The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-09-18

rades-Charges Them to Stand More
the Country.
New York, September 17.-Genera.
Daniel Sickles has addressed to the com.
rades of the war, the following eloquen,
and touching appeal:
My Dear Comrades: I ask you to con.
slider andaredeot upon the sacred interests
In viewed In the present sit uatiun Of oul
public affairs. know you love your
oou ntry. You have given to 1t the best
PROOF OF devotion man can givs-you
have defended it in battle.
Let me urge you and every Union
veteran to lay aside party feeling now
ana unite for National honor and for
law and order, as you did in 81 to '65
against treason and rebellion. The
present crisis seems to me as vital to the
welfare OF the country as that which
called us to the field before.
Some ofsthe principles for which we
tnen oontended are again at stake. SEQ
uionalism, reputation, and mob rules
are threatened. Many of US were obliged
TO ca oose between our country and our
party in those days. I feel that this is
time when.all true patriots stand to-
gether, preferriny their country, its
honor. good faith and untarnished name
above all mere partisan considerations.
Mr. Bryan and many of his, supporters
are trying to combine the South and
West against the North and East This
Is seot1onalism, of which the Rebellion
was the offspring. Will you follow these
guides into dangerous paths, or will you
not rather follow Washington in ''frown-
ing upon the first dawning of every at
tempt to alternate one portion of our
country from the rest or to enfeeble the
ties which now link together the various
partsr' SectiOnallsm has become hate
ful to most of our old adversaries In the
South. who have outgrown the asperities
OF the war, and are now as loyal to heir
united country as any of us. Union
veterans. who fought for one Union, one
Constitution, and one Destiny, can never
favor any candidate or party seeking to
array one section of our common country
against another.
Mr.. Bryan proposes to pay all the
This is repudiation. 1t would degrade
and disgrace us as a nation in the eyes
of the whole world. Among the creditors
OF the nation are the pensioners. If you
consent to pay in debased silver the
bondholder who lent his money to the
government to arm and feed and olothe
its troops, you consent at the same time
W "a AOAAOuAOh VI OAO-Adil VI puC BCuSlOu
awarded to the war veterans and to the
widows and orphans of those who are not
living. All the creditors of the govern
ment must stand or fall together. Many
OF you are pensioners or the friends Of
widows and orphans who are pensioners.
Many OF you have deposited your savings
In savings banks. Most of you are toilers
at the plough or in the workshop, or de-
pendent on small salaries, in public or
private employment. To all so situated
the payment of wages and pensions and
your savings. in silver, not redeemable
in gold, as proposed by Mr.. Bryan and
his hybrid allies, would involve severe
Losses and hardship. The cost of all the
necessaries of life would be doubled,
while the value Of the money in which
wages and pensions would be paid would
be reduced nearly one-haIf. On the other
hand the farmers would not be benefited,
because they must sell their products for
money worth only little more than half
it's present value, based on gold
standard. Every producer and every
workman would thus suffer. All bust
ness would be deranged. Employment
would be difficult to find Wages would
advance very slowly. if at all.
Mr.. Bryan assails the obligations of
public and private contracts. He would
not pay the public creditors in the money
they have the legal and moral right to
demand and receive. This would destroy
the public credit. Mr.. Bryan says the
government has no use for credit-which
Is foolish. Washington in his farewell
address to his countrymen admonished
US to "cherish public credit, as a very
security" +" Mr.. Bryan would despoil the
citizen of his right to recover what is
due to him from his neighbor according
to the tenor of an obligation lawfully
made. This would destroy confidence be-
tween man and man. Public credit and
national honor are inseparable. When
our people cease to feel a patriotic pride
surely lose just sense of personal honor
and when both of these sentiments are
lost, the nation is lost.
The Constitution of the United States |
declares that "the validity Of the public |
debt of the United States, authorized by |
law. including debts incurred in pay
ment Of pensions and bounties for SER
Woes in suppressing insurreotion Or re-
bellion. shall not be questioned. This |
by all the sacrifices and suffering of the |
secession war. We must make it good.
Mr. Bryan threatens to reorganiZe the |
highest court in the lend so that it's de- |
c1slons shall satisfy the demands of the /
Populists. If elected, he would make
'ne JUDICIAL department OF the govern
ment obedient to his will. He would de-
'troy the independence of justice. This
you'd over turn the framework of our
Constitution. This would be revolution.
Mr.. Bryan proposes that silver shall be |
'he money of this country. There is no
nation, in which silver is the standard of |
'alue, where the wages paid for labor are
more than fraction of the wages paid
o the American workman. Nobody un-
lerstands the evils of n deprecated our
ailor, because they were paid during the
var in paper money not then red eemabIs
q gold. This was the best our govern
nent could do for US during the war,
md we made no complaint. Often this
'aper money was worth less than fifty
epts on the dollar, while the cost of
you bought was double, but
our pay was not increased.
Mr.. Bryan denies the authority of the
PRESIDENT and the courts of the United
tates to interfere with mobs. They NAV
nth impunity disturb the peace, destroy
roperty and life, interrupt travel be-