Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-08-18

wa 1hlngton, ID. u, august 1I'-OeH-
ator w. NJ. Stewart sent the following
letter in reply to that of Senator Thurs
ton, published this morning:
Washington, D. c., August II, 1896.
Hon. John NJ. Thurston, Omaha, Neb.
NV Dear Slr:-I observe in the papers
this morning letter purporting to have
been written b. you to me, in which l
am pleased to note the following pass
age:
"I would be the last man in the world
to assail the character of Mr.. Bryan. l
have not done so in any instance nor by
any word of mine. Mr.. Bryan is the
candidate of a great party.
at is not just to the American people
that charges of this kind should go un-
answered. He is the man, and the only
man. who can make definite and con-
elusive answer"
Mr.. Thurston, how can you recohclie
the foregoing statement with your
charge against Mr.. Bryan and against
the silver producers, which is contained
in S.e following language used by you'
and to which l had the honor to call
vour attention in my former letter;
'eThe proprietors and the big bonanzaS
have found it profitable to keep large
number of lecturers and other spokes-
mon IN the road preaching to the peo-
| Mo Among the many who have mus
been employed and carried on the pay
rolls of The big bonanZas Tor numDel
of wears is William j. Bryan, Oh NeDi a. a.
10 Maid agent and spokesman OIL Ihe
free silver combine.
I'm the city of Omaha, where WIN. d :.
p~von does editorial work. the 9maha
Rec has made the specific charge editor editor,
iaIlv, time and again. It has hevet
heen met. say as an American cll-Aeh'
having at heart the welfare o1 the peo-
nIa that the man posing as the advocate
of the d0wntrodGen masses OF ms coun-
trvmen holding crown OF thorns IN
ono hand and the bugaboo cross OF golu
in the other. owes it as duty to every
man woman and child in this country
10 saw whether that charge IS Ialse OF
whether it is true.
az do say, my countrymen, ana l
know whereof | speak, that for three
and a half years without regard to Bry-
an there has been a selected corps OF
orators and writers, paid employees Oh
the silver producers, spreading thelr III
erature over this country from one end
m the other. telling the farmer that ne
will have more for his wheat; telling the
laboring man that he will have more tor
his work"
Your disclaimer in connection with
the foregoing statement requires eA-
planation, provided you consider your
reputation for truth and verac.ty Yalu-
ab;e. But. your disclaimer that you
would "be the last man to assail the
character of Mr.. Bryan" reflects either
UPON YOUR VERACiTG
or your knowledge Of the law OF libel
If YOU are a lawyer, and the fact that
YOU have been retained by ;hc Union
Pacific railroad for so many years in
d.cates that you are useful in some way
TO that institution, you ought 10 know
that repeating a SANDER or l!bel IS
eouallv as slanderous or as lnDelous as
the original matter.
Ycu assume that you are not assa''-
ing Mr. Bryan when you are quoting
what irrespons. BILE newspapers say or
him. and giving to such statements all
the credit your high official position
can confer. You beliltle your unGer-
|
duty of Mr.. Bryan to enter into per-
| sonal controversy WI h every hlrelng
newspaper scr.bler who is employed 10
slaLGer or defame him. IRE people
understand the animus OF partisan
newspapers and make prope; allow
ance for their assertions, but when you
clo;he their slauiefi with yU.- official
robes. 1t is q ane aa4 cowarGly de-
fense on your part TO prOfect ycursr!;
| by skulking behind miserable news
paper scr.bblers. | called your atten-
ton 10 the .nju Ice Of YOUR ch1'3e.
not the charge Of newspapers. which
have again quo,ed fo- the purpose cf
calling your attention to Tire charge You
made, supposing that y0T wet"
AN HONORABLE MAN
and would retrac. the charges at once,
# YOU were unable . prove them.
Instead Of doing so you repeated other
stale ISLANDERS against Bryan. myself, Sen
ator Sharon. Governor Stanford and 9TH
ers which if true do not prove your
charge against Mr.. Bryan. l shall not
reiterate in kind and quote what vcnal
newspapers or even better men than your
self saw of YOU. because it is not perth
nent to the issue. The issue is whether
Won have Justly and without proof as
sailed the character of Mr.. Bryan. You
cannot avoid that issue by pretending
that Won only repeated a falsohood which
somebody else originated. DO YOU not
fear the repeating Of n falsehood and at-
tributing il TO irresponsible parties will
impair your influence in favor Of the cause
YOU are advocating? You must remem-
her nv dear Senator that there Is a sense
Of public Justice which is outraged by
eIander and libel. which YOU cannot JUS
tifv bv claiming you have rlght to re-
r,or, a. because you had not the courage
- ORIGINATE it, II you have no case
a,airet Mr.. Bryan which you have al-
roadv virtually admitted BY citing irrele-
.,r+ incompetent hearsay 70 prove your
charge. your slanders VIII be harmless 50
far as he IS concerned. but can you ahord
TO he published to the world as a peddieI
~ SANDERS which YOU cannot prove? II
Won have any friends who supposed that
Won, we're both honest and brave. they
vii bs sorely disappointed IL you fail to
frankly avow your error and retraet your
sisrders or prove the truth Of your
charges which have quoted above.
You-s very respectfully
". ". cTEwART.