The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1893-07-14
CONGRESSMAN FLETCHER RE.
PHYS.


Board of Trade of this city, calling
for the repeal of the Sherman silver
purchase law, in which he stated that
the said law was not wholly response
BILE for the troubles of the past few
weeks, but that they were due to a
lack of confidence in the present adj
-ministration, and the uncertainty as
to what it would do regarding the
tariff, called forth an editorial from
the ReUieac, in which he was charged
with making simply ian absurd parti-
san declaration" and the rehashing
of the 'twaddle of last falls cam
paign." In reply thereto. MI. Fetch
er has written the following letter to
the editor of the ReUaeoo:
Dear Sir-Having received mark
ed copy Of your paper which contains
your editorial reply to my letter TO
the Mankato Board of Trade, few
additional facts occurred to me as be-
ing worthy,Of your attention. You
know. and every other intelligent
man in the country knows, that prior
to the presidential election of 1892,
the condition of the United States
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and
from the gulf to our northern boun-
Diary, was one of great prosperity
Under the industrial laws enacted by
the Republican party, manufacturing
enterprises were flOuriShinS all over
the land; working men were receiving
good, living wages; industry, content
ment and good feeling prevailed
everywhere In fact there never was
such an era of general prosperity in
the history Of our country as existed
at that time There were two very
distinct live issues on which the
presidential campaign was fought,
namely the tariff and the money.
Your party in it's PLATOON declared
for free trade and for repeal OF the
10 per cent tax on bank iSsues-it de-
clared protection fraud and asked
for return to the old shinpiaster
banking system. These were The is
sues on which the campaign was
fought, and your party won the VIC
tory. But you won it at such fear
full cost that you will nov be able to
win another in our day. The price
was too much-mOre than the country
is able to stand. Ever since the re-
suit of the election was known, the
money and industrial interests Of the
country have been changing for the
worse. Day by day and week this
change has been going on until we
have reached condition of democrat
iZaUiOn entirely unprecedented in the
history of our country. So long as
theRepublican adminiStr9 tion lasted,
President Harrison and his able cab
met, with their well-defined financial
policy, were able to hold back and put
off the panicky condition which has
prevailed for the last four months:
but since the 4th Of March and the
advent of President Cleveland and
his Democratic cohorts, the country
seems to have been going to the devil
at pace that would beat Maud S in
her palmiest days. The fact that
President Cleveland personally is
Wall St. gold bug does not help mat
tiers. His party is for free trade and
shinplasterS, and he is as helpless in
their hands as babe in the embrace
of tiger.
"PriOr to the advent of the present
administration, under the same laws
that exist today, there was wide
spread prosperity. The labOring men
could not only earn more, but pur-
chase more with the same amount of
money earned than any other period
in our history as a country. We all
had faith in our government, in our
industries, and in each other. Money
could be had for the asking in any
amounts at low rates on proper Secur
titles. American securities were being
contentedly held abroad and there was
banks were crowded with money, and
discounts could be obtained by any
one having good paper. There was
faith were everywhere manifest
among the people.
Nov will you please inform me
from your standpoint as Democrat |
why, if not for want of confidence |
in the Democratic party, this change |
came about so suddenly, dating as it |
does from the time the Democratic |
party won the election? You cannot |
plead that since the Democratic par
ty has only been in power since the |
4th of March it is not responsible. 1t |
is well known to you and every other |
intelligent man that the work was
done on the 8th of November and |
from that day dates the beginning of |
our present deplorable condition.
eff it is not for want of confidence
in the position taken by the Demo
cratic platform as enunciated at Chi
cago and discussed in every hamlet in
America, will you please inform
me what has caused the |
change and brought such disaster
upon the business interests of the
country?
you may say it was the Sherman
silver bill so-called, but that had
been in force some years under Repub-
lican rule without producing any
specially disastrous results, and / do
not doubt that if President Harrison
had been reelected and the country
could have felt assured that our
tariff and banking laws would remain
undisturbed the prosperous times
which have heretofore characterized
Republican administrations would
prevail today. If the troubles
we are now suffering are not
due to fear that the Demo-
cratic party would attempt to carry
out the pledges and promises of it's
platform, then Mr.. Editor, l shall be
nhliup6 RI Won If nor, will 81 |