Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-05-04
WARNING TO DEMOCRATS
President Cleveland Writes Another Letter
on Sound Money.
Points Out to Gov. Stone of Misc. ssippi
Free Silver-DnnEer to the Party.

Governor Stone of Mississippi has given
to the Associated Press at Jackson letter
| addressed to him by President Cleveland
under date of April 26. The following is
the full text of the letter:
EXECUTIVE MANSION,
WASHINGTON, D. c., April &c, 1895.
Hon. ]. NJ. Stone, governor, etc.
My Dear Sir: Your letter of the 21st in
slant is at hand. l do not feel inclined to
find fault with your criticism but l think
the matters you srefer to should be judged
in the light of the circumstances existing
at the time the things were done. 1 never
had an idea of building up or fostering a
personal following. but, so far as politics
should properly influence me in making
appointments, 1 have tried to be demo-
cratic and not pHcscriptive. I am glad you
ton in bringing about condition in office
holding which may not be all that could
now be desired. q
Office folders Abuse.
Whether those zappointed to places shall.
In speech and = action, behave decently
toward the administration under which they
mold Office must remain, to a large extent,
| matter of taste and good breeding. There
are, however, some officials who devote
themselves SO industriously to vilification
and abuse of those under whom they hold
once as TO indicate that their fidelity can
not be trusted for the performance of their
duties in manner creditable to the ad-
ministration. and who apparently assume
they may spend the time they owe the pub
lie service in doing political mischief In
the interest of good government, such
office holders must not be surprised if they
are summarily dealt with
The South and Silver.
When 1 received your letter I had just
finished reading letter of yours in which
you explain to the citizens OF Mississippi
your views on the currency question. 1t
seems to me you have In that letter con-
tributed in the best possible style and in a
most valuable way to the fund of argument
In favor of sound money. 1 have never
ceased to wonder why the people of the
south, furnishing SO largely as they do
products which are exported for gold,
should be willing to submit to the dis
advantages and loss of silver monometaI-
ism and to content themselves with a de-
preciated and fluctuating currency while
permitting others to reap profit from the
transmutatlon OF the prices of their produc-
tons from silver to gold. l hope this letter
of yours will be given the widest possible
circulation, especially among our southern
fellow-citZens, and that they Will be per-
mitted to see the pitfall which is directly
before those who madly rush toward the
phantom light of free, unlimited and indie
pendent silver coinage.
IL we, who profess fealty to the demo-
cratic party, are sincere in our devotion to
Its principles. and If We are right in beliey-
ing that the ascendancy of those principles
Is guarantee of personal liberty, universal
care Tor the rights of all, non-sectional
American brotherhood and manly trust in
American citizenship in any part of our
lard, we should study the effects upon our
party, and consequently upon our country
OF committal of the national democracy
to the silver arbitration.
Peril Menacfng the Party.
II there are democrats who suppose that
our party can stand on a platform embody-
ing such doctrine, either through its af-
frmative strength or through the perplex-
ity OF our opponents on the same PROPOSE
ton, or if there democrats who are
willing to turn their backs upon their party
association In the hope that free and I'M
limited and independent coinage of silver
can win victory without the aid of either
party organization, they should deceive
themselves no longer nor longer refuse to
look In the face the results that will fol-.
low the defeat, if not the disintegration, of
the democratic party upon the issue which
temptS them from their allegiance. If we
should be forced away from our traditional
doctrine of sound ana safe money, our old
antagonist will take the field on the plat
form which we abandon. and neither the
votes of reckless democrats nor reckless
republicans will avail to stay their easy
march to power. This is as plain as any
thing can possibly be.
1t. therefore, becomes the duty of every
democrat. wherever he may be, to consider
what such victory would mean, and in
the light of a proper conception of its re-
suits he should deliberately shape his
course.
Yours, very tr15ly,
GROVER CLEVELAND.