The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-08-18
my Dear Senator" Given a
Lecture by the Venerable
Sagebrush Statesman.
ASKED TO PUBLICLY RETRACT.
Dust Thrown to Cover the Main
Issues Relating to the Boy
Orators Silver Speeches.

WASHINGTON, d. c., Aug. 17.-This
afternoon Senator w. M. Stewart gave out
for publication reply to Senator
Thurston's letter to him, published in the
papers this morning, regarding the charge
that Mr.. Bryan had been paid lecturer
in the employ of silver mine-owners. The
letter quotes Thurston's statement that
he had not assailed Bryan's character in
any instance or by any word, and Stewart
asks Thurston how he can reconcile that
statement with the following language
used by him in the speech which gave rise
to the contest:
1.-THE proprietors of the big bonanzas
have found it profitable TO keep large
number of lecturers and other spokesman
on the road preaching to the people.
Among the many who have thus been
employed and carried on the payrolls of
the big bonanzas for number of years is
William ]. Bryan of Nebraska, paid
agent and spokes man of the free-silver
letter."
The com ine then says:
"Your disclaimer in connection with the
foregoing requires explanation, provided
you consider your reputation for truth
and Veracity valuable. But your explana-
ton that you would be the last man to
assail the character of Mr.. Bryan reflects
either upon your yeracity or your knowl-
edge of the law of libel. If you are
lawyer, and the fact that you have been
retained by the Union Pacific Railroad for
so many years, indicates that you are use
full in some way to that institution, you
ought to know that repeating a SANDER or
libel is equally as slanderous or libelous as
the original matter.
"You assume that you are not assailing
Mr.. Bryan when you quote what irrespon-
sibie newspapers say of him and giving to
such statements all the cradit your high
official position can confer. You belittle
your understanding when you say it is the
duty of Mr.. Bryan to enter into personal
controversy with every hireling newspaper
scribbler who is employed to SANDER or
defame him.
1.-THE people understand the aims OF
partisan newspapers and make proper al
lowances for their assertions, but when
you ciothe their SANDERS with your official
robes it is lame and cowardly defense on
your part to protect yourself by skulking
behind misera bic newspaper scribblers l
charge, not the charge of newspapers,
which I have again quoted for the purpose
of calling your attention to the charge
you made, surprising your were an honor
able man and would retract the charges at
once if you were unable to prove them.
Instead of doing so you repeat other SLAM
ders against Mr.. Bryan, myself, Senator
Sharon, Governor Stanford and others,
which, if true, do not prove your charge
against Mr. Bryan.
II shall not reiterate in kind and quote
what venal newspapers or even respectable
men say of you. because it is not peril
nent to the issue. The issue is whether
you have unjustly and without truth as
sailed the character of Mr.. Bryan. You
cannot avoid that issue by pretending
that you only repeated falsehood which
somebody else originated. Do you fear
the repeating of falsehood repeated
to irresponsible papers will impair your
influence in that cause you are advocat-
ingP You must remember, my dear Sena-
tor, that there is q sense of public Justice
which is outraged by SANDER and libel
which you cannot justify by claiming you
have right to repeat it because you had
not the courage to originate it. If you
have no case against Mr.. Bryan, which
you have already virtually admitted by
citing incompetent hearsay evidence to
prove your charges, your ISLANDERS will be
harmless so far as he is concerned; but
can you afford to be published to the
world as peddler OF SANDERS which you
cannot prove? If you have any friends
who supposed that you were both honest
and brave thew will be sorely disappoin ted
if you fail to frankly avow your error and
retract your ISLANDERS, or prove the truth
of your charges which I have quoted
above. Yours very respectfully,
CIVILIAN NJ. STEWART"