People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1896-09-24
False Quotations.

the Scrip Of Gold" aud branded it as
a forgery. The VOICE published this
quotation in its issue Of August 81,
1896, under the head Of English
Fears"
The Mail stated that it had seen a
letter direct from the London Finan-
cial News denying the authenticity
OF the editorial. By chance we found
the gentleman who had the "letter"
and have it now before US. 1t is a
four-page printed circular with what
purports to be a fac smile of letter
from the London Financial News on
the last page. The "letter" reads as
follows:
The Financial News,
ii Abcnurch Lane,
London, Z. c., April l6, 1896.
W. L. Duniway, Esq, Salem,
Dear Sir: We are in receipt of
your letter Of the 2Sth ult. and in
reply we beg to state that it is incOr.
rect to attribute the opinions ex-
pressed in your enclosure to The
Financial News. The matter Ger.
talnly never appeared in our editorial
columns. Faithfully Yours,
THE EDITOR.
The first three pages Of the circu-
lar are made up of a lot of campaign
slush about "lying and deception, :"
quoting what purpOrts to be extracts
from the London Financial News
denying the authenticity Of "some"
article and expressing views at vari-
ance with it. 1t winds up by saying:
"Voters willscarcely place much reli-
ance upon literature Of this char
acter, or that which emanates from
such source"
This after sentence gives the game
away. The idea of this circular lit
is not letter. is to create, if possible,
distrust among the people, Of any
and all quotations that may be made
by our papers and speakers. This
plan has been a marked feature of
this campaign. The authenticity of
quotations that have been thoroughly
established in times past are now
called in question and record proof
demanded, which in provincial com.
munities is not always at hand.
As an evidence of their cunning we
desire to call attention to a few points
about the above letter.
The first thing noticeable is that it
is directed tOesome man in Salem
just plain, blunt Salem!
Now Salem" may he in Massachu-
sets, In Illinois, in Indiana, or in
Australia; it might be difficult to
locate it.
The next suspicious circumstance is
that it nowhere mentions what the
character Of the enclosure was. 1t
may have been an editorial on bank.
ing, or on horse.raising or on land
tenure, or on most any other subject,
as likely as that of silver.
The next irregularity smells pretty
loud Of foul play" 1t is signed
"The Editor" Now why did not
that editor sign his name to it? Was
he ashamed of it? Here was letter
going across the water to a foreign
country denying false(?) quotations
signed just simply "The Editor"
Does it not occur to you, reader, that
this denial would have carried more
weight II some individual identity
had fathered il?
But it will be noticed that by this
general signature prosecution for
forgery could be avoided.
All will observe that the letter
itself appears "6shy."
Now here are few more clrcum.
stances.
The article which in reality had
been called in question was not the
Scrip Of Cold at all. 1t was a much
stronger editorial printed April 30
1894. This article took the grounc
that for the United States to adopt
free and unlimited coinage OF silyel
would ruin England's trade. Thi,
, letter was first promulgated denyip,
this article, and our fellows com.
menced rustling to find thei,