The San Francisco call., 1897-12-23
Curt Reply to Federation
Of Labor ResO-
lutiOnS.
Charge Of Perversity or Evil
Purpose Disavowed by
the Secretary.
Admits That He May Possibly Be in
Error, but Wants the Error
Pointed. Out.
Special Dispatch to The Call.
Call Office, Riggs House,
Washington, Dec. %.

w eoAliAA5 NO4A, DCO.
Secretary Gage has written the fol-
lowing letter to President Gompers of
the Federation of Labor:
Il have read with care the resolu-
tions adopted the goth inst. at Nash
vile by the convention of the Fedora
ton of Labor, which recite as follows
Resolved, That we declare ourselves
most positively opposed to the Gage
financial bill recently introduced in Con-
greSS by the Secretary of the Treasury.
1t is measure that, If adopted as law,
will only 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
bill an undisguised effort to retire our
greenback currency and all Govern
ment paper money, with view to the
substitution of national bank notes in
their stead, and thus fasten the national
bank system for years upon the Ameri-
can people.
"Now, if it be true that the gold
standard-by which things have been
measured as to price for the last sixty
years in this country-is inimical to
the interests of the laboring classes
of the United States, then 1 think it
is inimical to all classes. In other
words, 1 do not believe that the ex-
ploitation of one class by another,
either through false weights, partial
laws or a bad monetary system, can
be made to work for the permanent
benefit of the exploiting class itself, or
for the general veal, even were it de-
fensible on any ground of right or JUS
tice, which it is not.
Granted, therefore, that the perma-
nence of the gold standard for which
l argue) operates in this evil direction,
then your resolution of condemnation
are well founded, and 1 am justly
charged either with an ignorance
which constitutes me a foolish adviser,
or with perversity of motive which
makes me an evil adviced.
Il have a right to disavow the
charge of perversity 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 possess
sion by me Of such characteristics can
be inferred, much less demonstrated.
But ignorance often unconsciously
works as deep injury as evil intent
might do, and to this sin of ignorance,
if it be a sin, l must confes myself to
/ be a possible victim. This confession,
however, ought not to classify me as
separate from my fellow-men gener-
ally, whether they be considered as in
| dividual units or as congregated in
| groups. Ignorance is a relative not
! an absolute term, since few are to-
tally ignorant and none is absolutely
wise. Nor does the number constitut-
| ing the group change this fact, since
the wisdom of the group, however
large, cannot be greater than that of
the WiseSt man in it.
This remains true whether the SUBJ
| ject matter involving knowledge and
| judgment be astronomy, physics or
finance The condemnation then in
volved in the resolutions referred to
is measured by the just or imperfect
apprehension of questions relating to
monetary science held by the wisest
men who supported them.
Laying these general considera-
tions aside, let me say to you and
| through you to the great body you so
! honorably represent, that if instead
of denunciatory resolutions, which
| are not argument, you or any one 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, 1 will abandon them with
| out hesitation. My present convic-
ton, the honest fruits of sincere study
! and reflection, is that a breakdown in
| our present money standard would
| be a most disastrous blow to all our
| commercial and industrial interests,
| and that upon the wage-workers as a
class would be entailed the most seri-
| Gus effects of the disaster. Believing
! this, [ must so bear witness
|