Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1897-12-30
GAGE TO eoMPERs.
Secretary Of the Treasury on Fedora
tons Resolutions.


Washington, Dec. 23.-Secretary Gage
has written the following letter to.
President Gompers, of the Federation
of Labor:
II have read with care the resolutions
adopted the goth inst. at Nashville by the
convention of the Federation of Labor,
which recites as follows:
Resolved, That we declare ourselves
most positively opposed to the Gage ffnan-
cial bill, recently introduced in Congress by.
the secretary of the treasury. 1t is meas
the more firmly rivet the gold standard on
the people of the country, and perpetuate
its disastrous effects in every form;
Resolved, That we pronounce the Gage
hill an undiseuised effort to retire our
greenback currency and all government
paper money, with view to the substitu-
ton Of national bank notes IN thelrs stead.
for years upon the American people.
'Now If it be true that the gold standard
by which things have been measured, as
to price, for the last 60 years in this coun-
try--is inimical to the interests OF the la
boring classes of the United States, then
think it is inimical to all classes. In other
words. I do not believe that the exploita-
ton Of one class by another, either through
false weights, partial laws or bad none
tary system can be made to work for the
permanent benefit Of the exploiting class
itself, or for the general veal, even were 1t
defensible on any ground of right and JUS
,tice, which it Is not. Granted, therefore,
that the permanence Of the gold standard
(for which I argue) operates in this evil
direction, then your resolutions of con-
demnation are well founded, and I am
justly charged, either with an Ignorance
which constitutes a foolish adviser, or with
q perversity of motive which makes me
an evil adviser.
perversty 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 char
acterstics can be inferred, much less dem
onstrated. But ignorance often uncon-
sciously works as deep injury as evil intent
might do, and to this sin Of ignorance Qf it
be SIM must confess myself to be pos
sible victim. This confession, however,
ought not to classify me as separate from
my fellow men generally, whether they be
considered as individual units or as congre-
gated in groups. Ignorance 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 q
group, however large. cannot be greater
than that of the wisest man in it. This re-
mains true, whether the subject matter in
volving knowledge and judgment be as
tronomy, physics or finance. The con-
demnation then involved in the resolutions
referred to is measured by the just or i'm
perfect apprehensions 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 the great body you so honorably repre-
sent, that if, instead of denunciatory reso-
buttons, which are not argument, you or
anyone on your behalf will show that the
views / entertain and advocate are other
than salutary to the great economic body
of which we are all Independent members,
will abandon them without hesitation.
My present conviction, the honest fruit Of
sincere study and reflection, is that a
breakdown in our present money standard
would be a most disastrous blow to all cur
commercial and industrial 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