Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1896-03-26
A LETTER FROM GOV. STONE.

A LETTER FROM GOV. STONE.
JEFFERSON CITY, March %, 1896.
To the Register-The malignant and
unprovoked personal attacks the st.
Louis Republic is daily making on me
is my excuse for addressing this letter
to you, which ask you to do me the
kindness to publish. 1 can not, of
course, enter into a vituperative con-
troversy with the Republic. adopt the
vernacular of the slums and compete
with it in the low art of compiling ep-
ithets. desire only to make q plain
statement of one or two important
facts for the consideration of those of
your readers who see the matutinal
diatribes of the Republic. l am re-
luctant to do even this, but I feel
that 1 am warranted in doing it as an
act of simple justice to myself.
THE CAUSE.
1 think thu public very we'll under
stands that these attacks on me are
Immediately due to the active interest
1 have taken in the work of organizing
the Democrats of this and other States
who faver free bimetallic coinage. In
one of its recent editorials the Repaid
lie said, in substance, that I owe my
promotion to the Democratic party,
and that ought to show my apprecia-
ton of favors conferred by doing some
thing for the party. agree to that.
And maintain that 1 am not only en-
deavoring to serve the party in my eff
forts made in conjunction with others,
to organize the free coinage forces,
but that 1 am acting directly under
party authority and in obedience to
the party behest. Let us see if that
is not true. Last summer a Demo
cratic State Convention was held at
Fertile Springs. That convention was
called by the State Committee upon
the request of a majority of county
committees. 1t was called for the
purpose of giving expression to the
views of the Missouri Democracy on
questions relating to the coinage and
currency. 1t was composed of some
600 delegates, representing every
county and ward in the State but two
and was conceded to be one of the
most representative bodies ever as
Id In Cfofn
lar Democratic Convention, authoriz-
ed to speak for the party. Even the
Republic has heretofore conceded that.
APPOINTEDA DELEGATE.
A short time prior TO the assembling
of the Pertle Springs Convention. U.
S. Senators Harris, Turpie and Jones
had called a national conference of
free coinage Democrats to meet at
Washington City at a date some two
weeks subsequent to the Pertle Springs
Convention. The object of that con-
ference was to inaugurate q movement
for the organization of free coinage
Democrats throughout the country
with the view of controlling the next
National Convention in the formation
of q platform and in the nomination of
a presidential candidate favorable to
the policy of free silver coinage. Now
at the Fertile Springs Convention the
committee on resolutions reported and
the convention unanimously adopted a
resolution approving and indorsing the
forthcoming Washington conference to
which have alluded, and directing
the Chairman, Mr.. Bland, to appoint
lalorotoc fhorofo fa ronroconf tho no.
mocracy of this State. Mr.. Bland in
formed the convention that he would
select the delegates at an early day
and notify them. In few days Mr..
Bland wrote me from Lebanon that he
had named me as one of the delegates.
and he urged me to attend the confer
ence. / neither sought nor desired
this appointment. 1t came wholly unso-
licted, as Mr.. Bland can testify. At
great personal Inconvenience I went
to Washington with eight or ten other
delegates, who had been appointed by
Mr.. Bland. At that conference twen-
ty-seven states we're represented as l
now recall it. My colleagues from
Missouri designated me to serve on the
committee on resolutions and address;
and was one of the subcommittee ap-
pointed to prepare the address-Sena-
tor Daniel of Virginia, Ex-senator
Walsh of Georgia. Ex-Governor Jarvis
of North Carolina, Mr.. Henrichson of
Illinois. aud Mr.. Carmack Of Memphis,
being the other members. We prepar-
ed the address which tho conference
issued to the Democracy of the United
States. urging the free coinage Demo-
Gratis to organize 30 as to make their
power and influence felt.
APPOINTED AS ORGANIZER.
With q view to carrying out the pur-
poses of the conference tina. body APP
pointed a committee on organization.
That committee was composed of Sem
ators Harris, Jones and Turpie. Mr..
Henrichson of Illinois, Mr.. Young OF
Tennessee. and myself. It was made
the duty of that committee to perfect
q plan of organization. to appoint Or
ganizers in each state and territory.
and to take such steps as might be
deemed necessary to carry out the
objects of the conference. Shortly al
ter the conference adjourned, Senator
Harris, who had been elected chairman
of the committee, called the committee
to meet at Memphis. attended that
meeting. At that meeting the COM