The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1893-06-02
JERRY ROASTED.
His Record on the Anticipation Bill
Shown Up.
A CaustIc Letter from c. Wood Davis-An
Exposition of the Hypocrisy of the
Seventh District Congressman-A
Dish for Modern Reformers.


shows up the hypocrisy of the Seventh
district congressman in his true colors:
PEoToNE, Kan, May 16, 1898.
A. II. Going, Esq:
Ny Dear Sir: Replying to your let
ter beg leave to say that l mail you
the desired copy of the Hatch anti
option bill" and also accompany it with
copy of the report of the committee of
the house of representatives which &C
companied the bill when reported to
the house, as well as by pamphlet by
Mr.. John Whitaker, of st. Louis, in
which is given what l know to be
correct history of the inception and
formulation of the original Butter
worth bill.
When Mr.. Jerry Simpson says this
bill was gotten up in the interest of
any combination-unless it was COM
bination of IS per cent. of the farmers
of the nation-he either states what he
knows to be false or else has the aSsur-
ance to make statement in relation TO
a subject of which he is wholly and
reprehensibly ignorant, holding the po-
sition he does, as there is abundant evl-
dence in existence showing that both
the Butterworth and Hatch bills-the
last formulated on the lines of the
former-were gotten up and drafted in
the interest of, for and by the farmers
and their accredited agents, as stated
so succinctly by Mr. Whitaker: all of
which informa ton was within easy &C
cess of Mr.. Jerry Simpson when and be-
fore he made the statement with which
you credit him.
1t is within INV knowledge that the
original Butterworth bill was formulat-
ed under the supervision of the officials
ofthe National Farmers Alliance" and
was introduced at their procurement by
Hon. Ben Butterworth in the Fifty
first congress. and meeting with failure
was by the same influence secured in
troduced in the Fifty-second by Hon.
Mr.. Hatch. of Missouri, and would
have become law but for the action OF
few men like Mr.. Simpson who mis-
represented the interests of their con-
stituents.
Referring to your statement that Mr..
Simpson makes the further claim, that
the only lobby work done at Washing
ton and the only money spent in con-
nection with the anticipation bill was
by those trying to secure its passage, l
beg leave to say that in such statement,
if made by the representative in con-
gress of the Seventh district, he either
shows such lamentable ignorance Of
what was going on under his very eyes
as to render him wholly unfit to guard
the interests of his constituents or he
has deliberately stated that which
every well informed person, who was
about the capitol in Washington during
the sessions of the Fifty-second congress.
knows to be untrue.
Although the writer belongs to no or
ganization that has been prominently
before the public. yet having written
much upon ''option-dealing," many
have long known his position upon the
subject. and when the Fifty-second con-
gress was about to convene promised,
al the earnest solicitation of personal
frieuds-farrners as well as others
that he would spend two or three
months in Washington in an endeavor
to secure such legislation as would re-
store natural price-mal1ing methods:
and at their request he continued in
Washington during both sessions of
that congress. and is, therefore, able to
say that with the exception of such
witnesses as appeared before the con-
gressional committees on this subject,
the officials of the national grange
and the national alliance and one
party representing the cotton grow
ers-no one of which spent more than
a fortnight in Washington except
when in attendance before the commit
tees-I was the sole representative OF
the farming interest in Washington
and the only person outside of congress
at work for the ''anti-option BILL in
any capacity, and have the best of rea-
son for believing that disbursed every
cent of the very small sum spent in the
attempt to secure this legislation, my
expenditures being confined to the pay
ment of a small printing bill each ses-
sion, the rent of type-writing ma
chine. the payment of the person who
operated it. in payment for postage
stamps and the necessary stationery,
an occasional telegram to friends as &c
the situation and my personal expendi
lures for board, washing. street cars
and an occasional visit to the theatel
and an unlimited supply of newspapers
certainly know that not one dollar OF
the money so expended came from any
combination whatever, but was con
tributed by few personal friends anC
myself.
Now as to the other side: Early ii
the campaign the opposition collected
large sums upon the exchanges for the
express and avowed purpose-avoweC
to the contributors and by the manag
ers-to defeat the bill. happened t
have personal friends on several of the
exchanges, who, although taking nc
active part in favor of the bill, kept me
posted as to every move of the opposi-
ton. and such collections were kept
I'D and the amounts increased until tbs
bill was done to death by the aid-nc
matter how secured-of such men a:
represent, or misrepresent, the Seventh
district of Kansas
The Sums thus collected, the enormou.
sums thus collected during every month
the bill was before congress after it.
submission by the committee on agri
culture, was employed in subsidizins
newspapers-buto one or two of all tn,
metropolitan papers in the country eve
opened its mouth for the bill-in con
trolling the press dispatches from
Washington, and above and over all il
maintaining the most persistent and
expensive lobby seen in Washington
since the days of the Credit Mobelier
Time and again have members of con
gress, who were not specially favorabl