The herald., 1896-08-18
STILL another
Anent the Charges Made
Against Bryan
Mr.. stewart ACCUSES 1hORST0N
OF PeddIing SIanders He Can
not Prove
RETRACTION is DEMANDED
Or Proof Of the Charges Against Sill.
ver's Champion
Nevads's Senator Declines Dispute With
Newspaper Scribblers
But Flakes Objection to the Clothing Of Such
Slandcrs In the Robss Of Thurs.
tons High Official
Position
RErRAcTI0N is DEMANDED
Or Proof Of the Charges Against Sill.
ver's Champion
Nevada's Senator Declines Dispute With
Newspaper Scrlbblers
But nalsss objection to the Clothing Of Such
6landcrs In the Robss Of Thurs.
tons High Official
Position
ssooistsd Press Special Wire.

Associated Press Special Wire.
WASHINGTON, Aug. Ex-senator W.
NJ. Stewart has sent the following let
ter In reply to that Of Senator Thurs
ton, published this morning:
WASHINGTON, d. c., Aug. II, 1896.
Hon. John. M. Thurston. Omaha. Neb.:
My Dear Sir--I observe in the papers
this morning letter purporting to have
been written by you to me, in which
am pleased to note the following pas
sage: II would be the last man in the
world to assail the character of Mr..
Bryan. I have not done SO in any in
stance or by any word Of mine. Mr..
Bryan is the candidate of great party.
1t is not just to the American people that
charges of this kind should go unan-
swered. He is the man and the only man
who can make definite and conclusive
answer
Mr.. Thurston, how can you reconcile
the foregoing statement with your
charge against Mr. Bryan and against
the silver producers, which Is contained
in the following language used by you
and to which I had the honor to call
your attention in my former letter:
"The proprietors Of the big bonanzas
have found it profitable to keep large
number Of lecturers and other spokes-
men on the, road preaching to the peo-
pie. Among the many who have thus
been employed and carried on the pay
rolls Of the big bonahzas for a unmber
OF years is William J. Bryan of Nebras-
ka, paid agent and spokesman Of the
free silver combine.
"In the city of Omaha, where Mr..
Bryan does editorial work. the Omaha
Bee has made the specific charge editor
tally time and again. It has never been
met. ! say as an American citizen, hav-
ing at heart the welfare of the people,
that the man posing as the advocate Of
the down-trodden masses Of his coun-
trymen, holding crown of thorns in
one hand and the bugaboo cross of gold
in the other. owes 1t as duty to every
man, woman and child In this country
to say whether that charge is false or
true.
II do say. my countrymen, and I
know whereof I speak, that for three
and a half years, without regard to Bry-
IN, there has been selected corps of
orators and writers, paid employees of
the silver producers, spreading their
literature over this country from one
end to the other. telling the farmer that
he will have more for his wheat; telling
the laboring man that he will have more
for his work"
Your disclaimer, in connection with
the foregoing statement, requires ex-
PLANTATION, provided you consider your
reputation for truth and veracity val
liable. But your disclaimer that you
would "be the last man to assail the
character of Mr.. Bryan" reflects either
upon your veracity or your knowledge
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 slander
or libel is equally as slanderous or Ii
belous as the original matter.
You assume that you are not assail-
Ing Mr.. Bryan when you are quoting
what irresponsible newspapers say of
him. and giving to such statements all
the credit your high official position can
confer. You belittle your understand
Ing when you say that 1t is the duty of
Mr.. Bryan to enter into personal contro-
versy with every hireling newspaper
scribbler who is employed to slander or
defame him. The people understand the
animus of partisan newspapers and
make proper allowances for their as
sertions. but when you clothe their
ISLANDERS with your official robes. 1t is a
lame and cowardly defense on your part
to protect yourself by skulking behind
miserable newspaper scribblers. called
your attention to the injustice Of your
charge, not to the charge of the newspa-
pers. which have again quoted for the
purpose of calling your attention to the
charge you made. supposing that you,
an honorable man, would retract the
charges II you were unable to prove
them. Instead Of doing SO you repeat
other stale ISLANDERS against Mr.. Bryan,
myself, Senator Sharon, Governor STAN
ford and others, which, if true, do not
prove your charge against Mr. Bryan.
I shall not reiterate in kind and quote
what venal newspapers or even better
men than yourself say Of you, because
1t is not pertinent to the issue. The is
sue is whether you have unjustly and
without proof assailed the character of
Mr.. Bryan. You cannot avoid that issue
by pretending that you only repeated a
falsehood which somebody else origi-
mated. Do you not fear the repeating of
lAlsehoods and attributing v - isre-