The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-08-29
EENlMSTERPHELPS
President Cleycland's Friend on.
q the Duty Of Democrats.
WILL yoTEFoRMAJOR MKlNLEY.
Al die sas.,t way OF contribn,ing TO ths
Defeat o BryatSy liquidation and
mani.m-Mn r'%aan,werablo Argument
for sonnd,r on,vApo poeratie Argument
IA ..Jarson OF ssosis Phrase. and Vague
staten,.nt,-h Patriotic Letter.

Edward j. Phelt 4, e%x-mlnster to Eng.
land under President Cleveland, TO Hon.
q. q. Berpdlct iss pibllshed by the Bur.
llngton. Vt, Free Press, and Is attract
Ing great attention because Of the
strong and convincing stand II takes
on The, duty OF the hour with respectful
the silver question. and other features
Of the Chicago Fopullstic-D Democratic
platform:
NEWPoRT.1 s. l., Aug. %, 1896.
"Hon.SG O. Benedict.
MY Denr sir.--Eou are right In sup
posing that under circumstances there
<. arc no tles OF party and no difference OF
opinion upon mer. Questions OF policy
that vii dieter me for u moment from
siyint my vote andti M 2voice as eff
fectiaIly as I can IN opposition to the
Chicago platform. ! clieerfuliy comply
+ With your suggestiohithauI should state
my view OF the subject.
~ regard the PEND Ing Presidential
election Ms presenting the most danger
J Gus crisis that this country has ever
encountered. ut does mot, in my judg-
Inent. Involve any poiitic1f controversy
nor any question of the supremacy OF
party, for. such considerations are lost
in the far, greater crawl tyg OF the occa-
sion. Tho real Issue Is ONE upon which
all patriotic men and all interested in
the prosperity and welfare OF the coun-
try should find themselves upon one
side and opposed to a common enemy.
".Tho attacke we have to resist is not
upon the policy, but the life OF the ma,
tion. For they would take It's life who
would destroy the means by which II
lives-the business OF many thousands
md the Industry of millions. On these
We are all. whether rich or poor, high'or
low, alike dependent. Those who are
independently rich are very few In pro-
portion 10 the TO- O0, 900 of American
people. the vast majority Of whom gain
their living by sbme form or other of
useful employment. Even the rich are
dependent upon the business OF the
country, for their wealth chiefly con-
slsts of Investments in its various in
'dustrious, and must speedily perish
when they are extinguished. That there
should he prosperity In some of these
~cmployrments and not in others, or
among one class ~ofjpeopleA and not
among others, Is impossible, for theya all
rest upon IA common foundation and
are affected ythe same considerations.
Business.
Business is a generic term and COM
prehends all lawful industries. It rep
resents an entire and invisible system,
inscparably linked together, and which
must prosper or languish as whole.
When II is stimulated. all profit, when
tits depressed, al, suffer-. No part Of the
body can escape the effect of aNgeneral
paralysis or fail TO get the benefit of
general good health. And the only diff
ference. II there is any, between BUSH
ness and labor. Is that one Is the .neces-
sary and principal employer of the 9TH
er. When business 1lourishes. the la
borer Is in demand; when 1t declines he
stands idle in the market place.
Business of whatever sort in q coun-
try like ours. rich in resources. full of
enersy4and vitality. with all harvests.
everywhere, ready for the sickle, rests
chiefly upon two factors-public conf
dcnce and a sound and stable'currency.
When either is, and much more when
both are impaired. or ever gravely
threatened, business suffers. general
depression comes, labor Declines. and
the wolf approaches many n door. With
out confidence, there can BE- no credit.
no enterprise; capital Is boarded, sent
abroad. or lies idle, and all industries
diminish or cease. and the Surest way.
the world has Yer seen to destroy cont
fidence IS to debase the currency. and TO!
make II uncertain from day TO day how
much a dollar is WORTH and how much
it is goln %toscount for in the renrsfu-s
ture: TO take away, as Is now proposed
one-half Its, value, TO begin with. and 10
set the other half to- fluctuating to an
indefinite extent with the; rising and the
setting of the sun and the approach of
everySstorm. Through such q medium
of exchange 1t Is impossible to do legiti-
mate business. since sound money and
stable values are It's life blood. With
out them 1t becomes only an uncertain
and hazardous speculation.
""There Is therefore: in my.judSment.
no man more criminal or who is n worse
public enemy than he who engages in
or c~ountehances that Infamous. and
destructive attempt. sand hc Is tenfold
n criminal who sceks success in 1t by
playing upon the prejudlces and pas
slons Of the less intelligent; and stimu-
latinS a warfare of classes, that most
desolating conflict that can come upon
any nation. well knowing. for he has all,
the experience of the world 10 teach him
that he Is not comprising the destruc-
ton of one class, but of both. since
those whom he dupes into serving his
purpose must inevitably be the earliest
and the worst sufferers by its conse-
nucnces. because the less a man has or
the less he earns. the more necessary 1t
is to him that the value of that little
should be maintained and made sure.
and that the few dollars in his pocket
should be al good dollars as the best.
AS well might the Storage passengers
In a vessel in midocean, wearyYof their
privations, be melted by some mischief
maker to scuttle the ship In order to
drown the inmates or the more luxuri-
GUS cabins. unconscious that they them
selves must be equally the victims of
tho common calamity.
Aside from the financial decisions OF
the Chicago platform its5other features
are AMIDST equally Objectionable. It pro-
poses to rcpudiate In great part the
national debt. to the distress OF the
thousands whose small resources are
irtrusted TO the faith OF the nation and
to the dlShonor OF orr country In the
eycs of tn. world; to destroy the pro-
! lection We enjoy under the supreme
court OF the United States, the most
honored and In the last resort,the most
necessary institution We have; to re-,
strain the arm OF lawless violence. and
even from the preservation of the very
agencies OF the government Itself: to
violate tho obligation and snnctity OF
5 existing contracts, and to restrict the
freedom OF private contracts, In the fu-
turc. it seeks, in short, to break down
LIE uyhes " HiSIf NV soiisttutioH} anu
the law OF the land have with long and
laborIous asslduity raised for the de-
FENCE Of the common interests and well
fare. and to let in upon us the sceth-
Ing and polluted food of communism,
mob law bankruptcy, Reputation, and
anarchy. which 1t Is the chief object Of
all civilized governments, to excluda.
"Can sensible men contemplate these
proposals without p%erccivIng the de-
struction they involve. or without ask