The herald., 1897-12-23
To Resolutions of Labor
Leaders
ADMITS HE MAY BE IGNORANT
BUT CLAIMS TO BE FREE FROM
PERVERSITy
Whe Secretary Asks Somebody to Show
Him That the Gold Standard Is
Not Perfect

Associated Press Speclal Wire
WASHINGTON. Dec. 22.-secretary
Gage has written the following letter to
President Gompers of the Federation of
Labor:
II have read with care the resolutions
adopted on the goth inst. at Nashville
by the convention of the Federation of
Labor, which recite as follows:
Resolved, That we declare ourselves
most positively opposed to the Gage fin
ancial bill recently introduced in con-
gress by the secretary of the treasury.
1t is a measure that, If adopted as a law,
will only the more firmly rivet the gold
standard on the people of the country
and perpetuate it's disastrous effects in
every form.
Resolved, That we pronounce the
Gage bill an undisgulsed effort to retire
our greenback currency and all govern
ment paper money, with view to the
substitution of national bank notes In
their stead, and thus fasten the national
bank system for years upon the Amer
tcan people,
"Now, If 1t be true that the gold stand
aAQb ny MHlCI tIlIlSS udNe Deeu IlGdS-
ured as to price for the last sixty years
in this country, Is inimical to the inter-
ests Of the laboring classes Of the United
States. then think 1t Is inmioal to all
classes. In other words. do not believe
that the exploitation of one class by an
other. either through false weights, par
tial laws or bad monetary system, can
be made to work for the permanent ben
eft of the exploiting class itself or for
the general veal, even were 1t defensible
on any ground of right or justified,
which 1t is not Granted, therefore, that
the permanence of the gold standard
(for which l argue) operates in this evil
direction, then your resolutions of con-
domination are well founded, and am
justly charged either with an ignorance
which constitutes me foolish adviser,
or with perversity of motives which
makes me an evil adviser
Il have a right to disavow the charge
of perversity or evil purpose, since there
Is nothing in my whole life as related to
my fellow men, either in word or deed,
from which the possession by me of such
characteristics can be inferred, much
less demonstrated.
But ignorance often unconsciously
works as deep injury as evil intent might
do, and to this sin of ignorance, If it be
sin, must confess myself to be a
possible victim. This confession, how
ever. ought not to classify me as separ-
ate from my fellow men generally,
whether they be considered as individual
units or as congregated in groups. Ig-
norance Is relative, not an absolute
term, since few are totally ignorant, and
none Is absolutely wise. Nor does the
number constituting the group change
this fact, since the wisdom of group.
however large, cannot be greater than
that Of the wisest man in it.
This remains true, whether the sub
ject matter involving knowledge and
judgment be astronomy, physics or fin
ance. The condemnation then involved
in the resolutions referred to is meas
ured by the Just or imperfect apprehen-
sion of questions relating to monetary
science, held by the wisest men who
supported them.
Laying these general considerations
aside. let me say to you and through you
to that great body you so ably represent,
that. if instead of denuncatory resolu-
tions, which are not arguments, you or
any one on your behalf will show that
the views / entertain and advocate are
other than salutary to the great eco
nomic body of which we are all inde-
pendent members, l will abandon them
without hesitation.
"My present conviction, the honest
fruit Of sincere study and reflection, is
that q breakdown in our present money
standard would be a most disastrous
blow to all our commercial and indus
trial interests, and that upon the wage
workers, as a class, would be entailed
the most serious effects of the disaster.
Believing this, must so bear Witness"