Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-11-20
COL. BENJAMIN Wilson,
interviewed By a Register Man Upon
Current Politics.
A Remarkably Clear and Logical
Exposition Of the Position Taken
by Ex-senator j. N. Camden in
the Late National Campaign.

Col. Benz. Wilson arrived in the city
yesterday on business.
The veteran Democrat was met by a
Register reporter soon after his arrival
with the idea of obtaining his views on
the general political situation and the re-
suits to follow the late election. but the
conversation was early diverted to ex-
Senator J. y. Camden and his position in
the campaign, with the result that Col
Wilson threw great deal of light upon
the stand taken by Mr. Camden.
The first question asked was:
Colonel, from your long political
experience, what effect, in your opin-
ion, will the last election have upon the
country?"
Il shall have to wait several years
before | can answer that question salts
tactorily TO myself. Thus far there
seems to be perceptible Improvement
in business conditions, but how far it
viii extend l cannot foretell.'
Colonel, | notice that in some of
your speeches during the campaign you
criticized Senator Camden for his sup
posed flop. How was that?
That is not correct. | did not crit
iciZe the Senator, and do not regard
that he Topped, as you say. Upon the
contrary, | regard that he acted in good
faith and in accordance with his pre-
| ceiyed and we'll matWed opinion
years before it was supposed the issues
| presented by the Chicago convention
would ever be submitted to the peo-
pie
Go on, Colonel, l want to hear you
further"
We'll, l carefully read Senator Cam
dens published Parkersburg speech,
made during the campaign at a so-call-
ed sound money or boltocratic Demo-
cratic convention over which he pre-
sided In this speech he clearly and
fOrcibly defined his position. Being a
man of honor and integrity we must
accept what he says as to his views and
the facts presented by him. He claims
to have been a Democrat all his life,
which claim will be readily conceded
/ by the Democracy of this State, and he
/ also claims to have always been a BIZ
metallist. which is also sustained by
his vote in the Senate for an amend
ment to a bill to repeal the Sherman
| law prohibiting the issue of any paper
money below the denomination of ten
/ dollars, which would have increased
4 the circulation Of silver to the extent
/ OF hundreds of millions Of dollars when
/ gold alone was the standard money.
/ But considering that the United States
/ is the greatest bimetallic country in
/ the world. maintaining at parity over
| six hundred millions of dollars of gold
and silver. each, he was opposed to the
/ free and unlimited coinage of silver at
| a fixed ratio of Is to / for various rea-
/ sons. among which were that in his
/ opinion, it would drive the gold from
/ the country and leave it upon a silver
! basis 1t would destroy bimetallism,
( shrink wages and values and produce
/ a ruinous panic. And he especially
predicted that nearly all the railroads,
perhaps nine out of ten. and other cor
porations standing upon a gold basis,
I would be in bankruptcy within year
/ from the free coinage of silver. In or
der to show by his Parkersburg speech
! that his decided convictions and
! views of which the above is an imper-
feet resume. he quoted from a speech
made by him in the Senate in 1893 up
/ on the subject of free silver and its
depreciation The views expressed in
these two speeches are so strikingly
in harmony that he could not have
voted for free silver at the last cleo
ton without receding from his posi-
ton in 1898.
But there is an additional view of
this subject The Senator said in his
| Parkersburg speech that he had rea-
sons personal to himself for advOcat-
ing sound money and the integrity of
contracts. This reference was to his sue
cess in bringing into this State i'm
mense sums of money, aggregating
say. ten millions of dollars, for the
construction of railroads, opening up
vast areas of heretofore inaccessible
timber regions. coal regions and for
other enterprises. all of which money
was PAYABLE upon a gold standard
basis to which he felt himself honor
ably committed. We all remember
with what delight the people of the
State hailed and welcomed these vari-
GUS improvements and the large extent
to which the State has been developed
and profited thereby.
But there is still another point in
this connection that may further ex-
plain his personal reasons. AS the
| promoter of these various schemes,
railroads. coal mines. saw mills, etc,
the inference is, according to usage,
that the bulk of his profits were rep
resented by shares of stock and per-
hans bonds. the value of which were
contingent upon the profits of the cor
porations paying off mortgages given
TO secure the bonds. These contingent
profits presumably represented his
very large interests which it was most
natural for him to protect. If these en-
terprises shall be successful the Sena-
tor would. as he should. under the cir
cumstances. realize handsomely II
tbey shall turn out to be unsuccessful,
then his profits will go for naught, and
this NAV explain why he has spent so
many anxious days in the last three
wears of depression to provide for the
interest on these bonds. Just as man
is prone to protect and promote his
interests. so would Almost any man in
Senator Camden's shoes, believing as
he did and does that the enactment of
a free silver policy would destroy those
interests. vote as he did against that
nolicv The Senator being a bimetal-
iist and advocating. as | understand,
the coinage of limited amounts of silver
dollars as was done by the Bland
Allisen act. and as he voted to do
when An amendment to the bill repeal
=. r. Chairman law so as to keen the