The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-05-10
WHAT THOUGHTFUL MEN WRITE


Private letters are nearly always
better than those written for the pub
lie eve. There is a directness and
frankness that the communication
lacks. We are often tempted to fill
IN our editorial page with extracts
from private letters, and yesterday
personal mail to the editor contained
so much wisdom that we give below
quotations from five letters, three from
lawyers and two from farmers. They
are full of suggestions that may bear
fruit if given publicity:
Il am not a silver man. / doubt
the advisability of free coinage at 1G
to /, and guess | am a 'gold-bug,
though / do not like the appellation.
What / chiefly object to in the oppo-
nents of silver is the assumption that
they are the only folks who are in
favor of sound money. The silver
men are honest in believing that free
coinage would be sound money Why
not stop these names that imply
superiority, denunciation, and use re-
spectful terms? The 'gold-bugs', as
they are called as a term of reproach,
ought properly to be called advocates
of the gold standard and silver men
advocates of free coinage. 1T these
terms are too long, invent something
else that does not imply that the other
fellows are unsound, dishonest, or
cranky"
2. Il am perfectly willing to see free
silver tried, as it may succeed, and
nothing could be worse than the pres
ent bond-issuing endless chain per-
Torrance, but / realize that it would
be an experiment the success of which
is problematical, and | can't think it
good policy or good manners to ques-
ton the motives of another Democrat
who doesn't believe that the act of Con-
gress can make gold and silver equal
and / think the same about the Demo
crat who cries anarchist and dema-
gogue' at man who believes free coin
age both practical and necessary. /
think one of them is about as likely to
be right as the other, and that charity
and due regard for the feelings of
each other to produce, with, perhaps,
earnest and radical differences, moder-
alton and brotherly love in the ex-
preston of such differences. Where,
there is room for honest differences of
opinion, there is room for kindness
and liberation"
3. THE Populists who went out
from us in this county are opposed to
fusion. They have no desire to return
Pritchard to the Senate. / have heard
many of them say that Judge Clark
was their choice. They are far from
being mad at Democrats as formerly
| think we should hold to our
principles firmly, and fight for the
principles which Democrats have held
and fought for since the time Of
Thomas Jefferson. If this does not
bring back those who went out we
will at least maintain our self-respect
and consciousness of consistency and
right"
4. after the pledges of the Demo-
cratic speakers in 1892, how can we
array ourselves on the side Of the gold
standard without reproach and stulti-
fication? ], for one, entered the cam
paign in good faith. meant all said
and am not ready to be untrue to my
pledges because some of our great men
have BECOME Republicans in their poll
cies. The free coinage of silver, taken
abstractly, is no greater than some
other questions, but considered in all
its direct and indirect bearings, it Is
the greatest question of the age, and
in it's consequences carries with it the
liberation or enslayement Of three
fourths of the inhabitants, present and
future in the United States. z =
Let US go straight ahead, make no CON
cessions, and principle will ultimately
triumph. It matters little
what we do or try to do nationally if
we set up a gold platform and gold
men. Ny township, with large
Democratic vote, would not give ten
votes for single standard candidate
for President"
5. what notions personally enter
tain financially / am willing to sur
render provided my party in its
aggregate and collective capacity,
declares for principles repugnant
thereto. have sat silent and read and
thought It's mighty hard for fellow,
whose ancestors voted for Jefferson
and Jackson, to change his notions
since the last election. ! wish
the young men in the party could get
together, drop our bickerings-an we