The record-union., 1896-09-09
Letter to the President Of the Ohio
Republican Editorial Association.
Some Sound Advice to the Voters Of
the Country.
To Carry Out the Ideas of the Silver
ties, and Pay the National and
Private Debts in Silver, to Nullify
and Declare Invalid Any Contract
for Paying Gold, is Simple Rob-
berry.

IOT FdyIHS OOlu, - oHiPiS NOO-
berry.
CANTON (O), Sept. S.-The Re-
publican Editorial Association of Ohio
met in the Elks' Hall at 1870 O'Clock
this morning. The venerable John
Hopley of Bucyrus presided. Canton
was fixed upon for the meeting place of
the association, for the reason that it
is the home of the Presidential candi-
date supported by the editors of the as
sociation, and in order that formal call
might be made upon him. About two
thirds of the Republican editors of Ohio
We're present.
When it was announced by Colonel
Brown, President of the association,
that he had a letter from Whitelaw Reid
of the New York Tribune there was
an outburst of cheers. The reader was
frequently applauded, and at the clos
ing of the reading Hon. J. NJ. Icks moved
vote of thanks be given Mr.. Reid, and
1t was unanimously carried. The letter
was as follows:
Dear Sir: The remembrance of my
birthright among you touches me, and
/ am grateful to Ohio Republican edit
ors for it; much more grateful in fact
than for your friendly persistency in
requiring a letter when you found
could not come to make a speech. My
friend, Charles Emory Smith, will do
the latter SO acceptably you will need
neither from me.
We had the four years in clover
which our friends, the enemy, promised
in 30. People are quite satisfied that
they had enough of it. On old lines this
campaign was already won. Voters
were absolutely resolved to go back to
the point where they turned off four
years ago, and get into that path again.
which, in 1888 to 1892, had led them to
the greatest, most widely diffused pros
perity this country has ever enjoyed
As an assertion of the power of the
common people they put forward as
their candidate man whose very name
meant to every one of them the policy
OF those four prosperous years, and the
work was practically done.
Then burst out the Adullamftes
Every unthinking or unscrupulous man
that was In distress, every one that was
IN debt, every one that was discontent-
ed, gathered themselves together, not
unto David, alas, but to Altgeld They
captured the national convention of
an historical party and degraded it,
and Inundated the country by asking
American people to vote that they could
not obey the eighth commandment.
Now, when the question is submitted
to popular VOTE the people must infer
there are two sides to it, and that they
have right to vote on which ever side
their judgment or interest inclines. But
there are not two sides to moral law.
No man or party has the right to put
the eighth commandment to a. popular
vote; TO decide through an expression Of
popular desires at the polls whether
this nation shall cheat it's creditors by
paying its debts at the rate Of 53 cents
on the dollar and whether every private
debtor shall be at liberty to cheat to the
same extent the man who has trusted
him. To propose such a vote and such
a decision is in itself crime. but hav-
ing proposed it the people of this conn
try viii sustain the great command
ment by vote which will surprise
those who would break it.
hope the Ohio editors will deal with
TINS matter in a Straightforward FASH
ION and call spade a spade Many Of
our opponents are as sincere as we. and
mean to be honest, but the thing thew
want Is the wickedest and most i'm
moral public act since secession. To
pay the national debt in silver. to nav
private debts in silver, to nullify and
declare invalid any contract. however
honestly entered into, for paying gold
and TO turn % cents worth of silver
into dollar at our Mlnts as often and
as long as any silver mine owner at
home, or any silver burdened Chinese
or Hindoo from Asia chooses to hring
* to us-the effect Of all this is sinpIa
robbery To ask the intelligent honest
men to vote for 1t is to insult then, e
well as to declare that the people have
the right to overrule Mount Sinai at the
polls and reverse the moral law if tbev
want to.
Dishonesty never pays. There's a
dozen ways of proving ii in this case
But first. to make the moral nature of
the proposals clear to the average voter.
and there should be no more doubt of
the verdict this honest Christian Ma
ton will give than there Is of to-mor-
rows sunrise. Then, if you like, it may
be we'll TO go further and show, for in
stance. that real nation, a mere COL
Olly Or an lSOidteu province cannot get
on with what our New York candidate
for Governor called currency. That
cannot stand salt water. We sell now
more than fifteen times as much of our
products to gold countries as we do to
silver countries. Do we want TO take
pay for this wheat, beef, pork, cotton,
corn, etc, not as now, in gold or it's
equivalent, but in silver bullion to be
given free coinage at our Mints? This
becomes question, not so much of
paying silver, but of taking silver.
rs the great American republic to
seek to hold toward all Europe such
financial relation as India now holds
toward England, or worse one? Sure
ly fresh water currency is only fit for
people content with fresh water COM
merce. You can make free silver men
see, from the past history of every ma
ton that ever tried 1t, that while max
ing more money does initiate prices, 1t
works both ways. 1t raises prices for
what they have to sell, and 1t is apt
to raise the former first and highest.
The grocer raises his figures long before
the day laborer can have his wages ad-