The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1896-10-10

A letter written by j. Francis For
sythe, a New York banker, to Hon. X.
c. Bell, of Fort Wayne, Ind, has been
made public.
1t is so remarkable in its utter
of humanity, that it would be consid-
cred a forgery were it not for the
character OF the man to whom it is
addressed and who authorized its pub
lication. Judge Bell is one of the
ablest lawyers of the state, and was at
one time partner of ex-United States
General Miller.
The letter is as follows:
No. IL, Wall Street, New York,
Aug. 10, 1896.-To Hon. Il. C.. Bell,
Fort Wayne, Ind.-Dear Sir: The
committee of political education of
Wall street, this city, to which the
undersigned has the honor to belong,
having determined that each member
SHOuiu nihO PCiSOhaiiJ " a. iS'@0' OhS
or more prominent psrty leaders of the
free silver cause, your name has been
handed to me. You are described as
of a fair mind and large influence in
your state. therefore address you in
the hope that you may be persuaded
from your present course, for you are
leading the lower classes, the laborers,
artisans, mechanics and agriculturists
of your state into step which will
cause them great distress.
We, whose busines it is to study
finances, and are therefore capable OF
determining such questions, know there
is at this time too much money. Mil
lions are now ready in this city to be
loaned on call, with good callateral,
such as government gold bonds, where
it is really needed, at remunerative
rates. Your methods are such as to
Tighten all money lenders (for nothing
is so easily scared as money! No one
can tell what laws your candidate Gf
elected) may suggest; while now,
even now, the laws are all against our
people. We are forced 10 loan money
at such rates as we can get. If we
cannot get 10 per cent we take g; if we
cannot get we take 8, and in peaceful
times even lower, and it is difficult
even to keep our money at work. But
what do your workingmen sayP If
they cannot get a dollar a day they
refuse to work while they ought to
take seventy-five or even fifty cents, so
that we may keep them at work. You
ought to teach them that one dollar
per day on gold basis, is enormous
pay IN this country; no gold country
pays more than fifty cents tor labor,
while here living is the cheapest of all
countries, providing the lower classes
will live as they should live. They are
really extravagant; they buy meat four
or five days IN the week; they even
indulge often in pie, which is no kind
of food to be enjoyed by working
people and does them no good. Rice
is one of the most healthy and nourish-
ing of foods; it is cheap and can be
raised in endless quantities, but work
ingmen avoid it as general food.
They eat wheat bread when rye is
much more suitable. These ideas grow
out of wrong education which you, my
dear sir, are assisting, only to their
future disaster. Privileges now enjoy
ed by laboring men will be taken away.
Mr.. Hanna, if he wins the election
(and all intelligent men of the east
hope and believe he willy will certainly
inaugurate a much better system for
the lower classes. He will try to take
themoney question and tariff out OF
politics, which should have been done
long since. The law governing finances
can be safely left with the national
banks, insurance and railroad corpora
tions-who through standing COM
mittee with some well known ana
honorable tnancier, such as j. L. Nor
gan or August Belmont us chairman,
who could formulate and have passed
directly such laws on money as would
be safe and useful for the whole people.
All laws governing the tariff could be
handled in the same way by Il COM |
mittee appointed by the great manu-
featuring and industrial enterprises,
and with such honorable and charita-
BILE mems as Mr.. Rockefeller or Mr..
Carnegie as chairman of such COM
mittee, the most wise and useful tariff |
laws could be speedily put in force,
not bothering those engaged in agri-
culture or other rural work, or exciting !
them by frequent elections as is now
the case.
We have talked with Mr.. Hanna as
to many things which are now wrong
ing the lower classes and diverting |
them from their labor. He thinks there |
are too many holidays, and especially
excursions to somewhat long distances,
where these peaple meet and exchange
exciting converse upon subjects such
as we have referred to, and which they
are not capable of understanding
besides this they should be at work;
they spend too much money, often
going to hotel and laying out an
entire days income for one dinner.
Gentlemen like Mr.. Astor and Mr..
who by application and
economy have an assed completeness,
never would think of such thing as