Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-09-09
RINGING LETTER
In Defence of National Credit
and Honor
Sent by White|aw Reid to Ohio Re-
publican Editors Associat on.
The Epistlc Full OF Patriotism and for Sound
Money.

Canton, Ohio, Sept S.-The Republi-
can Editorial Association of Ohio met
in Elks hall this morning. About two
thirds of the Republican editors of Ohio
We're present. When it was announced
by Col. Brown that he had a letter
from Whitelaw Reid of the New York
| Tribune, there was an outburst of
cheers. The reader was frequently in
terrupted by applause and at the close
of the reading Hon. J. NJ. Ickes moved
vote of thanks be given Mr.. Reid and
ii was unanimously carried. The letter
reads in part as follows:
We have had the four years in clover.
which our friends the enemy, promised
us in 1882. The people are quite salts
fed that they have had enough Of il.
ON the old lines this campaign was al
ready won. Then burst out the a
dulle-mitcs. Every unthinking or un-
scrupulous man that was in distress
and every one that was in debt and
everyone that was discontented, gath
cred themselves together" Not unto
David, alas. but unto Altgeld They
captured the national convention Of a
inflated the country by asking the
American people to vote that they
would not obey the eight command
mcnt.
hope YOU Ohio editors will deal with
this matter in u straightforward fash
ion ana call a spade a spade. Many Of
our opponents are as sincere as We are.
and mean To be as honest but the thing
| they have done is the wickedest and
most immoral public act since scces-
sion. To pay the national debt in sill
Yer; to pay private debts in silver: to
nulify and declare invalid any contract.
however freely and honestly entered
INTO, for paying gold; and Ia turn 80
cents worth of silver into dollar at
our minis. as often and 50 long as any
silver mine owner at home or any sill
ver-burdened Chinaman or Hindoo
from Asia, chooses to bring it to us, the
effect Of this is simple robbery To
ask intelligent and honest men to vote
for it is to insult them. as We'll as to
declare that the American people have
the right IL oVer-rule Mount Sinai at
the polls ana reverse the moral law if
they want to. Dishonesty never pays
There are Il dozen ways of proving il
in this case. But. first. make the moral
nature Of the proposals clear to the
average voter. and there should be no
more doubt then of the verdict this
honest ana Christian nation will give
than there is of tomorrow's sunrise
Let us he as considerable as you
please of our crring countrymen. who
have been honestly misled. but let us
indulge in no DISCUSSES as to the I'M
patriotic, unAmerican and revolution
alN character of this whole programme
There has been an ill-considercd an
peal tn Republicans to keep our distinc-
tive principles out of sight. in view of
The national danger from these mon
ifouS proposals. But We cannot if we
would. The government is without
revenue for its current expenses. 1t
must raise more. if il would not go into
bankruptcy. our way of raising il is
ny tariff and there is no other, except
~ direct taxation or by more borrow
nG. Would the men who beg us to let
he tariff alone favor either? And vet
the tariff they are afraid we may touch
IS the very tariff Mr. Cleveland con
Sldercd SO discreditable that he would
not sing it, We cannot seek the suf-
trages of the American people under
any dlsguiSeS The patriotic Demo
Gratis who raise above party in this
national peril as they did in 1861. ought
not 10 ask us 10 lower our flag on the
eve OF battle, because they are going
10 bring us some reinforcements They
could not respect us if We did so, and
what IS more, thousands of the voters
We now have would desert us
II = ItnNHap
natl editor. read a carefully preparcd
address, the theme of which was the
revolt against value. law. order and
nlNliization in the declarations of the |
Chicago platform. He commenced by |
quoting from President Harrison the
statement made in 1892 that so high !
! degree of prosperity and so general |
4 dlifuSion of the comforts of life were |
never before enjoyed by any people. |
He described the elements which make |
UP our nigh state of civilization |
quoted Mulhall's declaration that the
| nlted States was supreme among the
nations of the earth in Wealth-proCuc-
ing capacity, eXtollcd the reign of law
ana the loyalty to order in this col,n-
try, and said that the Chicago plat
form and its supporters attacked the
IDEAS OF values, law and order which
are az the base of our civilization by
attacking the supreme court. repudi-
atinS obligations, public and private,
and by attacking President Cleveland
for enforcing the laws.