The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1896-07-24
SENATOR WASHBURN SPEAKS
He is Unqualifiedly for Sound
Honey and the st. Louis
Platform.
The RumOr that he is in
clined Toward Free Silver
Stamped as Absurd.
The nost Disastrous Results Would
Follow the Election of the Candi-
dates Nominated at Chicago.
WASHBURN is FOR MAJOR MCKINLEY

The Mankato ReUielU, under date Of
July 10th, contained the following
paragraph:
And now it seems that ex-senator Washburn
is among the Republicans inclined towards
free silver, and likely to support Bryan and
SeWall. The Republican party can i'll afford to
lose many such men, for they constitute the
brains of the party.
The editor of the FREE PRESS, who
had every reason to believe that there
was not word of truth in the state
ment, Immediately wrote to ex-Sena-
tor Washburn and asked him to kindly
write US his position on the currency
question, and the following is the re-
ply. Those papers that have taken
the pains to go out of their way to
misrepresent Mr.. Washburn on this
all important question, will no doubt
find it convenient to place him right
before their readers. The Senator
says:
MINNEAPoLIs, Mimi, July Is, '96.
HON. L. P. HUNT,
Mankato, Mimi.
My Dear Nh. Hunt:-I am in re-
ceipt of your letter of the 18th inst,
enclosing a clipping from the "Re-
UieaU" l cannot for my life under
stand how any such absurd rumor as
that indicated in this article, should
have originated. l am and always
have been during my life, as my rec
ord in congress will show, in IA
vor of sound and honest money. l, in
common with many Republicans, have
been in favor of bimetallism. l am
frank to say that l believe that the
entire civilized wOrld-and this cOun-
try, especially, would be better off if
both gold and silver could be used at
parity as primary money; but have
felt, and now feel doubly assured, that
this can only be brought about by the
united action of the civilized coun-
tries of the world.
The free coinage of silver does not
mean bimetallism. 1t means mono
metallism, on silver basis.
1t seems to me that no greater
calamity could come to this country,
than the debasement of currency,
which would surely follow the free
coinage of silver. l believe, if we can
stand firmly on our present gold basis,
it is only question of a compare
lively short time, when a sufficient
number of other countries will join us
in a movement of this kind. But
should we go on to silver basis,
through free coinage of silver, i should
hardly expect to live long enough to
see this thing brought about.
1t should not be necessary for me to
say that 1 am a Republican and have
been, since the organization of the
party; and l endorse every word and
syllable of the St. Louis platform. On
this platform l think every true Re-
publican should stand, leaving nothing
undone to secure it's adoption, by elect
ing triumphantly our gallant stand
ard-bearer, Governor Mckinley.
Furthermore, 1 desire to say, if l
were in favor of the free coinage of
silver, would not dare to vote for the
ticket which was presented to the
country by the Chicago convention.
1t involves almost everything bad in
politics, and it's adoption by the cleo
tion of the candidates would, in my
Judgment, lead to the most disastrous
results to this country.
Sincerely yours,
W. D. WAsHBURN.