The Portland daily press., 1888-09-26
a. w. Beard for Congress.
That fright to the Death" Letter.

[St. Louis Globe-Democrat.l
We printed yesterday, from ''The Congress
sional Record, "a short speech made by Mr..
Vest, in explanation of a letter witten by
him, in which the following language oc-
Cured:
"Mr. Cleveland, by his message, for which
sincerely honor him, has challenged the protected
industries OF the country to fight Of extermina-
Mr.. Vest, interrogated by Mr.. Sherman.
admitted the genuiness of the above as an
extract, but protested that is was a portion
of private letter not intended for publica-
tion. He said:
There is club in st. Louis which, for
tunately or unfortunately, bears my name
the Vest Democratic Club Some time
since wrote to an intimate friend, Mr..
Charles M. Napton, who happened to be
secretary of that club, not specially on any
political matter, but in regard TO some mat
ter OF business about which he wrote me, in
which letter he asked me generally about the
campaign, as the constituents of Senators
general do. wrote him letter-it was
written hurriedly, without an idea that it
would syer be published, or that it would
ever be subjected to any public criticism
but wrote it as one confidential friend
would write to another. As
matter or course can say frankly that
am not an idiot, and that the Democratic
party would not, in the teeth of its platform
and Of the public and private expressions of
all Its members, attack the industries of this
country"i
Further along Mr.. Vest said the letter was
written ''here in the Senate in the midst Of
debate" It was, eh? How, then, does it
happen to be in type writing, with careful
pen and ink emendations and signature? {?
we have seen the document as received by
Mr.. Napt0n. There are Just four lines of
private matter" in it, and two of these are
occupied with an acknowledgment of Mr.
Napton's letter to him Vest. Mr.. Vest then
goes on ana occupies page and half of
type writing in saying:
sincerely hope that your club may be made
permanent and that its membership may be large
ly increased: While there is no possibility that
MISSOURI Will fau to give her electoral vote for
Cleveland and Thurman, it is important, both for
campaign purposes and as an educational instru-
mentality that the organization should be con-
idential contest the most important since that
OF ioO0. Mr.. Cleveland. by his message, for
which sincerely honor him, has challened the
protected industries of the country to a fight of
determination. The men who are aeeumulating
immense fortunes under the tariff laws are de-
termined TO defeat Cleveland If money and indus
Try Will accomplish it,. 1t is the personal duty
OF every Democrat in this country to do everything
IN ms power to sustain the President: Every
hhgency ~ wnlen can be used In this direction must
De put actively to work.
IT IS useless for us TO disguise the fact that the
hght IS to the DEATH and we would be idiots 10 g-
p''' z. G. VEST.
1t will be observed that in his speech in
the Senate Mr.. Vest says, in effect, that he
IS not an idiot, and therefore not a Free
Trader, while in his letter to Mr.. Napton he
says, IN effect, that Democrats who try to ig-
more or disguise the free trade issue are
Idiots. Mr. Vests powerful mind seems to
run largely to idiots.