The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-04-23
ANSWERING CLEVELAND.
The Weak Points OfHis Letter Expos
ed-He Left Out tho Debts of the
Country.

Su-He lcit Gut inc DeDtS OF the
Country.
Mr.. w. 81. Harvey, chairman of the
executive committee of the Bi-metallic
League, whose headquarters are in
Chicago, has made the following replyS
to President Cleveland's letter, to the
Chicago business mon:
10 His Excellency, Grover Cleve-
land, President, Washington, ID. G.
Dear Sir: In reply to your letter
addressed to IL committee OF business
men OF this city, we wish to say that
the committee that waited on you and
the persons who attached their names
to the petition, did not repi esent
majority of the business men and
citizens of this city who take a deep
interest in the welfare OF this repub-
iic. They represented the class that
owns money and securities payable
in mOney-tiXed incomes. We respect
fully submit that your letter does not
present the true merits OF this contro-
versy. You call the attention of
farmers and wage-earners to the fact
that the rising prices, while enabling
them to sell their products and labor
at a higher price, will also cause them
TO pay equally moro for what they
may purchase, but you neglect to say
that your statement is not applicable
regularly aud steadily since the de-
mOnetization of silver our merchants,
manufacturers, and people generally
have been doing business on falling
market, so that the intervening
between the purchase of their mer-
chandise or raw material and placing
it months after on the market has re-
moved the margin they would have
otherwise made. This shrinkago in
values, added to the ordinary risk and
expense of business, had led to an
cver-increasing volume OF debt, to u
money lending period, until it has in
creased all told, public and private,
to about $40, ,O0O, 600, 900, or about two
thirds of the total value of all the
property in the United States. We
/ have constantly pointed the people to
the ever-increasing interchangeable
value OF the creditors dollar and to
the reason why it was increasing, but
the influence Of these creditors have
dominated your administration and
you insist on such Il currency as they
have established as sound currency.
1t means the contiscation Of the prop
erty of the people by the sale of prop
| erty under mortgages, judgments and
executions. 1t means that fixed in
| comes will wipe ont the interest Of
| hundreds in our railroads and cor
| pOrations.
If it is an injustice to restore prices
so that people can exchange ~, W
property for Il sufficient 10 Iieii
! dollars to pay their Jel 11s'siunper OF
happiness and prosS15erity to ou our 'L,ng IanG
aestroS h", the Of property and en-, 10
hah.soo .ow gealue OF money by de-
monetizatfon of silver and the estab-
ishment of q single gold standard.
The gentlemen who invited you and
VINO petitloned you onI y represent one
class OF our people. We respectfully
submit that it was safer that all the
people should do the thinking for 1t,
than that any class should do 1T fol.
them. The selfish interests D!.edomi-
nate to promote selfish interest when
one class does the thinking for all.
Broad views to justly promote the
common welfare OF the people can be
best secured by u census Of the views
of all the people. We agree with YOU
that it is time for the people to rea-
son together and to that end we re-
spectfuliy ask that you make it posi-
bic for them to get printed copies of
the Act Of 1892 on which our foro-
athers based our financial system aud
all subsequent Acts, together with the
Act OF 1873 that reversed the former
policy and Acts subsequent thereto
as well as all statistical and other in.
formation of an official nature al
Washington that bears thereon. We
but express our own opinion to the
President of the people when we say
that all the people should have the OPP
) portunity to investigate and inteli
gently pass upon this question. Re
spectfully,
w. III. HARVEY,
Chairman Bi-metallic Committee.