The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-09-26

! be interesting 20 him. but his will be OK
ccedingly entertaining 20 me, for never
| had the pleasure Of hearing them, nor
| have / ever seen them IN print Now
| will the Senator show in which respect
| have "egregiously msstated' the tarin
| planks, or stand under the peoples cen
| sure for making statement he cannot
substantiate? Let him not dash the mat
| ter aside as a game not worth the
| candle" Let him scan the platform not
by the din light OF taper. but under the
| enulgent rays Of an electric light Let us
see who IS on "the vantage ground OF
| truth"
SILVER.
"stin harping on my daughter" is the
| Senator lie rolls as a sweet morsel under
| his tongue what he terms my inconsls-
| tencv on the silver question. On VIA
precious bit that is TO him III iS hSGta. ~
| his taste and an anOdyne 70 ms ui91ui
| ed soul No child ever had a gew-gaw that
| ne nrtzed SO much as does the Senator
his charge against me OF inconsistency
IN votins for free silver and now oppos-
inr II. He holds me up to scorn; he seeks
To cruelty me, not upon a cross OF gold,
but upon tho cibbet Of public opinion. Ia
there no escape for me? Has he no COM
/ Mission. no milk OF human kindness! May
| no, Mead extenuating circumstance
| something TO avert his wrath2 May not
| appeal TO his generosity and point 70 his
own dercllction at Chicago In voting ior
| n platform he had not studied, ana olu
not understand? May 1 not say to him
| with some gImmer Of hope, that ne was
| one Oh the accredited delegates from VII
| ginIa. the bright particular star" in the
| States representation TO that august con-
vention in Chicago, and that he allowed
| a platform TO be reported and then adopt
| ed with his vote with planks IN II which,
| as the nation construed them, he now ad-
| mits were vicious and subversive or our
| institutions? As he hopes for forgiveness
| for tho long list OF inconsistencies ana
! incongruities recorded on the scroll OF his
| life. may not his marble heart be moved
| 20 pardon me for my vote in Congress for
| free silver when assured by members OF
| the Committee on Coinage, Weights and
| Measures, that the metals could be pre-
served at a parity. and a silver dollar he
kept as good as a gold dollar? VIII he
not condone my own error when his ad-
mitted errors and Inconsistencies ION
| wings Of wind come flying all abroad?'
| He and his home organ think I am for
ever done for. then will not the Senator
| remember;
Its a cruelty
To load a falling man?'
| VIII he not permit mo TO retire to the
shades where he and his organ looking
through iaundiced Glass have consigned
me. without continuing to distress ma
In mind and perturb me I'm soul?
But whether my appeals are heard or
not. ! shall be content A just people
will sooner or later measure us both, and
| II am condemned for my one inconsks
| tency, how terrific indeed will be the con-
| demnation OF the Senator for his many.
| / committed a mistake, and IT has had
| It's retribution. ! voted for silver. that is
| for the ratios. and / have suffered pangs
| OF regret for It.. few days since then
came to me an incident that intensified
my regret. l was travelling on a train
An old farmer bronzed and gray sat In
| front OF me. Hearing my name called
he turned and engaged me in common
| conversation about the dry weather and
crops Directly he pulled from his pocket
newspaper clipping and asked me 10
| read It, which / did. Here II IS:
| "A western farmer wanted to sue Hon.
| w. j. Bryan because he had lost heavily
| in putting in practice the theory advanced
| by Mr.. Bryan last fall, that wheat would
| continue 10 drop in price If silver did not
| rise: as silver continued its downward
1 course the farmer contracted his wheat
| at 50 cents, and now has to fulfil his con-
| tract while his neighbors are selling
wheat at 81. His experience will be like
| ~ to teach him that theories often fail
| In practice.
After reading It the old gentleman said:
| Il am in the same boat Last fall / vot-
ed for Bryan. Nearly all OF my neigh
| bors kept telling me that silver was the
| thing for the farmers, and / had been
| reading John Daniels speeches and l
| thought he ought to know all about II.
| They said as silver went down, wheat
would so down, and as silver went up
wheat would 90 up, and l voted to put
| silver and wheat up. as | thought. The
| thing sounded rather strange 10 me- but
| 1 thought Daniel knew il all, and so l
| voted for Bryan. Sometime ago l heard
| silver was going down and l thought l
| had better sell my crop and l did so, and
here l am now out Of pocket about thirty
cents In the tushel. Free silver IS a hum
| bug and John Daniel won't do to follow"
/ said: II am sorry to tell YOU that l
once voted in Congress myself for free
| silver" YES" said he. so / have been
| told, but they tell me you soon said you
had made a mistake" I replied. Yes, I
soon discovered my error" We'll" said
i ne. Il wish they all had seen it as you
| did before they came round last fall stir
| ring us farmers up. for they have done
| heap OF harm"
| have recalled the conversation as near
| as possible. How many more farmers are
I'm the same boat?" l say without hes
| itation that the farmers Of Virginia have
| lost thousands by listening to the cry of
| the advocates Of free silver in the last
| campaign that wheat was controlled by
| the price OF silver. and I rejoice that while
| / committed the mistake Of voting for free
silver on one unlucky day in Congress
| four years ago. saw my error in time TO
warn the people last fan against the fall
| lacy, and that : am in nOwlse responsible
| for the false teachings which have re-
suited so disastrousy 10 many OF them.
'-rhou canst not say 1 did IT; never
| shake
| Thy CORY locks at me-"
THE SENATOR NOT ON PLATFORM
COMMITTEE-HE ESTABLISHES
AN ALIBI.
| II Is always a pleasure to me, besides a
| duty, to correct a mistake. and do justice
| to my felow-man, whether friend or foe
| When L was interviewed by the correspon-
dent OF the Washington Post. in common
| with a multitude, l thought that Senator
| Daniel had been a member Of the Com
| mittee on Resolutions of the Chicago con-
vention. Many Of the papers, at least.
| had so reported him; the correspondent
| of The Richmond Times in his message
from the convention, Of date July 10Th,