The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1894-09-20
ROAST FOR CLEVELAND.

mittee to take part IN the democratic
canvass of the state John II. Atwood,
one of the ablest lawyers and most
influential democrats of Leavenworth,
sent the following letter to the state
committee:
LEAvENwORTH, Kan, Aug. 81.
The Hon. j. S. Richardson, Chairman
Democratic State Central Committee,
Topeka Kas.:
My DEAR SIR-Your letter of Aug.
%, requesting me to take the stump
is now before me. This it will be i'm
possible for me to do.
The democratic party under its pre-.
sent national leadership is unworthy
the support of any democrat west of
the Allegheny mountains or whose
memory runs further back than first
reign of Grover Cleveland. There is
not to day in the national house of re-
presentatives a democratic congress-
man from the Mississippi basin or
west Of it who could now be where he
is but for the pledge made by himself
and his party that there should be
legislation rehabilitation silver as
money; Mr.. Cleveland was elected on
a platform which demanded "the use
of both gold and silver as The stand
ard money of the country, and the
coinage Of both gold and silver with
out discrimination against either
metal" In his famous Buffalo letter,
when the people were clamoring to
know if he still adhered to the dog
mas of Wall and Thread needle
streets, he SAID in substance that he
was bound to admit that the effects
of the Bland act had not been as de-
trimental to the business of the cOun-
try as he had feared. nor detrimen-
tai at all, and We worshiping demo
Gratis, anxious to believe, siezed upon
that as declaration that he had
ceased to be an enemy to silver, and
with that letter and our money plank
We went forth and taught free silver
as q democratic doctrine.
What can such of us as did this two
years ago say now to the people to
whom We then spoke? So far from
adhering to our national declaration
of principles, the president has en-
ployed all the great powers of his ..igl
office to show how magnificently he
can violate party promise. The
temple of bimetal!ism was promised
by US to be built up perfected-and
in fulillment of this promise the h,gl,
priest of our party applied the torch
and compelled democratic congress.
men to cast on fuel that the flame
might be the ficrcer, and now scarcely
the blackness of ashes marks where
it stood.
And how much easier 1t is to explain
our attitude on the tariff? The diff.
ference between it and our position
on silver is that as to silver We openly
and brazenly crumpled our promises
like pie crust and then glorled in the
applause of the money changers of
the east, while with the tariff we H.
dulged in pretenscs and shutiling.
Mr.. Wilson says there is relief fol
the people in the new law-concedine
this it is but bite where loaf was
promised, and can it be said that the
payment of 81 when one owes 81 is
an honest Quittance Of debt.
Mr.. Cleveland says he could no,
help it; but do you not think if he
had applied to the tariff contention
the methods used to annihilate the
last vcstige of silver legislation the
result might have been different:
Those methods were nicely alternateG
threats and promises uttered ex-cath
edra; methods very little in keeping
with the traditions clinging about tht
exalted Office of president, but since
he has chosen to employ them tina
our pledges might be made mendaci
ties, he can hardly be permitted t,
plead their imoropriety when the full
tillment of promise was stake.
am still democrat, but of til,
kind which Brvan of Nebraska is S,