The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-08-17
Senator TIurston Addresses The
Nevada Silyerite.
Senator
In ANSWER TO AN OPEN LET
TER PRINTED SOMETIME AGO.
Is Mr B~yan the Paid Agent of tho Silver
Combine, Subject of the Controversy
1t Was So Charged in the Chicago
Chronicle.

1t Was So Charged in the Chicago
Chronicle.
Omaha, Neb., August Ex-senator
Thurston has sent Senator Stewart of
Nevada G. letter in which he says:
'Sir-On return from recent cam
paign tour found your open letter of
August /, you SO kindly gave to the press
of the country before waiting it's receipt
by me. In your letter you refer to the
address delivered by me at the Chautauqua
assembly at Madison, Wis.,, July 81. 60
: You must have known when you
penned your etter that 1 did not make
any charge against Hon. William j.
Bryan of any kind whatsoever / did
nothing but read portions of an editorial
published in the greatest Democratic
journal of the West, the Chicago
Chronicle on the 11th of July. The
editorial, as read by me, is as follows:
There was a time when the owners of
the big bonanzas OF the far West were
glad to OCCUPY by purchase, seats in the
United States Senate. Sharon, Fair,
Stanford and Stewart gratif1ed their
fancy in this direction until the novelty
wore off, then they deputizad employees
and attorneys to take their place and
vote for protective tariff and free silver.
Of late years owing to the encourage
| ment received from the Republican party
which always "does something for silver"
the propIietors of the big bonanzas have
found it profitable to keep large num-
hon xnfc oafI1 rar7c and Ot hor
men on the road preaching to the people
already limping as the results of the
bites of the free silver currency, the
sovereign remedy of applying the hair of
the dog to the wound. Among many
who have been thus employed and
carried on the pay roll of the big bonan-
zas for number of years is William j.
spokesman for the free silver combine he
has not since his retirement from Con-
gress had any other visible means of sup
port"
did not directly or Indirectly express
an opinion as to the truth or falsity Of
the charges thus clearly and explicitly,
unequivoGally and editorially made by 9
Democratic paper reputable and respon-
sible. ! did say that this man posing as
an advocate of the down trodden masses
of his country men, holding q CROWN -
thorns in one hand and buRabo GROSS
Of gold in the other hand, owes it as a
duty TO every man woman and child in
this country to say whether that charge
thus publicly and deliberately made is
false or true.
Now my dear Senator, you must have
known, you did know when you indited
your letter to me that the charge was not
n inc not even by adoption, and that /
had not even expressed an opinion with
regard to it, that no more than fulfilled
my duty as a citizen in insisting that
people whether the charge made by the
Chicago Chronicle was true. One word
from Bryan on the 18th OF July would
have set the people right.
One word from him at any day since
that time would have accomplished the
same result. The charge thus editorially
made by the Chicago Chronicle, while
the Chicago convention was in session
was reproduced in many leading journals
of the country, 1t came to the attention
of Mr.. Bryan's own paper the Omaha
World Herald, of which he was at that
time editor-in- chief, and the only
reference ever made to it i'll that paper
was on the 18th of July when In the
editorial column appeared the following:
"The Chicago Chronicle wants Bryan to
explain in whose pay he has been since
he dropped out of Congress. Mr.. Bryan
did not drop out Of Congress. He stepped
out of Congress. He has been in the en-
ploy of the World-Herald and it is gensr-
ally conceded that he has fully earned his
salary"
Press dispatches from Lincoln, Neb.,
show that Mr.. Bryan was asked on the
first day of August to make such answer
as he might desire to the charge of the
Chronicle read by me at Madison. The
press report is to the effect that Mr
Bryan had nothing to say except that he
would reply in due I'll me.
In subsequent issue of the Chicago
Post ! find it stated that Mr.. Bryan's
salary from silver mine owners was $4,000
per annum paid to him monthly In
checks which went through the Lincoln
banks. In recent issue of the Philadel-
phia Ledger is an article written by
Maj. John III. Carsons which says that in
1892 when Mr.. Bryan was a candidate
for reelection to Congress he was
materially assisted in the expense of the
campaign by donations from Denver,
Col, which funds were placed in the
hands OF the chairman of the congress
sional committse, Judge Broadly, and
which ann0uncas as result that Mr.
Bryan was elected by a majority of 140
votes and that he repaid during the
SD Congress, the money expended In his
behalf.
Continuing Senator Thurston asserts
that these are only few of the direct
and positive charges of a similar kind
which have appeared from time to time
in the most reputable newspapers OF the
United States.
He says, would be the last man In the
world to assail the character of Mr..
Bryan. have not done SO in any
instance by any word of mine. MIR.
Bryan is the candidate of a grent party.
1t is not just to Americans that a charge
of this kind should go unanswered. He
is the only man who can make definite
and conclusive answer.
Mr.. Thurston suggests that Senator
Stewart turn his batteries upon the
reputable editors and newspapers making
the charges In conclusion he says,
1.-The American people Gan best judge as
to whether or not the contributions OF
money for the circulation of silver liter
ature have been small. If you will sub
nit detailed account and as you say
that this organization, referring to the
American bi-metallio association and
Bi-metallo union, for which you stand
sponsor, can account for all money re-
ceived and the use made of it, I hope you
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