The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-10-21
BRYAN'S STAB AT LABOR
GLASS WORKERS SAY HE DESCRIBED
THEM AS "PUBLIC BEGGARS."
Bryan Has Never Denied the ACCUSE
ton, and Left the Glass Country
When Confronted with 1t.
Elwood Call. Oct. Is.

Elwood Call, Oct. Is.
The glass workers Of Pittsburg and
Wheeling are after Bryan with a hot one.
They do not forget when they appeared be-
fore him when he was on the ways and
means committee. Neither do they forget
what he said to them.
State Factory Inspector James Campbell,
former president of the W~indow-glass
Workers Association. was chairman of the
glass workers committee which went to
Washington while the Wilson bill was be-
ing prepared to protest against a reduction
of the glass duties. In reply to a request
for his recollection of the time when Mr..
Bryan called workingmen public beggars"
and their employees robbers" Mr.. Camp
bell writes from Harrisburg as follows:
Mr.. Bryan made this statement, and L
lave made affidavit to the Same, and am
willing to make affidavit in any court in
this country, in presence of Mr.. Bryan or
anybody else. The fact of a man holding
the honorable position Of a Congressman
making such a statement made such an
impression on me at the time that it would
be impossible to forget the incident"
Mr.. CampbelIs statement is backed by
one from George L.. Cake, who was the ma
tional secretary of the union at the time.
Mr.. Cake was surprised that Mr.. Bryan
should deny the story at this late day.
Every member of that comraittee." said
Mr.. Cake, lis willing to make affidavit that
the statements charged to Mr.. Bryan were
made by him. 1t was after an audience We
had with the ways and means committee
that the remarks were made. We lad just
finished our argument for a tariff on win
dow glass when Mr.. Bryan came up.
when Sellers Mckee started to explain
the benefit a tariff was to him Mr.. Bryan
exclaimed: oh, you manufacturers are
robbers
this one of the members of the work
ers' committee turned to Mr.. Bryan and
said: If the manufacturers are robbers,
what are we?'
"'You are public beggars,' replied Mr..
Bryan, and so is everybody else that asks
for a protective tariff that will benefit
him.
The following letters will also explain
themselves. Some of the writer's are well
known in Elwood:
Harrisburg, Pa, Sept. IL, 1896.
"Mr. Charles E. Flood. Moundsvilie. w.
Va:
Dear Sir-You letter of Sept. 9 has
been referred to me for an answer. In 1893
a committee of window glass workers was
sent to Washington to protest against any
reduction of the tariff on window glass.
William j. Bryan was a member of that
present at the hearing and a
very attentive listener. We produced con-
elusive evidence that any reduction in the
tariff would result in Il reduction of wages.
Notwithstanding that indisputabie evidence
the tariff was reduced and the workers
suffered d like reduction in their wages.
After the committee adjourned and we were
talking in the nmi room a manu-
facturer who was present and had been in
the business forty years explained to Mr..
Bryan the beneficial result of the tariff to
the industries of this country. Mr.. Bryan
said to him: You are a robber.' One of
the workers who heard the re-
mark said: If the employer IS a robber,
what are the workingmen? He promptly
replied that they were 'beggars.' That is
substantially what he said. If you have
any doubt of the correctness of this state
ment write to Charles Bryant, 103 Four
teenth street, Anderson, md, who can sub
fully yours, JAMES
Mr.. Campbell was for many years presi-
dent of the National Window-glass Work
ers' Union. Here are Mr.. Bryant's letters:
Anderson, Ind, Sept. 16, 1886.
"Mr. Charles E. Flood:
Dear Sir-In answer to yours Of the
18th inst. 1 will say that 1 was a member
of the glass workers committee that Wis
tied Washington during the fall of 1898 for
the purpose of getting all the tariff we
could on window glass, as we were in
down at least so per cent.
Some of us did have a conversation with
dent. / did not hear all he said to our
men, but l was present and did hear him
say, -Gentle n I'D do you know you are pub,
we did not consider it begging to ask for
protection against the Importation of for
eign product. He answered, Nevertheless,
you are public ~beggars.' With this he
turned and left US. Yours respectfully.
CHARLES BRYANT.
Anderson. Ind. Sept. 25, 1896.
'Mr. Charles E. Flood, Moundsville, w.
Va:
Dear sir-Yours of the 23d inst. re-
ceived. You ask me to take oath to what
l stated in answer to your former letter.
In substance, / said that myself and 9TH
ers were sent to Washington in 1898 for
the purpose of making a statement before
the ways and means committee in refer
ence to the tariff on window glass. Some
Bryan after the full committee had ad-
jouTned. / was not present all of the time
they We're talking tariff, but was present
and did hear Mr.. Bryan say: You are pub
lie beggars.' The answer was rnade: We
do not look upon it as begging to ask for
protection against the importation of for
eign product He then said: 'Neverthe-
less, you are public beggars.' He left US
with this. To all tbs swear,
Subscribed and sworn to before me this
Sept. %, 1896. EDMUND JOHNSON,
''Clerk Madison County Circuit Court"
After Patrick Nolan heard the argument
he wrote a letter to Mr.. Can rbell and re-
ceiy ed the following answer:
Harrisburg, Pa. Oct. 1.
mn. Patrick Nolan. Muncie, Ind;
Dear Sir-In reply TO your favor Of Sept.
so. / desire to say that Mr.. Bryan did say
Just what the inclosed letter OF mine to
Mr.. Charles Bryant's affidavit and If Mr..
BRYAN will deny ii / will also make an
affidavit to what is contained In my letter
to Mr.. Flood and you have won the bet.
4JAMEs CAMPBELL.
.112 Market street"
Doesn't Away Talk Wisely.
cbieao Chronicle.