The San Francisco call., 1896-11-28
Letters From the People.
ON SURPRISING BRYAN.
Inc Examiners" Financial Sickness
and Morbid State of
Mind


40 me Editor Of the San Francisco Calt-s1R:
ihis oeing Thanksgiving day it seemed meet
ior me as one who voted for Bryan and the
whole reform movement he represented, in
ciooing not only the restoration of silver to
iree coinage, but also the greater issue of
paper money by the Government only, to read
tne examiners editorial on "Thanksgiying''
anu see what it might suggest to the defeated
porters Oh Bryan as causes for gratitude and
.nank ssiVing, assuming, as of course should,
snat the Examiner sincerely desired the sue.
cess OF the Bryan moyement.n Well. / have
iust @ reaa the editorial entitled "Thanksgiv-
Ins, ana mere are some OF my Impressions.
in tne second paragraph is this:
III Will hardly be expected that we shall
E !vin WIN I PRESIDENT Cleveland and some of the
aeVout Governors of Eastern States in enum-
eauses ,or ere result OF the election among our
examiner and read on: but there are some
iea.ures even OF that momentous event in
PRIDE The rss may Justly feel 10y and
lnenlloned, however. was the alleged general
eApe,ctaati0n pps,s a abroad" that serious trouble
wound follow the election, as sit was thought
tnet the beaten side might refuse to submit;
, 2ue they have learned" says the Examiner,
Ina. while we may be hot partisans before an
WARD ward etc. OF course felt duly grateful that
tnese foreigners had changed their opinion of
Us, ana reed on for other features"
IN the next paragraph we are told that "we
should be grateful for the gift of continued
peace. reference being made to our relations
Wiz MMit!t hng ana concerning the Venezuelan con-
suoJect since no one would consider that
feature" OF the election. But the next para
sFaph certainly takes us back to a feature
OF that momentous event in which all Ameri-
cans may justly feel Joy and PRIDE" and in
harness 10 the Examiner will give the whole
] Oh tnis remarkable paragraph, because it ap-
peared In a journal which claimed that 1t 10y
ally supported Bryan and sincerely desired
ms success 1t runs thus:
And We have especial cause to be thankful
lot the promised return OF prosperity. We have
suffered from long and cruel siege of hard
ames, but the end of it seems TO be in sight.
our farmers are getting better prices for their
thanksgiving to the famine-stricken peasants
Oh India, whose sufferngs our own good for
tune must not make us forget Our factories
are beginning to reopen and our idle work
men are finding employment. The morbid
state OF mind that as been solely responsible
lot our troubles is passing away. The people
VINO have worried themselves into financial
sickness have determined 10 be well and the
determination makes them well. For this
mind cure let US give thanks"
Ihat is the paragraph in full, and IL 1t had
appeared in Bradstreers, which may be
regarded as "the business-man's Bible, issued
IN weekly parts, or in the New York Journal
OF commerce or the Evening Post it would
have occasioned little surprise, though il
would have been rather raw" for even such
goldpug journals; but what can be said in ex-
cnse Tor Lac editorial use of such language by
the Examiner twenty-Lwo days after the elec-
tion? make special reference 10 these two
sentences though the whole paragraph chaI-
ported and voted for Bryan; THE morbid
state OF mind that has been solely responsible
Tor our troubles is passing away" and ''The
people who have worried themselves TO finan-
cial sickness have determined to be well, and
the determination makes them we'll"
Ii Will be news OF unspeakable importance
to nearly one-hah the people of our country,
and to large majorities of them in some States,
that it was morbid state of mind" which
"is solely responsible for our troubles" and
that Tree coinage of silver and money strin-
gency and trusts and monopolies have no part
in it, and they cannot fail to render thanks
giving that 1t is passing away. Let us chari-
tably hope that the Examiner at once tele-
graphed this news to Mr.. Bryan, and that il
will In some clear way soon show him that he
is only in morbid state of mind and has wor-
ried himself into financial sickness and can at
once get well by willing himself well, for the
poor man is going right ahead with the work
OF the campaign as preparation for 1900. and
is in fact creating SO strong q sentiment in ia
vor of perpetuating this morbid state of mind
that such staid and conservative journal as
the Bulletin OF this City is quite upset and has
been thrown into state OF hysteria over Bry-
ans success as an adyocste of "treason" and
revolution" all of which appears in an edito-
rial OF yesterday bearing the alarming title of
IA Dangerous Man." the half column of de-
nunciaton, warning and entreaty closing with
these stirring words: 1.-THE real need in this
Nation would seem to be campaign for the
suppression of William jennings Bryan
short. sharp and decisive"
OF course there are two ways of putting down
Bryan. One is the Examiner method OF assur-
ing the people that prosperity has returned,
for our troubles all come from q morbid state
OF mind which is happily passing away, and
hence such men as Bryan have only worried
themselves into financial sickness and will
soon have an access of determination to get
well and then will be we'll. The other way of
suppressing Bryan is the short, sharp and de-
cisive one proposed by the Bulletin. But If it
should appear that nearly half of the Nation
still holds with Bryan to the doctrine advo-
Gated by the Examiner thirty days since a |
Bryan, as proposed by the Bulletin, may prove
to be a worse form Of revolution than any ut |
terance OF Bryan, and the Bulletin and all for
whom it speaks may find when too late that
its own method of suppression can be applied
TO itself as well as TO Bryan.
JOSEPH AsBURY JOHNSON.
San Francisco, Nov. 26, 1896.