The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-09-06
nryan,. Fal.e Rea.onInE.

BFyhnh Fnlhe heatohtnH'
Mr.. william ]. Bryan has written
lengthy letter which appears copyrighted
in several Sunday newspapers, The sub
ject of the letter is the present prosperity
and its effect on the silver question, and
coming from the late candidate OF the al
lied silver parties for the presidency, who
had based his whole campaign on the
proposition that there could be no pros
perlty until the coinage of cheap dollars
should be adopted, the public was natur-
ally curious TO see what explanation he
would give of the overthrow of hts theo-
ries The letter having been produced
with flourish, the public Is disappoint-
ed. for 1t reveals Mr.. Bryan tioundering
among the breakers utterly helpless,
Nearly one-half of the letter is devoted
to setting up a man OF straw and knock
ing him down. The man OF straw Is the
unwarranted assumption that the Re
publlcans are claiming the credit of the
short crops in Europe and the bountlful
crops in the United states-or, in other
words, that they are claiming credit for
the high prices of wheat, With this
false assumption Mr.. Bryan proceeds to
show what everybody knows to be true
that the law of supply and demand alone
has raised the price OF wheat, thus dis
proving his own arguments Of year
ago,
The letter is disappointing In this par
tlcular, for most people were curious to
read some logical discussion of prosperi-
ty and Its causes and effects from a man
who asplres to the presidency and not
demagoglc and puerlle answer to state
ments which no Intelligent Republican
has ever made.
The Pittsburgh Dispatch, in comment
ing on the shallowness of Mr. Bryans
style of reasoning and Of his disposition
to be smart rather than thorough, says
that 1t Is exhibited by his taking can
did statement OF President Mckinley,
that the present boom in the west is due
to the failure of crops in other countries,
and asking IL the Republicans desire to
claim credit for the high price Gf wheat,
and whether they will also pledge them
SELVES to use their best efforts to con-
tlnue the panic abroad" Surely" says
the Dispatch, this Is puerile. The Re-
publicans are not claiming credit for the
high price OF wheat. nor for the good
crops, They are simply pointing out
that the new conditions will bring money
into the country; give the farmer a
means of paying his debts, with sur
plus to spend; Increase the earnings of
the railroads; start the manufactures;
furnish work to idle men, and bring bus!-
ness to notwithstanding in a pros
perity which Mr.. Bryan formerly de-
clared could never come excepting upon
the basis OF free silver"
Throughout his entire letter Mr.. Bryan
keeps up this line of reasoning, always
taking as basis an imaginary position,
which he wrongfully assumes IL held by
the Republicans. To thoughtful and
reasonable men of his own party the
document must give great disappoint-
ment They had a right to suppose that
the man whom they recognize as leader
would exhibit better logic and breadth
Of reasoning. They know, il he does not,
that he has made unwarranted assump-
tons and they will naturally be embar-
raised for him.
Perhaps this Is largely due to the fact
that Mr.. Bryan has been much of the
time without the facilities for keeping
himself posted on what the Republicans
have really been claiming, having been
"summerlng" in a SECTION of the Union
where he has had no opportunity to keep
in touch with the sentiment Of the coun-
try. Possibly 1t will begin to dawn upon
him soon that he has made a mistake in
assuming that the Republicans are taxi
ing credit for the crops, and in emitting,
as the Dispatch says, the great fact in
the question he has had to discuss, which
is simply this; mot that the Republicans
are claiming or deserving of credit for
the crops, but that the Republicans are
entitled to the credit for having stood out
firmly and successfully in times of dis
tress against the false and demagoglc
position of Mr.. Bryan that the 5O-cent
dollars were the true panacea for the
Improvement OF business"