The evening times., 1896-10-23
Private Circular From the
Past Supreme President.
CIRCULATED in THE WEST
1t Is Stated That Its Purpose Is to
Offset the Official Circular Soon
to BE Isused, Directed Against Can
didate Bryan-Involves Question of
sectnrian appropriations.

l
western councils OF the order which are
supporting Bryan and free silver.
Fast Supreme President w. j. II. Tray
nor. who was succeeded at the last CON
ventiOn by President Ecbols. has repu-
dated the official utterance OF the order
as tinanating from the supreme officers
and has issued personal circular insiors-
ing Bryan. This ne is circulating prnci-
pally in the West, with the purpose of
injuring the official circular which VIII
later be issued showing the actions OF Mr..
Bryan while in Congress
President Echols has not as vet told any
] member or the order whom he VIII vote for
| In fact, the circular which IL being cx-
pressed all over the country merely gives
the record OF both gentlemen, and concludes
with the Injunction to do what the con
science as member OF the order dictates.
II IS not, however. this circular which
EN-I Resident Traynor attacks. II is the
TACT that copies OF the record Of the vote ON
the Indian appropriation bill are being
sent by the million TO voters all over the
country, with the name OF Bryan in largo
black type, IN favor Of sectariau apprupria-
| tons. II Is only fair to state however,
that the Democratic campaign committee
has been sending out the same record to the
Catholics, 10 show the latter that Bryan
was in favor OF sectarian appropriations,
| Ex-fresident Trayuor sass.
! The incident which has forced upon me
! The necessity OF breaking that reserve which
! l imposed upon myself as most consistent
[ with my retirement from the office OF su-
prerGe president, is the publication and cir
culation OF certain campaign literature
which, from its nature, is liable to lead
! those who are not critically observant of
| the speciOus side of its character. to regard
1t as enauating from. the supreme office Of
| the A. i. A.
| TRAYNOR'S CIRCULAR.
The literature in question is composed
of certain extracts from the Congressional
! Record, relative to the vote upon the In
dian appropriation amendment in the Fifty
third Congress, and stamps Mr.. Bryan
/ with truth, be II said as the opponent of
one OF our first principles. The criticism
/ is most just and taken in conjunction with
! an impartial Investigate of the anteccdcnts
| of Mr.. Mckinley, would have formed a val
uable campaign document OF our members.
"The document TO have been OF value
should have contained the additional in
/ formation that acts Similar to those Tor
10 the odIum Of the patriotic orders for
pcrpetuating, were Conducted with Mr..
McKiHiey's sanction during his Cong res
sional career, extendihg over eight years,
during which period Congress voted enor-
nous appropriations TO sectarian institu
tions In general, and more notably to those
under the tutelagc of their papal hier-
arcuy. ..s ..
Ihn chi ola 90 ftNn Drr-
tectIve Association to tie attention ard
support of the intelligent American citi-
! zen lies in the fact that while the order 10
Intensely political, it is uncomprom isingly
| nonpartisan and pledged To the lair and
| Impartial examination and criticism Of all
candidates for public office.
The document to which allude and OF
which l am informed 100000 copies
have been published and circulated, under
the alleged auspices of the national council
of patriotic organizations, makes our be-
loved order to appear in the light of-what
SO many have accused II of being-the
iackaI of the Republican party, a machine
for doing the dirty work of partisan cam
paigE committee and stultifying its own
principles of fairneSs and political honor
by parading the shortcomings of one po-
litical candidate while suppressing those
which are even more gricvous of his op-
ponent.'
NON PARTISAN ORDER
Ex-President Traynor refers to the fact
that when organizing Councils in the South
he met with the objection that the A. i. a.
was a part Of the Republican party, and
was obliged to pledge himself To the con-
trary. To them he says:
ia, ,HftfN N
order has, was. is and always will he so
long as l have the honor to tie servant
thereof. absolutely nonpartisan. II there
should at any time arise unfaithful servants
lu the person of strong partisans who would
attempt to detaCh our organization from its
original principles, so much the worse for
them
He saws that the circular which seeks to
throw the odium Of partisanship upon the
ORDER attempts to strike a blow at its
vital part, and insults not only his worthy
successor in office, but also every member
of the order. The circular continues:
"Those who followed closely the pro-
ceedings Of tie Republican and Democratic
national conventions, respectively, will re-
member tuat an effort was made to have
certain planks OF the A. +. A. platform
! tempt which, thanks to the cooperation
of Senator Teller and other worthy men,
was partially successful but which, dur
ing these gentlemen's absence, was nulli-
fled by Mr. Carter and oe3er papist Re-
pub,cans who stood high in power in that
party.
"Upcn the other hand, We have the
action of Mr.. Jones, the chairman of the
Chicago convention, who, when approached
by a delegate from California to insert
anita. P. A. planks in the Democratic
platform, crushinsly sat upon both plank
and proposer Let me not be misunder-
stood as an apelogist for priest-ridden
Democracy.
"I am firmly convinced that it is equally
Objectionable as the Republican party,
and it was this knowledge which led me
throughout my official career to urge upon
our grand order the pressing necessity of
an independent party. 1t was my attitude
in this respect that secured for me the hos
tilIty of the parties and the active oppo-
sition of those partisan political agents
who, unfortunately for our order and our
Nation, found footing in our ranks.
THE ONLY RELIEF.
"Now, as then, I maintain that the
careful developm ent OF a new party, based
upon such principles as are advocated by
our order, is the only measure that will
save the Republic from revolution before
the bell of time has toled the death
knell OF the century.
Meantime 1 am asked my personal
position under such perplexing conditions.
While this concerns myself, individually,