The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1897-09-26

voted for Bryan. Nearly all of my
rciEhbors kept telling me that silver
was the tlling for the farmers, and had
been heading John Daniels speeches and
l thought he ought to know all about it.
They said as silver went down. wheat
would go down, and as silver went up,
whoat would go up, as I Thought. The
thing sounded rather strange ito me, but
thought Daniel knew 1t all, and so
voted fcr Bryan. Sometime ago heard
silver was going down, and I thought
1 had better sell my crop and l did so,
and here / am now out of pocket about
thirty cents in hhe hushel. Free silver
is n humbus. and John Daniel won't do
to follow
l said: II am sorry to tell you that I
once voted in Congrgess myself for free
silver" Yes" said HE, 80 I have been
told. but they tell me you soon said
you had made 4 mistake I replied
Yes, l soon discovered my error"
'Well," said he. 81 wish ,they all had
seen is as you did before they came
round last fall stirring us farmers up,
FOR they have done q heap Of harm"
I have recalled the conversation as
near as possible. How many more farm
erS are Sin the same boat?" say with
out hesitation that the farmers of Eir-
Ein3a have lost thousands by listening to
the cry of the advocates of free silver
III the last campaign that wheat was
controlled by the price OF silver. and I
rejoice, that while I committed the mis-
take of voting for free silver on one un-
lucky day in Congress four years ago.
1 saw my error in time to warn the
people last fall against the fallacy. and
am in nowise responsible for the false
teachings which have resulted so dis
astrously to so many of them.
THE SENATOR NOT ON PLATFORM
COMM1TTEE-HE ESTABLISHES
AN AL1BI.
1t is always n pleasure ito me, besides
a duty, Ito correct a mistake and do
Justice to my fellow man, whether
friend or foe When I was interviewed
by the correspondent of the Washington
Post, in common With a multitude, l
Thought that Senator Daniel had been
q member of tho Committee on Resolu-
tions Of the Chicago Convention
Stubborn facts stand out in martial
array: The Senator was only nominal
ly Temporary chairman. presiding for
only very brief season. then surrender
ing thc gavel to Senator White He at
tended no meeting of the Platform Com
niihtee, he took no part in the framing
of the platform he had nothing TO do
with it, and did not know what the
platform contained until 1T was reported
to the convention" What n damper
upon the ardor OF the armirers of the
Senator! Isle transit gloria mundi"
THE SILENCE OF THE SENATOR
LAST FALL.
In my letter of the 18th instant, re-
ferred to the Senator's silence last fall
en- the clause in the Chicago platform
denouncing Mr.. Cleveland for sending
troops to Chicago to qucll n mob that
was threatening the destruction of the
mails and property of the United States.
Like the people and the press generally.
l mad forgotten that the Senator had
ever emitted sound in response to the
universal charge that he had voted in
Inc senate to commend Mr.. Cleveland,
ana mad voted i'm the convention TO cen
ucmn MIN. 1t is now developed that he
returned from his European trim TO his
native heath" between the lst and
Sth of September, about sixty days be-
iore the election, and that in the last
days of the campaign, after forty DAYS
and forty nights, the duration of Noah's
Hood of silence, criticised on all sides he
gave forth his first utterances where
the people could read it, in a letter to
the Richmond Dispatch, dissenting from
the construction which the nation had
placed upon the Federal interference
clause.
But I most cheerfuily accord to the
Senator all the benefit he may derive
from his letter OF October the 18th. IT
certainly attracted little attention, and
made no impression on the public, for
even recently the Dispatch, when inter-
roSated OH the subjccs. simply was UNI
der the impression that during the cam
paign the Senator had published a let
ter, not constituting the plank as he does
now, but dissenting from 1t.
THE SENATOR'S CONSTRUCTION
PA Sir,r "a
ton OF the Federal Interference plank. |
VIII say that they who make laws can
best construc them, and so It is with
Platforms AS Senator Daniel had moth
ing to do with the framing of the Chi
cago platform. attended none of the
meetings of the committee and heard
none of the discussions, he is not so
well qualified to construe the platform
as the farmers of H. Can he mention
the name of any member of the com
mittcc who last fall Crl any public occa-
SION placed the construction he does on
the Federal Interference clause? If so
l would thank him to give me the name
OF the member. and the time and pla co
Did Senator Tillman or Mr.. Bryan him
self?
l quote from the Charlotte IN. C1
Observer: THE Richmond Times truly
says he (Scnator DanicD is the only pub
lie man who has said that he did not
understand the Fedcrar Interference and
government by injunction plank of the
Chicago platform 10 refer to Mr.. Clcve-
land. and that HIS DECLARATION
ON THIS POINT HAS AMAZED TIE,
PRESS OF THE WHOLE COUNTRY. I"
THH SUPREME COURT.
The Senator says, in reply to nv
statement, that I'm his first letter he left
unnoticcd the charge that in the Chica go
platform there was a couched expression