The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1896-10-29
BRYAN's FATHER.
He Was the Rankest Kind Of Copperhead
During the War.


He Was the Rankest Kind Of Copperhead
During the War.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: There
seems to be complaint among few COM
rades as to your course in the present cam
paign. One has limited at the non-partlsan
phase of our soldier paper in the way OF an
insinuation. This is unfair in the extreme.
Those of us who have read The NATIONAL
TRIBUNE for the last Is years know that
it has been consistent, and that it has IN
variably stood firmly for the welfare OF the
soldiers.
Comrades let us encourage our soldier
paper now, for in this battle it is waging
war for the honor and integrity OF our
country. We must defeat that man Bryan.
He is not and cannot be our man. He has
never been trained properly; does not de-
serve our votes. No, the truth is that ne
was trained after the Copperhead fashion.
His father, Judge Bryan, was one OF the
worst Copperheads in southern Illinois 1t
seems to me that / will never in this lie
stop feeling hurt over the speech L heard
| Judge Bryan make during the dark days OF
| the war. was home on short furlough.
| This particular speech heard Judge Bryan
make was at Chester, Ill He characterized
Gov. Yates and Lincoln as monkeys in one
role and tyrants in another, and the officers
in the army as Lincoln's tools and the
soldiers as dupes.
He declared that the soldiers in the army
allowed themselves to be enslaved by tyrants
and the officers in the army would not lei
soldiers see newspaper, or hear in any way
what was going on in the country. Vi
course, left my seat and went away whlle
| the TRADE was going on.
| Now, I have heard something new o.
Judge Bryan since his son has been nomi'
mated for President. / have read in Bryan
paper that Judge Bryan opened court with
prayer and closed with the benediction.
have been present as many as so times when
Judge Bryan opened and closed court lr
Chester, ILL.,, and I never saw him single
time open court with prayer or close with
a benediction, and it had never been heard o.
until after that Chicago Convention.
Now, comrades, many OF You know Oh
knew something about Copperheads during
the war. The harm they did US then ]:
nearly passed-only sore feelings are lett
When we speak and write of them now VIC
are simply giving their history. w. j
Bryan was raised in strictly Copperheao
element. I know full well what his sur
roundings WERE w. j. Bryan was raised
after the bandbox style. He knows nothing
about what it is to work. He knows
nothing about labor experimentally and
moreover, he is no business man. tie Il
now an offshot of an excitement IN hot
headed political convention. He knows
nothing about the wants of the toiilnt
masses, the laboring man and the farmer
Who has ever heard of his word or work to-
the soldier? He belongs to the other side
What did he do while in Congress? He die
all he could in helping to shape the presen
tariff law Then, all he has done has beer
to damage labor. Comrades, we canno
trust the man nor his principles He il
now iaboring to stir up sectional strife
Comrades, be not deceived. The want o
free silver or more money is not the caus
of the present. depression. We have enough
money in the country, gold, silver, ant
paper Confidence and Protection will re
store prosperity. This Populist and Popo
cratic hue and cry is a repetition of tn
preenback craze from 1874 to 1879. TIL
cry was then more money and down will
the money power, Just as we hear it now
even from some of our comrades who shoul'
know better.
When 1879 came the Government re
sumed specie payments, we returned to
gold basis, and the greenback craze wa
snuffed out / have relatives and friend
who were carried away with the greenbacl
folly who have become rich farming sine
1879. They are for Mckinley now.
had three years. hard experience in tn
service in the old 22d ILL., / am laborinl
man. 1 am not able to do much. 1 hav
studied the money question carefully sine
1874, and say to comrades again we mus
not be deceived.
We want good money. All this clap-tra
about gold appreciating is humbug. Th
gold dollar the world over contains 100 cents
The silver dollar varies. At the presen
time it is worth only 81 cents; but the gol'
dollar supports it and keeps it on parity
Adopt free coinage of silver, and gold will 6
out of circulation and our money will dro
to q silver basis, and as result we shal
have 50-cent dollars and ruin. My dear com
rades, let US do our part in maintaining tn
gold standard then we shall have plenty G
money in the country, and as our gold IN
creases we can increase the use of silver
The more gold we get the more silver W
can use with it; and we can get the gold
Yes. our great country will be on an equa
footing with the other civilized nations q
the earth, and as Senator Stewart, of Nevad:
said during the long and open debates |
Congress on the money question in Isl
our great country can get the gold. w
J are not in a shape now TO try dangerou
experiment. We cannot afford to tax
promises. The silver experiment will brin
q crash and hard times for at least eigh
wears. and then we will have to come bac
to our present money standard. Comrade
we must close ranks and vote as one gran
army for sound finances and good times
. JOHN A. MALEN, Co. ], 22d ILL.,, Potosi, Mo
A BUSINESS PROPOSITION