. M. Bradley was considered the
leading lawyer in matters of land title in the State of Kentucky.
Though eminently successful as a lawyer he was a whole-souled, gen-
erous man; and, starting in life poor, and having a large family to
support, he never accumulated fortune. Hence, young Bradley, the
only son, received from his father no wealth, nor any of the aids
which wealth can give; but he received a richer legacy in the gifts of
intellect and speech which descended to him. He was educated in the
local schools, and never attended college. In fact, in all essential
matters he was also a "self-made" man. When he was fourteen years
of age, at the outbreak of the Civil War, fired with patriotic zeal, he
left school and twice ran away from home, joining the Union Army
each time; but, on account of his extreme youthfulness, he was taken
by his father from the Army and brought home. In i86i he was a
page in the Lower House of the Kentucky Legislature. Here, he was
seized with the ambition for a public career. When only eighteen
years of age, because of his unusual precocity, knowledge of the law,
and forensic ability, a special Act of the Kentucky Legislature was
passed, granting him license to practice lawv upon the condition that he
be found competent by two circuit judges of the State; with the
result that he was found thus competent, and was immediately
licensed. He at once entered upon the practice of his profession, and
straightway gained prominence as a lawyer; and, within a short time,
he was, both in popular estimation and in fact, one of the leaders of
the bar in Kentucky. In the course of his long practice he appearedl
in the State and Federal Courts of Kentucky, as well as in the Federal
Courts of other States, and in the Supreme Court of the United States.
    In addition to William 0. Bradley the children of the Bradley
household were as follows: Mary E. Bradley, who married S. H.
Newell; Emily Frances Bradley, who died in infancy; Almira Pierce
Bradley, who married C. B. Bacheller; Margaret Ellen Bradley, who
married Dr. W. F. Scott; Catherine Virginia Bradley, who married
Colonel Thomas Z. Morrow (parents of Edwin P. Morrow); James
Bradley, who died in infancy; Maria Josephine Bradley, who was
twice married, first to Captain F. M. Wolford, and next to Dr. Nelson
Mays.



VII

 

Biographical Sketch of William 0. Bradley.



    In i867 Mr. Bradley married Miss Margaret Robertson Duncan,
of Lancaster, Kentucky, and of this union two children were born, a
son, George Robertson Bradley, who died about the age of twenty-
four, and a daughter, Christine, now the wife of Dr. John G. South, of
Frankfort, Kentucky. The wife and daughter survive the Senator
and reside at Frankfort. In this connection, we might say, no father
ever more completely idolized his children than did he, and the death
of his son in the pride and vigor of young manhood with the prospect
of distinction before him, was a severe blow for the father, from the
sorrow of which he never fully recovered; though, if that were
possible, after the son's death, to the close of his own life, he lavished
an even greater affection upon the daughter.
    In i870 he was elected County Attorney of Garrard county, and
was the Republican candidate for Congress for the district wherein
Garrard county was located, in I872 and i876. The district was over-
whelmingly Democratic, and he, of course, failed of election; but his
races were noteworthy and attracted the attention of the entire
country.
    He was unanimously elected delegate from the State-at-large
for Kentucky to seven Republican National Conventions, and was
three times elected chairman of the Kentucky delegation in National
conventions. He was also thrice elected a member of the Republican
National Committee. At the famous Republican National Convention
of i88o, he was one of the immortal three hundred and six who voted
for General Grant for the Presidential nomination, and greatly distin-
guished himself in seconding the nomination of Grant, delivering a
speech that is unsurpassed in convention oratory. He was chosen by
President Arthur to institute suits against the star-route fraud con-
tractors, but declined the appointment.
    In i884 he succeeded in defeating the motion to curtail Southern
representation in Republican National Conventions. In i887 he made
the race as Republican candidate for Governor of Kentucky, and
reduced the normal Democratic majority of 47,000 of the previous
year to less than I7,000, his opponent being Gen. Simon Bolivar
Buckner, the old Confederate "war horse."
    In i888, at the Republican National Convention, he received I05
votes for the Vice-Presidential nomination. In 1889 President Harri-
son appointed him Minister to Korea, but he declined the honor. In
1895 he was again the unanimous nominee of the Republican party for
Governor, and after a remarkable campaign he was elected by a
plurality of 8,912 votes; and the entire Republican State ticket was



VIII

 

Biographical Sketch of William 0. Bradley.



elected with him. This was the first time that Kentucky ever went
Republican.
    In I896 he was indorsed for President by the Kentucky State
Republican Convention.
    In i904 he seconded the nomination of Roosevelt for President,
again making a distinguished contribution to convention oratory.
    Four times prior to i9o8 he was his party's nominee for United
States Senator. In i908 he was the unanimous nominee of his party
for United States Senator, as determined by legislative caucus; and,
in February, i908, after a memorable fight, he was elected Senator,
although the General Assembly was Democratic on joint ballot by a
majority of eight votes.
    After his election as Governor he received the degree of LL. D.
from Kentucky University.
    In addition to his convention speeches already mentioned, he
delivered addresses and orations on many notable occasions; among
them being the dedicatory address at the Kentucky Building at the
Columbian Exposition (World's Fair) at Chicago, in i893; the
address at the unveiling and dedication of the Jefferson statue in
Louisville in i902; the address at the dedication of the Kentucky
monument at Chickamauga Park in i898; the address at the launching
of the battleship "Kentucky" in i898; and the oration at the dedica-
tion of the new capitol building at Frankfort, Kentucky, in i9io.
    In his many campaigns in Kentucky, Senator Bradley came to
know its people almost as well as he knew the people of his home
county, Garrard. His political adversaries join in the statement that,
on the stump, he was without a rival. He never forgot a name or face,
nor any circumstance or transaction which signalized any meeting
with any person, and this great faculty was of inestimable benefit to
him, and served to increase his wonderful power with the people. He
knew all by their first names, or nicknames, and thousands of the
humblest voters in the most remote sections of the State felt that they
knew him as intimately and as sympathetically as if he had been their
closest and most generous neighbor all their lives. He was
affectionately known to thousands of his followers and admirers as
"Billy 0. B.," and throughout his life he wore a white Alpine hat,
which came to be known far and wide as the "Bradley hat." Like the
white plume of Navarre wherever it moved there was leadership and
battle.
    Kentucky with its wealth of history, tradition and sentiment;
with its wonderful beauty of mountain, "Blue-grass" and "Pennyrile ;"
with its fine, pure strains of blood throughout its borders-has always



IX

 

Biographical Sketch of William 0. Bradley.



been, and is today, a land of orators. They have glorified, and yet
glorify, the pulpit, the bar, and the hustings, and this without regard
to creed, section, or political party, and one of the greatest of all these
was William 0. Bradley.
    Not only was Senator Bradley an orator of unusual power, but he
was, also, in the best sense of the term, a fighter. He seemed to love
battle, and never hesitated to accept it when offered; and in any
cause he undertook was always on the aggressive, never on the
defensive. Yet he was in no wise contentious. He believed this to be
a world of struggle; and while he did not seek conflict, he regarded a
certain amount of it as necessarily attendant upon the efforts of any
one who sought to accomplish anything; and he believed, moreover,
that a certain amount of conflict, fairly waged, gave the temper and
strength to character which nothing else could give. He believed
that achievement was the great joy-giver. It was inevitable that some
political enemies should be raised up against him; but even these paid
tribute to his remarkable powers of eloquence, to his political sagacity
and leadership, to his splendid fighting qualities, to his unmatched
loyalty to friends, to his love of State and Nation, and to his openness
and candor. In this connection it may truly be said of him-in fact,
he said this of himself-that he never turned his back on friend or foe,
for he loved the one, and feared not the other. Yet, though he was a
man of strong emotions, feeling most keenly any injustice done him,
and was accounted a good "hater," he had the capacity for forgive-
ness, and often surprised both friends and foes by forgiving those
he believed had done him grave injury, and supporting them for office
or appointment. In fact, he was too good a political general not to
know that there were times when, to the success of a party or of a
cause, these must be subordinated every personal consideration or
sentiment.
    Now, while this is intended to be a nonpartisan sketch, it is indis-
pensable that some fuller reference be made to Senator Bradley's
political career, and to his relationship to the party of which he was so
long the leader in his greatly beloved State. The greater portion of
his life was passed in intense political activity. He loved the political
game. He was a boy when the Civil War broke upon the country, and
his youthful imagination was inspired by love of country; and thus
resulted his efforts to join the Union Army. During the stirring
period of the war, Kentucky, as a border State, while loyal ito the
Union Government, nevertheless furnished thousands of soldiers to
both armies. The State was torn with dissension and fratricidal strife.
Young Bradley, keen of mind, precocious, restless, fearless, and



x

 

Biographsical Sketch of William 0. Bradley.



ambitious, formed his own views upon the important issues, and it
was but natural that, with his remarkable powers of speech and leader-
ship, he should plunge headlong into the political sea; and that, in one
way or another, he should remain there until the day of his death.
    A number of times during his long career, he forswore politics,
but without avail. He as inevitably wvent back into the game as the
duck goes into the water. With his gifts any other course was
impossible. No one could take his place, and the call of friends and
party-not to speak of the call of his own nature-was too strong
for him to resist.
    For more than forty years he was on the firing line, fighting the
battles of the Republican party, and was the party's chieftain during
the most of this period. His leadership, which lasted until his death,
for length and effectiveness, stands unrivalled in Kentucky since the
days of Clay. No man, in fact, has ever had in the State so large and
loyal a following as had he; and it was made up, not only of the rank
and file of his own party, but, as well, of thousands of others who held
opposing political convictions. Though others of fine ability gave
effective co-operation, the fact that Kentucky has several times
elected Republican Governors and United States Senators is chiefly
due to his splendid energy, eloquence, and leadership. He wa-
the father of the Republican party in Kentucky; the party's most
ardent champion, its most effective, most trusted, and   best
loved leader in the South. He bore aloft the party's banner during
the dark days following the close of the Civil War, when to be .a
Republican in the South meant proscription and persecution. During
his long period of leadership he fought the battles of the Republican
party with dauntless zeal and courage, and with unrivalled skill. For
more than a generation, in every important campaign, his voice was
heard in behalf of its principles throughout the length and
breadth of Kentucky; and, also, in other States, for he was
ever in demand. His speech and personality were always worth
thousands of votes to his cause. He was the party's master figure in
State conventions of Kentucky throughout the period of his active
political career, anid he had the power to thrill and inspire them at will.
Likewise, he was also a commanding power in the National Conven-
tions of his party, and in them he was not only influential from the
nation-wide standpoint, but was, moreover, the special and successful
spokesman of the party in the South. Wherever he moved he raised
up Republican majorities. It was given him to see his planting and
sowing in the political field grow unto golden harvest. In Kentucky
he saw his party, under his leadership, grow from an inconsequential



XI

 

Biographical Sketch of William 0. Bradley.



and despised minority to a powerful, effective political organization,
winning battle after battle, and achieving triumph after triumph.
    As Governor of Kentucky he was a splendid executive. He gave
to the State one of the best and most economical administrations it has
ever known. He was sternly opposed to mob law, dealt with it firmly
and skillfully, and his utterances on the subject are among the finest,
most effective the country has known. His strong nature, powerful
convictions, firm courage, wide experience, and thorough knowledge of
human nature, splendidly fitted him for executive achievements.
    The negroes were his absolute and devoted friends. He never
played the demagogue with them, but always spoke to them with
perfect candor and helpfulness. He always had the courage to give
the negro a square deal and to defend him in his legitimate rights
whenever and however assailed. An example of this was his pardon,
while Governor, of the Simpson county negro, Dinning, whose indict-
ment grew out of his defense of his home from the attack of a white
mob. The negroes never had a better friend than William 0. Bradley,
and this they fully understood and appreciated. No wonder it is that
they worship his memory.
    As United States Senator he labored earnestly and effectively for
his State and constituents; and, more than this, he ever sought to
advance the interests of our common country. While he was a
partisan, in the sense that he earnestly believed that the domination
of the principles of the Republican party was necessary for the pros-
perity and progress of the Nation, he was first of all a patriot. None
was more ready than he to cast aside all partisan considerations wher-
ever and whenever the welfare of State or Nation so required. His
patriotism was of the highest, most ardent character; and he loved his
State with all the passionate devotion that the noblest son bears for the
noblest mother.
    Reference has been made to his candor. No man more ardently
hated hypocrisy and cant than did he. No one ever had to guess
where he stood on any question. No man ever was clearer, or more
courageous in his convictions. Physically, morally, and mentally his
courage was of the highest character. He was absolutely unafraid. He
was ever ready to express himself publicly or privately; and his con.-
versation, in forcefulness, strong sense, and striking phraseology wAs
truly Johnsonesque. Had Boswell been his associate what a wonderful
biography the world would have of him. He had faults to be sure-
for he was intensely human-but they were born of his energy, quick
sympathies, and ardor, and sprang not from malice or weakness.
On a certain occasion several years ago, the writer said to him, "Sen-



XII

 


Biographical Sketch of William 0. Bradley.



ator, I hope some day to write the story of your life"; whereupon, he
turned, and, looking the writer squarely in the eye in that intense and
wonderful Bradley way, responded: "If you do, you must paint me as
Cromwell wished to be painted, warts, and all." But in the light of
his genius with what indistinctness do the "warts" appear.
    Senator Bradley was the prince of story-tellers. He had an
inexhaustible stock which had come to him during the busy years of
his life, both through experience and absorption, and in the marvelous
quiver of his memory they were ever held ready for instant use. With
true Lincolnesque aptness he always had a story to illustrate his point,
and with voice and gesture he gave these stories life. When he
grew to manhood, and during the fullest vigor of his career,
story-telling was, perhaps, a greater art in Kentucky and in public life
generally than it is today. When opportunity permitted he could sit
for hours, telling in inimitable fashion, anecdote after anecdote, or
relating incident after incident, taken from chapters of his busy life
and observation, and he employed these stories with striking effect in
his public speeches.
    This is an unusual collection of stories; one of the most interest-
ing and distinctly "human" collection ever published. They consti-
tute but a portion of the inexhaustible stock which Senator Bradley
held in store. They are of the Kentucky soil. The language quoted
is sometimes a little blunt and picturesque, and is of undoubted Ken-
tucky flavor. In the recital of these incidents and anecdotes the
Senator has, in a purely unconscious way, sought to hold the "mirror
up to nature," and has given us striking portrait-glimpses of some
of those who have most prominently figured in the social and political
life of the State.
    But the stories must necessarily lose much in the printing, and so
must his speeches; though the latter, because of the genius and eloquence
which they possess, have within them the spirit of immortality. They
shall live as long as oratory is regarded with favor among men; they
shall live as long as patriotism is revered. The speech seconding the
nomination of Grant in i88o is unsurpassed in convention oratory, and
by many of the most competent critics it is regarded as being
unrivalled. Great in thought, sentiment, and music of expression, its
superb delivery increased its power more than can be told. The
Chickamauga address breathed the noblest spirit of patriotism and
reconciliation. It was one of the first great utterances in the country
indicating the true basis for a complete reconciliation between the
North and South. In it he urged forgetfulness of the passions and
prejudices of the Civil War, and love and reverence by all for the



MUI

 




Biographical Sketch of William 0. Bradley.



heroism and glory common to the participants on both sides of that
awful conflict. It is a classic of patriotism, and should be in every
history and child's reader in the nation.
    The sentence taken from his message as Governor, and appearing
on the base of the Kentucky shaft at Chickamauga is, without doubt,
the finest inscription appearing on any American battle monument, and
is unsurpassed anywhere in the world. It is worthy of constant
repetition and perpetual remembrance:

        "As we are united in life, and they united in death, let
    one monument perpetuate their deeds, and one people,
    forgetful of all asperities, forever hold in grateful remem-
    brance all the glories of that terrible conflict which made all
    men free and preserved every star in the Nation's flag."

    It was one of the nearest hopes of his heart to see the complete
reconciliation of the North and South, and he sought in every way, and
upon every occasion, to do all within his power to soften the bitterness
resulting from the Civil War; and his speeches constantly breathed
this spirit. He lived to see this hope essentially realized.
    Another master-piece of oratory was the speech at the launching
of the battleship "Kentucky." No finer, nor loftier tribute will ever be
paid to his beloved Commonwealth than that paid by him on that
occasion. And his speech dedicating the Kentucky building at the
World's Fair is of the same high strain.
    Senator Bradley was selected as the orator of the day upon the
formal dedication of the new capitol building at Frankfort on
June 2nd, i9io, and this, too, was a splendid effort, epitomizing the
history and the glory of Kentucky, and justly interpreting the spirit of
its people and institutions. And, so it was, that whatever subject he
touched he illuminated and glorified. He was "of imagination all
compact," and had, in the largest measure, every attribute of the
orator. At the same time his life had been cast along such practical
lines, and he possessed such practical characteristics, that he was,
also, a man of affairs.
    William 0. Bradley was the prince of debaters. In the field of
controversy his talents shown with unmatched brilliancy. It is to be
doubted whether any Republican in the whole nation had as many
joint debates as had he during his long political career, and he met
every worthy adversary. His wide information and experience, his
aggressive character, his knowledge of human nature, his common
sense, his power of forceful, logical statement, his ready wit, his
voice and manner-not to speak of his powers of eloquence-all con-



XIV

 




Biographical Sketch of William 0. Bradley.



XIV



tributed to make him an unrivalled debater. He knew how to give
and take, and he loved the rigor of the game.
    Some of the statements of Hon. Ollie M. James, senior Senator
from Kentucky, in his beautiful and generous tribute at the Bradley
Memorial Service in the United States Senate on June 24th, i9i6,
coming, as they did, from a political opponent, and from a man who.
himself, is possessed of great gifts of eloquence and leadership, and
who stands high in the councils of his party, and who, also, is
thoroughly conversant with the history of Kentucky politics,-are
well worth quoting in this, and related, connections:

        "He (referring to Senator Bradley) had more joint de-
    bates with Democrats in Kentucky than any other Republi-
    can that ever lived in our State. His party was proud of
    him, and always, with confidence, they gathered to hear
    him debate with any of the leading Democrats of the State,
    for they felt certain they had a champion worthy of any foe,
    and in this they were never disappointed. He lifted the Re-
    publican party in Kentucky, in almost hopeless ninority, to
    victory in the St