The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-10-21
Il SHAMELESS IION
OR A SILLY BLUNDER,


An old and esteemed friend writes
US as follows:
HON. IGNATIUs DoNNELLY:
W.. Bryan as quoted in the Man
kato Weekly Review, Oct. ], 1896, have
made me very uneasy, especially on
the free coinage 16 to l. Therefore l
made up my mind to send the cutting
in this letter for TO have your views
on the reported speech. Did VIM. J.
Bryan's name appear at the end. /
would call it fabrication unadulte--
ated!
l could not rest without calling
your attention to this libelous Ques-
ton. Your comments are looked for
with anxiety to more than myself.
ID. G. Craus.
South Bend, Mimi, Oct. 8.
The following is the alleged extract
from Mr.. Bryan's Letter of Acceptance
to which our corresp ondent alludes:
There are, in this country. nearly
5000 building and loan associations,
with shareholders to the number of
1,8O0,OOO, and with assets amounting
to more than $500, 10000 Their aver
age OF holdings is nearly $500 per
capita, and in many cases they repre-
sent the savings Of men and women
who have denied themselves the COM
forts of life in the hope Of being able
to accumulate enough to buy or build
in the erection of over !, 600, 900 houses,
which are now affording comfort and
shelter for 500, 900 OF our thrifty peo-
pie.
Free coinage at the arbitrary rate
Of sixteen ounces Of silver to one OF
gold would be equivalent to the con-
tiscaJion Of nearly half the savings
that these people have invested. 1t
would be tantamOunt to war upon
American home-makers. 1t would be
an invasion of 1.-THE home of the provi-
dent" and. tend directly to destroy
the stimulus to endeavor and the
compensation of honest toll" Every
one of the shareholders Of these asso-
Citations is entitled to be repaid in
money Of the same value which he de-
posted by weekly payments or other
wise in these companies. No one Of
| cause a political party demands a
change in the money standard of our
country, as an experiment., or as a con-
cession to the seltishness or greed.
The magnitude OF the disaster
which would Overtake these and cog
| nate interests become the more strik-
ingly apparent when considered in
the aggregate. Stated broadly, the
savings banks, life insurance and as
sessment companies, and building loan
associations of the country hold in
trust SIS, 800, I'll, ISL. The debasenent
of the currency to a silver basis, as
proposed by the Chicago platform,
would wipe out at one blow approx
mately 1863 5C4, 500 Of this aggregate.
| According to the report Of the de-
| partment Of agriculture, the total
value of the main cereal crops in this
that the total sum belonging to the
people, and held in trust in these in
stitu tiOns, which would be obliterated
by the triumph OF free and unlimited
silver coinage, would be seven and
one-half times the total value Of the
annual cereal crop of the United
States. The total value Of the manu-
| featured products Of the country for
the census year of 1890 was So, 372 $751;
2S3. The establishment of silver
basis OF value, as now proposed, would
| entail loss to these three interes is
alone equal to e5 per cent Of this enor-
nous output OF all the manufacturing
industries Of the Union, and would
affect directly nearly one-third of it's
whole population.
One hundred and forty millions of
dollars per annum are due to pension
ers of the late war. That sum repre-
sents blood spilled and sufferings en-
dured in order to preserve this nation
from disintegration. In many cases
the sums so paid in pensions are ex-
ceedingly small: in few, if any, are
they excessive. The spirit that
would deplete these to the extent of a
| farthing is the same that would or
ganize sedition, destroy the peace and
security Of the country, punish rather
than reward our veteran soldiers, and
is unworthy Of the countenance, by
thought or vote, of any patriotic citi-
zen OF whatever political faith. No
party, until that which met in con-
vention ut Chicago. has ever ventured
| to insult the honored survivors of our
struggle for the national life by pro-
posing to scale their pensions horizon