Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1896-07-01
HURRAH FOR BRYAN.
BILLY TAKES PEN IN HAND FOR
CARLISLE.
And Writes tho Judas of Kentucky" a
Letter Composed Principally of Inter-
rogations of a Staggering Nature
Lot Silver Men Solidify.

Hon. John G. Carlisle, Secretary of
the Treasury:-Dear Sir: You have
changed your position upon the para
mount public issue and are now defend
ing a financial policy which you once
denounced. The advocates of free and
unlimited coinage at 16 to l admit your
right to change your opinion, but con-
tend that you owe it to the public to
answer the arguments which you your
self made in 1873, before attempting to
answer the arguments of others. You
then used the following language: "If
the execution of this measure (the
Bland acD could be entrusted to pub
lie officer whose opinions on the sub
ject were in accord with those Of the
great majority of the American people,
and whose sympathies were with the
struggling masses who produce the
wealth and pay the taxes of the coun-
try, rather than with the idle holders of
idle capital, the provision alluded to
(the senate amendmenO would be of lit
tie consequence because he would coin
the maximum instead of the minimum
allowed by the amendment"
You then accused John Sherman, who
was secretary of the treasury at the
time, Of being in sympathy with the
capitalistic classes and hostile to the
struggling masses. Do you now believe
that your accusation was true? If your
accusation against him was then true,
how did you and he succeed in getting
together? Whose sympathies underwent
change, yours or his? If you did him
injustice at that time, when did you
make the discovery, and have you ever
apologized to him publicly or privately
Do you still believe that, on the money
question, the interests of the idle
holders of idle capital are antagonistic
to the interests of struggling masses?"
In the same speech, after complaining
that the secretary Of the treasury would
not coin dollar beyond the minimum
and that, therefore, the people would
not obtain all the relief needed, you
said of the Bland bill:
But it will certainly afford some re-
lief. It will reverse the grinding pro-
cess that has been going ON for the last
few years. Instead of constant and re-
lentless contraction, instead of constant
appreciation of money and depreciation
OF property, we will have expansion to
the extent of at least $4,000, ,000 per
month and under it's influence the ex-
changeable value of commodities, in
Guiding labor, will soon begin to rise,
thus inviting investments, infusing life
into the dead industries of the country
and Quickening the pulsations of trade
in all its departments
Why have you ceased to describe the
relentless contraction" of the currency
as grinding process?" Why do you
now avoid any mention of the COR
stant appreciation of money and depre-
citation of property" When did you dis
cover that the laboring men would suf-
fer under a financial policy which
would raise ''the exchangeable value of
commodities, including labor" "thus
inviting investments, infusing life into
dead industries Of the country and
Quickening the pulsations Of trade in all
its Departmental"
In the same speech you said: "The
struggle now going on cannot cease. and
ought not to cease, until all the indus
trial interests of the country are fully
and finally emancipated from the heart
less domination of syndicates, stock ex-
changes and other great combinations
of money grabbers in this country and
Europe" Have the industrial inter-
ests" been fully and finally emancipa-
ted?" Or have you found that they
were never under the "heartless DOM
ination of syndicates, etc %
What do you now think of the stock
exchanges and other great combinations
Of money grabbers in this country and
in Europe?" Do they improve on inti-
mate acquaintance? Is it not true that
the capitalistic classes prevailed upon
the President to veto the Bland act
which you supported? You and they
are now together, did they come to you,
OF did you go to them?
1t 1878 you denounced the conspiracy
70 destroy silver as gigantic crime. I"