The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1896-04-29
AltgeId Answers.
An Open Letter in Reply to
Secretary Carlisle.


Altgeld has written an open letter to
reply to the speech on the money
question recently delivered at Chica-
20 by Secretary Carlisle He begins
by quoting from Mr. Carlisle's state
ment in 1878 in which the latter de-
clared that the demonstration Of sill
YER when characterized as conspi.
racy would ultimately entail more
misery upon the human race than all
the wars. pestilence and famine that
ever occurred. The absolute instan-
taneous destruction Of half the NOV
able property of the world, includ.
ing, horses, ships, railroads and all
other appliances for carrying on CON-
merce, while it would be felt more
sensbly at the moment, would not
produce anything like the prolonged
distress and disorganization of So
ciety that must inevitably result from
the permanent annihilation of one
half of the metallic money of the
world"
Commenting upon this Governor
Altgeld says:
"It will be seen that this language
is clear and emphatic and has none
of the sophistry and pettifogging
about it that are found in his Chica-.
90 speech His awful predictions
made in 1878 came to pass He not
only saw his own phrophecy fulfilled,
but he saw the misery Of his coun-
try become even greater than he had
predicted Finding that his views
had been correct, he continued to
hold them until he entered Mr.. Cleve-
lands cabinet, when, in some mys-
terious manner, there was change
of heart. but for some reason he
seems unwilling to talk about it
There are two other members of the
cabinet, Hoke Smith, Of Georgia, and
Herbert, Of Alabama, who, like
Carlisle have made their voices heard
for nearly life time demanding the
restoration of silver, and denouncing
the great conspiracy that struck it
down, and, strange to say, when
these two men entered Cleveland's
cabinet, they underwent q change of
heart, and, like Carlisle, they avoid
talking about it Why did not
Carlisle throw a little light on this
question p
.'All these men now denounce the
people who are opposed to the single
gold standard as scoundrels and luna
tics, yet there are only following the
doctrine which Carlisle & Go. preach
ed. Are we to infer that Mr. Carlisle
and bis two cabinet associates were
scoundrels and lunatics until they
got to be gold men and that the tinsel
of cabinet position not only made
them honest, but gave them brains !?
Carlisle should have told u.s.
Governor Altgeld then enumerates
several questions which he says Mr.
Carlisle should have answered, among
them this:
"Why it was that for 200 years
gold and silver held the market ratio
of about 1-2 to /, while the ratio
fixed by law was Is to l in some
countries, Is 70 to l in most coun-
tries, and for while, l6 to l in our
country why it was that in every
country where silver was stricken
down, it was done by the arbitrary
act of the governmet, and that
neither commerce nor business had
anything to do with it. AS there
cannot be a general rise Pin prices
without an increase in the volume of
money must not the present paralysis
and stagnation continue until the
volume Of money is again restored to
what it was before silver was stricken
down
Referring to the recent bond is
sues, Governor Altgeld charges that
the President enabled friend and
former client in association with some
fellow spectators, to make S9,O00,-
900 to Sl0,000,000 out, of the gov.
ernment in few weeks in small
bond transaction under the pretext
that "the sharks of Wall street had
agreed to protect the government
against gold raids until the following
November That is, the wealthiest,
the most enterprising, the most
powerful, the most industrious and
the most thrifty nation on the globe,
paid tribute to small band Of specu
lators for "protectlon.'
An imnortaDt find of skeletons Of