NEBRASKA: Bryan's Last Stand

In Nebraska, where political oratory is apt to be gusty, the memory of William Jennings Bryan, greatest and gustiest of Nebraska politicians, is revered by many people. It seemed quite proper, then, when the Bryan Memorial Commission produced a 13-ton, 8-ft. bronze likeness of the late Great Commoner and planted it on the steps of the handsome, "skyscraper" (19-story) state capitol. The statue was no sooner in place than a storm of angry protests broke over the head of Governor Val Peterson. Republican pride was outraged that a Democrat should desecrate the capitol's steps. The governor compromised: the statue could remain on the steps "on a temporary basis."

That was in 1947. Ever since, in the unicameral legislature, in letters-to-the-editor columns of the press, in the gathering places of Omaha, the controversy has raged on. Bryan meanwhile stood stolidly on the steps, collected lichens and gazed placidly at the vista of ramshackle boardinghouses across the square. Last week the issue was finally settled: by a vote of 25-12, the legislature agreed to let the Great Commoner remain on his pedestal on a permanent basis.