Arizona republican., 1896-10-16
WILL HE DENY IT AGAIN !?
A Card Likely to Embarrass
 MT. Bryan.

1t Relates to the Charges Which He
 Once Denied, That He Talked Sil-
 yer for a Consideration-Wh
 Pnenix Men Say.
 In the opening of the campaign Sen a5or Thurston of Nebraska repeated in a speech a charge heretofore rather freely made to the effect that William Jennings Bryan had toured in the country as lecturer in the pay of the silver mine owners, for the purpose of creating public sentiment in favor of the free coinage of silver, and chal- lenged Mir. Bryan to a denial of the charge, saying he would accept a sim pie affirmation of its falsity
 MT. Bryan evaded the question for a sufficient length of time to give his partisans grave ground for uneasiness, and then made denial which Senator Thurston accepted on the day of it's publication, frankly and as man would This denial contained a good deal of matter of no particular inter est to anybody except Mr. Bryan, but the essence of it was in ldhis first par agraph
 q have already denied this charge on several occasions, but the reitera- tion of it by Senator Thurston, dis tinguished resident of my own state, justifes me in answering it again. I have never at any time or under any circumstances, been in the employ of any mine owners, individually or col lechvely, directly or indirectly, nor have I ever been in the employ of or been paid by any birnetallic or silver advocates.
 Now comes a sensational afterpiece with the scene laid in this city. A few days ago this card to the people of the country was issued by several of the best known residents of Phoenix
 'The Hon. William J. Bryan, the Populist, free silver and Democratic party candidate for president, in re- cent statement made Jhrough the press, said that he at no time was in the em- ploy of or represented directly or in directly, the silver producers of the United States, and that he had never been in the employ of any bimetallic league or association
 we, the undersigned, in February, 1896, attended a public meeting in Phoenix, Ariz., addressed by said Bryan upon the subject of the free coinage of silver. We were present in the hall used upon that occasion before t1he arrival of MT. Bryan, and heard him begin his speech, but left the hall before he had finished it. An effort has been made to obtain written re- port, accurately giving statements made by him in his opening remarks, but without success. From memory we testify that Mir. Bryan, in the in- troductory part of that speech said in emphatic words that his professional and other duties at home were so great and were such demand upon this time that he had no time to devote to en- Tightening voters upon the free coin age of silver from the stump. But he said that he had been solicited repeat edly and urged so strongly by the bi- metallic league of the United States an association of persons devoted tc furthering the interests of silver, tc make public speeches at dffferen places under the auspices of saiC league, that he agreed to do SO, an6 that 'that was the reason of his pres ence in Phoenix.
 (Signed)
 FRANK w. RICKENBAUGH.
 Attorney, Phoenix, -Ariz.
 "P. J. COLE,
 Territorial Treasurer of Arizona un- I der Governor Hughes, Phoenix, Ariz Il H. B. iHEIGHTON,
 Assignee of H, B. Kemp Hardware | Co., Phoenix, Ariz.
 'CLINTUS s. HOAG, M. D., l Bridgeport, Conn. FRANK s. BELCEIER,
 President Phoenix National Bank O. Phoenix, Ariz., and First Nationa Bank of Charlotte, Mich. (Substan.
 tially as I understood it.")
 MT. Frank s. Belcher said yesterdaJ Ito a Republican reporter that since the card was issued several residents of Phoenix had come forward with tht statement that they remembered hay ing heard Mr. Bryan refer to the bi !, metallic league, in his speech Bryan't denial loses its force when compared with this declaration of leading busi ness men of this town.
 Men are not in the habit of neglect ing their own business, which pre- sumably pays them, for the business O other men, when that business doe! not The inference is so plain any