The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1896-10-01
HOW NOW, Mr.. INGALLS, ?
A Section Hand on the Big Four Railroad
Answers Him.


has begun among the railway employees,
the following from one of them may not
prove uninteresting or untimely. 1t
comes to the Enquirer with every mark
of genuineness, and the writer must be
credited with considerable moral cour-
age, He has evidently studied the
question, as many others have done,
and are doing, though it is apparent
his information ON the subject was not
acquired in compulsory school, 1t is
in the form of an "open letter to Mr.,
Ingolls."
"Mr. M. e. ingalls,, President of the
G. G. G. and st. L. Railway and @. and
O. Railway, Cincinnati, Ohio-Dear
Sir: AS section hand upon section
No, IA of the Peoria division Of the Big
-Four route, l beg to acknowledge re-
eeipt through the railway mail of cir
cular containing your interview with
the Cincinnati Commercial Tribune,
upon the 14th day of July, 1896, which
is now being sent to all employees upon
the division of the Big -Four. Having
known heretofore that you were dem
ocrat, 1 have read your circular with
unusual interest, and have tried to
follow as best could your effort to ex-
plain why Mr. Mckinley should be
elected
''Your interview, sent as it is, in the
form of circular, must command the
attention of every employee upon the
line, for two reasons.
81. That it embodies the views en-
tertained by the executive officer of
two great railway systems. "
"2. 1t comes to us bearing upon its
face direction as to how we shall vote
at the coming election
ga careful reading of this circular
this railway servants suffrage guide
leaves me far from satisfied upon the
proposition sought to be maintained by
you. You will, of course, pardon my
refusal to accept you peculiar views
upon so grave question as now CON
fronts us, unless such views at least
appear to be based upon facts and sus-
tanned by reason.
10 begin with, you announce that
''the result of the Chicago convention
is disappointment to democrats and
shock to all good citizens in the coun-
try"
''This statement is substantially
false. OF course, the Chicago conven-
tion must have been disappointment
to small minority of democrats, who
are directly interested in contracting
the currency, in purchasing United
States bonds and in maintaining the
present United States banking system,
but you surely can not believe that the
convention or the platform is disap-
pointment to the great body of the
democratic party which controlled the
convention and formulated the plat
form
cit may be that the corporate inter
ests of the east, the moneyed institu-
tions, including, perhaps, railway mag
yates, were somewhat shocked to dis.
cover that the people had the bat
and insisted upon playing their inning
under fair umpire, but any sane mar
must now feel Inundated to think thai
less than one month ago he announced
in public interview that all good PEG
pie were shocked at the result of The
convention. You allege that the posi-
ton taken by the democrats this yeal
is revolutionary and populistic.' i
must be admitted that the sentiment
now is in favor of change, and tina
it is very popular, but the position oc
cupied by the democrats is not move
one. In 1878 the Indiana state demo
cratic platform declared for free coin
age of silvepiand gold, and few public
men can beqfound Vho have not de
clared for silver and gold as standard
primary money.
, among those who have advocated
the principles announced at Chicag,
are Daniel Webster, Abraham Lincoln
James G.. Blaine, Chief Justice Chase
Daniel w. Voorhees,, John M. Butler
John G. Carlisle, William McKinle,
= and Benjamin Harrison.
. "You stand aghast OF the criticism o
q the supreme court. 1t was such a hol,
horror of criticism that gave birth t.
the infamous and despised alien an(
! sedition laws, which lived only Ions
enough to illustrate the proposition
that free people must be permitted
! to exercise the right of free speech
. 1t might be both interesting and profit
! able for you to ask your republican
. friends whom you have joined, and t.
whom you are endeavoring by sys
tenn of coercion to deliver the railroad
c vote, what it was that they remarked
in the platform concerning a certain
: Chief Justice fancy
, "You next argue that to be in favor
of adopting system that will put tn,
nation out of debt instead of inereas
ing it's liabilities is reputation. Yor
S may congratulate yourself upon th,
{ fact that no one of your associates has