The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-10-17
AN AUTHORITY ON SEWER.
What Gen. james ~. Walker Said Six
Months Ago


Months Ago.
The following letter was published in
the Marion Democrat Of Thursday. 1t
speaks for itself and shows how soon II
man cen reach the conclusion that he is
on the wrong side of the fence:
U. S. House of Representatives.
Washington, ID. G.,
Feb uary Goth, 1896.
j. l.. Clu1e, Esq. Adwolfe, Va,
My Dear Sir: 1t does me good Ia re-
ceive snch letter rs yours of the Dist
instant. nm u plain, 0utspoken man
myself and naturally like IL man who
has opinions and principles and is neither
ashamed nor afraid TO avow and defend.
Accept my CORDIAL thanks for your very
kind expression of good will for me per
sonally and your hearty endorsement OF
my vote on the silver question. / voted
my honest sentiments and do mot pro-
pose to either explain or apologize for
what / have done. am in favor of the
free coinage OF silver ut IL ratio of 16 to |,
and was elected upon platform which
distinctly and clearly announces that
principle as the sentiment of the Repub
licans of the Ninth district of Virginia.
During the entire canvass | heard very
few men express Il dissent from that
platform, and it is q very strange thing
that any Republican in the district
should expect me to vote contrary to the
very platform to which was elected. If
had changed my opinions l certainly
would motif at liberty to vote my own
sentiments against the express instruc-
tions given me by the party in its plat
form, and upon which platform was
elected. know that the people of the
Ninth district, irrespective of party. are
in favor of silver, and that it is only
few bankers or disappointed aspirants
Tor olitical, office who seek to make cap
it'll out of the fact that | was instr ucted
by the platform to VOTE and as dis
tinctly and clearly announced on the
stump in the district that 1 would vote.
The ameHdmenG offered to the Senate
bill, providing for the coinage of the pro-
ducts of American mines alone and for
laying n duty upon imported silver and
silver coins sufficient, in my opinion, to
prevent them from ssbcing imported into
this country and coined free ut the eX-
pensc of the Government, is the only
concession | think necessary for the sill.
yer men to make. 1t answers the argIl-
ment that the silver of foreign countries
will be dumped upon us in unknown
quantities., and will have tendency to
drive all the gold out of circulation.
am fully and entirely satisfied that with
this restriction upon free coinage there
can and will be no difficulty in keeping
silver at II parity with.gold and, further,
it is clearly shown by the statistics that
the products OF all the American silver
mines is not greater than the people of
this country can use in their business
and in their commerce without depreciat-
ing the value of the silver coin of the
United States.
| note what you say about an attempt
being made to side track me in the next
Congressional convention, but 1 have
traced that attempt to its true source and
find that it is confined mainly to your
countyman, A. NJ Dickinson, and II. L.
Mccoy, of Bristol. When Mr.. Dicken-
son came to be gold man l not able to
say, for he certainly was n free silver man
two years ago. do not think he has any
fixed principles on the money questions,
either in private or public affairs, and as
for Mr., Mccoy, he is a banker and has
all that he is worth invested in his banks
i'll Bristol and at Marion. | have never
yet met banker who was not gold
man, because it is very natural that the
man who has n dollar in money should
favor that system of finance which will
make his dollar worth two. The man
who owes the banker note of $500 will,
with the single gold standard, be com
PEELED to pay 81 900 to discharge it, and
the banker who has $500 loaned out will
receive 81 900 in discharge of it. 1t is.
therefore, very natural, if not very patri-
otto, if the banker should want every
dollar that I've has loaned out to be worth
two dollars.
In closing | wish to call your attention
TO the fact that Mr. Dickinson and Mr..
Mccoy are trying to get control of dele
gates enough to the Congressional con
vention, which meets in Bristol on the
3rd of April to give them possession of
the machinery and Offices of the district.
1t is their purpose to defeat me, if posi-
BILE, for delegate-at large to the national
convention, and for that purpose they
have announced that Judge Strother, of
Giles,is a candidate for that place. Judge
Strother is good man, and good Re-
publican, and personally have no objec-
ton to him or to his being delegate-at-
large, but as he is in training by Dcllen-
son and Mccoy, | cannot help but regard
him rs promoter of their little game
The Dickinson and Mccoy combination
propose to send Mr.. Dickinson as n dele
gate to the national convention from the
Ninth district, and to have themselves
and three Others of their kind elected as
the district committee, and then to run
the machinery of the district against me
and against the wishes of great major
ity therein. see from your county pa
pers that il meeting of the Republicans
of Smyth county has been called at
Marion on the 23rd of March, where they
choose delegates to the State and district
conventions. | trust that there will be
full turnout of the people of the dis
trict. and that you will be present and
see that the people express their true SEN
timents, and that one or two men shall