"Bryan, Bryan, Bryan, Bryan" is a 1919 poem by American poet Vachel Lindsay. It chronicles William Jennings Bryan's 1896 presidential campaign as seen through the eyes of an idealistic sixteen-year-old, who strongly supported the Democratic Party candidate and was crushed by Bryan's defeat at the hands of the Republican Party.
The narrator depicts the election outcome as a victory of the East Coast and large financial institutions, such as J.P. Morgan & Company, over regions and interest groups depicted as friendly toward Bryan such as the American Midwest and farmers.
The poem lists, and comments on, many of the key political figures of the 1896 election, including the retiring incumbent Grover Cleveland, the winning candidate William McKinley, and McKinley's innovative campaign manager Mark Hanna.
Famous quotes containing the word bryan:
“Do you know I believe that [William Jennings] Bryan will force his nomination on the Democrats again. I believe he will either do this by advocating Prohibition, or else he will run on a Prohibition platform independent of the Democrats. But you will see that the year before the election he will organize a mammoth lecture tour and will make Prohibition the leading note of every address.”
—William Howard Taft (1857–1930)