The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1896-10-29
GOV. STONE CALLED DOWN.
railroad Men Are Not Being Intimidatcd
in Favor of Mckinley.

i " idiilodu Hill WHO, NaNlDT the eX-
perlcnce OF a lifetime, attempts to make
a talk for sound money and explains to
ms employees why free silver would be
the ruin of the country and greatly i'm
par the operation of railroads as well
as affecting the wages of the employees.
then he is put down by the free silver
advocates as coercing the men under him
into voting for Mckinley.
A.. E. Stillwell, president of the NJ, X.
Il T., and vice-president of the Pittsburg
" Gulf, recently addressed a large num-
Der of the employees of his company upon
the great financial issue of the day, and
Immediately GOV. Stone in one of his
fire-eating speeches charged Stillwell
with cocrcing the employees. Mr.. Still
well addressed the following open letter
to Gov. StoHc:
Sir-I understand that you have been init
mating in some of your speeches in favor of
William j. Bryan and free silver that l have
been intimidating and coercinG my employees
into voting for Mckinley. | have delivered
two lectures to my employees at their re-
quest, explaining my views of why a coun-
try could not be prosperous on a silver basis.
l have never asked one of the 5000 people
on cur payroll who he was going to vote for.
| understand that this is a free country and
that every man has a right to cast his ballot
for the men of his choice. Certainly Il bust
ness man like myself, who is in charge of
large industrial and commercial interests, is
better nttoQ 70 understand WnaC is necessary
to a business country than people like you,
who have had no business training and ex-
perience. .
If you wish to investigate this matter Of
nv c~oercing my employees, | will donate the
expenses of anyone you may send to make
the necessary. investigation, and If you find
that | have ever asked any one OF my EN-,
ployes who they were going to vote for and
furnish proof, l will donate $1,000 to your
campaign fund, which you can use to pay
the expenses OF Mr.. Bryan in case he visits
the state again. This will relieve you and
Mr.. Bryan Of the embarrassment. which
must have been occasloned when he was
asked to pay his fare after visiting ana
speaking at Kansas City.
Up to date Gov. Stone has not called
for the $1,000 to be used in the Bryan
campaign fund nor is he likely to call
for it. His charge was like a great
many other assertions for which the gov
ernor has become noted-without any
foundation whatever. If the time has
come when any particular class OF
American citizens are precluded from
free speech and free thought the peo-
pie ought to know it. If a governor of
a great state has the liberty and privi-
lege TO cOerce his subjects by his elo-
uucnce certainly the president of a rail
road should be granted the same prlvl-
lege. If the Popocrats could seal the
mouths of a. the sound money men and
confiscate all the newspapers that care
| 10 speak for the honor and integrity OF
the governement, then their nefarious
! scheme might be enforced upon the peo-
nle. but thank heaven this is still a tree
| country and the old flag, the emblem OF
American liberty, still floats, GOV. stone
to the contrary Notwithstanding. Inc
peoplc love free speech and that right
they will revere without fear OF punish
mcnt from such men as Gov. Stone Who
| stoop to prevaricati0n III order to carry Il
point.-Sprin-tirld ,Mo) Republican.
The Free Riot Plank.
There has been so much indignation
at the free riot plank i'll the Eblc"G'
nIotform. and this Indignation has IN
creased so steadily. that many attempts
have been made. especially during me
last two or three weeks. to explain lhi'
pl,nk away. The most common FORM rl
exclamation consists of separating Tie
ulank from what was in the NINA o.
GOV. Alleged when he framed 1t anu nae
II INCORPORATED in thc Chicago Platform
Object to the free riot plank, do ION:
| asks the Bryan Democrat. on. thei
of course You are III favor or arbirtrN
interference by federal authorities in 10
n,T ,ff,irs." This form of rejoinder be
trays n knowledge in the advocate ma
his cause is weak. He substitutes
/ knowing well enough what he is about
his partE's description ,no of sn prTsiqe n
1874 far that conduct itself. lie know.
rs everybody knows that the particular
Interference in local affairs" whlcI, m
Chicago platform '~'denounces' Is lTrhsi
dent Cleveland's suppression OF the Chi
cage riots. .n.l
may harbor bitter feelings because res
dent Cleveland then did, as his duty
what .Altgcld. though it was also and tol
a different reason his duty; had neglecte.
to do. but it is impossible for a plain per
SON. who believes what he is told, to I'M
derstand why organized labor or its lead
crs should have bitter feelings towar,
the President. While the Chicago ri1a'
were going on, the leaders of the A. Ii
l.. strike issued bulletins in which the.
rxhortcd their followers to be orderly
and informed the public that me deS,rnt
ton of railway property and the assault
upon railway employees were not Tn,
work of strikers. # his was so, the