The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1897-02-04


their own mad policy must inevitably
bring upon them, If continued much
Longer. During the recent campaign the
physical, mental and moral powers and
qualities Of william Jennings Bryan were
tested to q degree, previously unknown In
all history and he has come out without
a solitary blenisb. His opponents have
abused, slandered, villined and ridiculed
him without stint; and yet In the midst
Of all, he uttered not one solitary word Of
resentment or disrespeot against single
Individual True, he does hate tyranny
oppression, Injustice and all combinations
against the general welfare and his voice
vote and actions have harmonized with
his professions, perfectly. Would that
the same could be said of Colonel
Ingersoll.
Allow me to ask you to explain Of
least one point in your theory on money
You declare that nothing Is now money
In this country but gold, and that gold 4
money by nature, and not by law; and
then you add that oil money must be
at par. Now please answer
First-Please tell us what law OF
nature decreed that exactly eb $40 grains
Of gold 9-10 fine should be a "dollarf"
seoond-would it be COLLAR In the
shape of marble, even though no one
que.itoned its weight or flnenessP
Third--When congress passed law
decreeing that no more gold dollars
should be made and successfully executed
ths decree, did that body perform q
m ira lie by killing law Of nature?
Fourth-when you say that gold is the
only money and that "all money must be
at par, l ask you, At par with what
AT par with ITSELF" must be your
answer, IL there is any meaning at all tc
y our assertions.
Think Of the great lDgersoll standing
on the rostrum as teacher on economies,
and declaring that "a gold eagle must be
at par with itself" "a bushel Of wheat
must always be at par with bushel Of
wheat" and "a pound of skunk cabbage
must always be at par with pound Of
skunk cabbage"
challenge you to point to single
dollar or other denomination of United
States money ever issued, whether
stamped upon gold, silver or paper, made
by the fat Of law, foil legal tender for
all debts, public and private, that was
ever below par. Do you not know that
the 500, 900, 900 Of Rreenbacks that were
Issued early in the war, without the ex.
ception clause on the back-made full
legal tender including customs dues, -
remained at par with gold all the timei
Do you not have the great work of Judge
Tiffany, on Constitutional Law, In your
law library? Why in the name of COM
mon sense do you remain so ignorant on
the money question:
Colonel Ingersoll is brilliant In spots.
He utters beautifully rounded sentences,
and he scars to great heights in oratory
but fair analysis of the declarations,
assumptions, and reasoning (or rather
lack OF reasoning) found in 1.-THE great
political effort Of his life," in defense OF
the single gold standard, reveals the fact
that so far as logic is concerned, he has
eyoluted little beyond an overgrown
BOBBY.
And now, Colonel, In conclusion, you
may think it presumptuous in me, an
humble wage-earner, to thus call you to
account; but 1t is not only my right as
an American citizen, to do So, 1t Is a
duty, IL l believe you are defending per,
nicious policy, Hence have no apology
to offer. Nevertheless, naught has been
put down in malice. II ths gold stand
ard is maintained, and the 5000, 900, OOO
Of greenbecks and silver treasury notes
sro funded into idle, untaxed, interest,
bearing bonds, as the eastern bankers and
stock gamblers demand, is will be but a
few years before there will have been
enough "object lessons" to convince even
you, that this opsn letter was timely and
just.
Ard II, perchance, you should happen
to be one Of tie victims of your own folly
--bereft OF home, a wandersr, a tramp, ~
hungry and footsore, as are thousands
of native-born American today, as good
as either OF us, made so by reason of the
class laws placed upon the statute books
by your pArty-tben you will, perhaps,
knock at the humble door Of some menu
Der Of the Bryan mob, +" and guarantee
you will be welcomed with exten ded
hand and open heart and receive the full
est measure of his hospitality.
And as the Mistakes of Moses already
pale into iusignifcance compared with
the mistakes Of some modern public men,
1t will then be an opportune time for you
to write a new book and call it The Mis-
takes Of Ingersoll,"