The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1893-08-03
VANCE THROWS
4NOTHEF BOpS4ELL y THE Ckn9 Or
The "AAC- Ss"
HI WRITES ANOTHER LETTER. THIS
TIME REPLNI>G To >oMEUS-
FAIR CRITICISMS.


He nenes his Position Fully. He Con
straes the Party's Pledges to tia. Peo-
pie. He deals a Heavy Blow to Machine
News and interruptions Politicians. Vie
gives IA Black Ese to doe Caldwell and
Matt Ransom.
When the Charlotte Observer pub
lished Senator Vance's open letter
to the Alliance it proceeded to criti-
else him in the following language:
We have no words with which to
express our regret on account of the
attitude taken by Senator Vance in
his letter published in yesterdays
Observer. We had much hoped that
he would be able TO see his way clear
to take d position with his party in
favor of the repeal of the Sherman
law and of such further financial
legislation as the national Demo
cratic platform suggests-the COIN
age of silver upon some such basis as
will insure its continued circulation
upon a parity with gold. We cannct
but .hlnk, in view of recent events,
that either the free coinage Of silver
or the continued operation of the
Sherman law will defeat the very
object the silver men have in view.
And again, while nothing could pos
sibly be further from the purpose of
this patriotic and illustrious citizen,
We clearly foresee that the general
tenor of his letter will greatly en-
bolden the Third party and add i'm
mensely to its strength. In view of
the certainty of a combination next
year between The Republicans and
Popullsts, this is to be particularly
deplored, for at best the contest in
North Carolina is to be close and
doubtful, the d appointments fol-
lowing the accession to power of a
party which has been out, rendering
the maintaiDance of its position, in
the Iirst election thereafter, always
uncertain, 1t would be idle to deny
tnat Senator Nance's public and de-
liberate ayowal of sympathy with the
financial policy of the Farmers ALI
ance complicates the situation inn
measurably.
In reply to the above and to fully
state his reasons Senator Vance
writes the following letter addressed
polntedly to Mr.. Caldwell himself,
GoMBROoN,
NEAR BLACK MOUNTAIN, n. c.,
July, y, 1898.
J. P. CALDWELL, Esq:
Dear Sir:-I take no exception to
your comment on my recent letter to
the Mecklenburg County Alliance,
beyond the fact that you authorita-
lively designate me as differing
from my party, and misrepresent
my words with the letter before you.
The charge that Democrat is at
variance with his party, who refuses
to favor the unconditional repeal of
the Sherman law, depends for its
truth on what the party laid down in
its platform at Chicago, If promises
and pledges amount to anything.
Let us see. The Chicago platform
demands inter alios, the repeal of
the Sherman law, as a cowardly
makeshift, an obstruction to the free
coinage of silver, &c. The obvious
meaning of this is, if that law was
out of the way we could have free
coinage q quote from memory,
having no copy of the platform be,
fore me.) That is one of the things
l propose to put in place Of the Sher-
man law; and ] propose to vote
against its repeal unless that be
done. If my party is opposed to
that, then its utterances at Chicago
were insincere and intended to de-
ceive; if it was sincere, then | an
trying to stand on the platform.
Again, it pledges the party to ths
use of both goln and silver, on equa
terms, without discrimination agains
either as to coinage. etcetera. Ow
if we cease to coin one and refuse tC
tender it in payment even OF obllga
tions which by the contract are pay
able therein, we do discriminate
against that metal in coinage anC
virtually cease to use it. In oppos
ing the repeal of the Sherman Law
without some substitute preserving
the use and coinage of silver, | an
squarely with the party and those
who favor unconditional repeal are
not with it but are violating its so
lemn pledges.
Again, the platform pledges th'
partv to such Legislation as shall
maintain the party between gold an'
silver, so that gold dollar and a sill
yer dollar shall be interchangeable
and one as good as the other. Now
in objecting to the repeal of the onl.
law on our statute books which bind
us to the use Of silver at all, wlthou
some substitute or conditions tend
ing to make good the promises 0
the platform, no honest man cal
doubt that | am with and not agains
the party which made those promises
The only possible way to avoid thi
conclusion is to assume either tha
those promises were fraudulent an
not binding, or that the party ha
since changed its position and nov
fayors abandoning silver, altogether
and of neither of these proposition
is there any proof acceptable to me
The pledges of the platform are join
and not separable on the subject 0
silver money.
You cannot select one, the repea
of the Sherman law for example
and propose to redeem it alone an
denounce those who insist on tn
fulfillment of all, as untrue to tn
party or differing from it. Nor Wi
men of common sense who are loys
to the purpose they profess surrende
the advantages of their position