The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-06-24
WHO is THE GENTLEMAN.

The New York Evening Post of the
18th inst. publishes letter from a
gentleman in this city to a New York
law firm on the question of silver and
how it is hurting our state enterprises.
Application had been made to the
firm for assistance in floating some Sc
curities representing a Utah industry.
The reply of the firm was that eastern
capital would no longer seek invest
ment in a community which showed
every desire to lower the value of their
investments and tending towards re-
pudiation, as this firm chose to term
the demand in Utah for free silver.
That the legal advisers of eastern cap
italists should so write is perhaps not
surprising. AS dogs and cats delight
to bark and bite because It is their
nature, so it is the, nature of the legal
advisers of eastern or goldbug capital
lists to talk about all things western
in the strain that this legal firm talks
of Utah because the state is for free
silver. But it is surprising that
tally echo their sentiments. His re-
Spouse to their letter was as follows:
Salt Lake City, June s.
My Dear Mr.
l desire to acknowledge the receipt of
your very kind and instructive letter
of the 4th inst. 1t subStantiates fully
the understanding a great many of US
IN the west have as to the position of
the moneyed men in the east, With
reference to the financial question. 1t
must not be understood by you gentle
men that the free silver craze is by
any means unanimous opinion or
sentiment with US. You perhaps real
ize that the larger portion of our popu-
latlon is engaged in agriculture and
mining, perhaps tWo-thirds of the en-
tire state. The former class are, owing
10 their somewhat isolated condition,
distance from markets. etc, quite poor,
and are easily led by the abusive and
delusive arguments of the professional
politician, while the latter class are
actuated entirely by selfish interests.
Among the business men and intelii-
gent men who have carefully consid-
cred this question, the sentiment does
not obtain to any great extent. Unfor-
tunately, however, the latter class do
quite certain now that the issue will
be fought out on political lines this
fall, as the opinion prevails that the
st. Louis convention will not accede
to the demand Of the instructed dele
gates from the western states. That
the Chicago convention will, there
seems good reason to believe. l have
for the last three years viewed this
matter in the light Of a political scheme
Of one Of our great national parties,
and events are verifying my suspic-
ions. The missionary work on behalf
of silver has been confined, to a great
extent, TO the silver producing states,
and they, with the southern states,
are expected to carry out the pro-
gramme. My acquaintance with the
states of Colorado, Utah, Idaho and
Montana is such that l do not hest
tate to say that at least Utah and
Montana are very doubtful; they GER
tainly will be if the patriotic men of
the east will do their duty during the
campaign. Utah is seeking money
for investment in the many attractive
enterprises that statehood brought us:
and such replies to the demand of her
people as contained in your letter of
the 4th inst. will do more to open the
eyes of our deluded people than all the
SpeclOuS arguments OF the campaign
silver orators. Upon you, gentlemen of
the east, great and important duty
devolves in this matter, and you should
rot neglect 1t; if the battle is fought
out this fall on the straight money
issue and the people of the silver
states are defeated, it is my opinion
that you will never again hear the
issue raised.
1t would be interesting to know who
this gentleman is. He has as much
right to his views on the money ques-
ton as any one, but they certainly
are not those of the community in
which he lives. He is also very much
mistaken when he says that Utah is
doubtful state on the silver question.
Perhaps he does not intend it, and
perhaps the inference is not just, but
it will be. when he talks about the
patriotic men of the east doing their
duty and that the men of the west who
advocate free silver are not patriotic.
Does anyone know who the gentleman
is?