Daily Kennebec journal., 1896-08-28
Mr.. McKin,cy's Letter Of Acceptance.

letter as Other lHdH s'a'cSh'iiiNe
document. To the great majority OF
| the American people we believe it viii
appeal as ample evidence in and of it
self, of the eligibility of the Republi-
can candidate for the high office which
he seeks and the desirability to the
best interests of the country that
he shall be elected to that office by an
overwhelming majority.
Mr.. McKinley's long recognized abii-
ity TO think straight and see clearly
was never displayed to better adVan-
tage than in this letter of acceptance.
His utterances throw such light upon
the sophistries that bccloud the situa-
ton as powerful sunshine does upon
the fog bank it burns away. lie
leaves his bitterest opponent without
the slightest opportunity to call in
question his courage and honesty IN
meeting every question. When this
letter is read and read again (and we
cannot be found in his words the
slightest attempt at evasion. the
slightest manifestation of a desire to
shirk responsibility of facing an ISSUE
the slightest hesitancy to be honest
with the voters of this country. I'VE
must not now prove false to our own
high standards in government nor un-
mindful of the noble example and wise
precepts of the fathers. or of the conf
dence and trust which our conduct in
the past has always inspired In that
spirit he has written his letter But
he also sees with the clearest vision
that while every endeavor must be
put forth to maintain this honorable
full of the danger of overconfidence in the
ability of the country to adapt itself
to any kind of legislation. however
pernicious.
One of the first things We would have
the voters do is to compare this letter
with that which Mr.. Bryan read in
New York the other day. Where the
latter sought refuge in assertion the
former seeks foundation upon fact;
where the latter evades argument Mr..
Mckinley relies upon it and his argu-
ments are unansWerab Where Mr.
Bryan appeals to faith in the imposs-
BILE Mr.. Mckinley appeals to reason
and defines the possible so that no man
need mistake it. With what clearness
he demonstrates the utter impossible
ity of anyone other than a speculator
or bullion owner, getting possession oi
those unlimited silver dollars without
working for them: that every individual
now planning and toiling for a good
dollar would under unlimited coinage
be planning and toiling with greater
difficulties for the debased dollar?
What better characterization of the
fiat craze than this: 1T seeks to intro
duce new measure of value, but
would add no value to the thing meas
ured?" And this: 1T would create no
new occupations" from the lips of the
man who has been so prominently
identified and instrumental in securing
legislation that did create new occupa-
tiOnSi How effectively he knocks the
1n ,.,,t,. g.,
what unlimited coinage will do simply
by use of facts as to what everybody
knows it has done and is doing in the
countries that have it and the mis-
chief done in this country by unWise
generosity toward silver No one con-
fused by Mr. Bryan likening our pres
ent silver dollar to the proposed sill
Yer dollar can read Mr.. McKinley's
luminous distinction between the dol
lar now maintained by the government
at a parity by limiting the coinage and
the dollar which unlimited coinage
would leave with nothing but it's ntrin-
sic commercial value to maintain it.
without arriving at an accurate con-
clusion. 1t must be apparent to all that
it is Mr.. Mckinley's abiding convic-
ton (and he has reason and proof for
the faith that is in him) that debased
dollars would injure most severely of
all the farmers and people who are
employed and whom Mr. Bryan is try
ing to embitter without cause against
their employers. He shows that the Re
publican party has never been hostile
to silver, but on the contrary has ever
done all that it believed could be safe
ly done to circulate it as currency. He
also shows from their own testimony
that the Popocratic party's purpose is
not to stop at fiat silver but to secure
as soon as possible the kind of ire
deemable paper currency concerning
which the decisive battles of IS and
- were fought. In short what has he
i left in the way of a declaration of
principle to be desired by anyone who
i has the cause of an honest dollar and
honest government at heart?
III L.