Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-30
Mr.. GOMPERS TO SEC'Y GAGE
Position of the Federation of Labor on the
Currency.

Samuel Gompers, president of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor, has replied in an
open letter to Secretary Cages recent let
ter taking exceptions to the resolutions
passed by the Federation opposing the Gage
currency bill.
In concluding his letter, President Com
pers says:
In the statement you recently made be-
fore the House committee on banking and
currency in support of your bill you say
and repeat this truism, That the less the
government owes, the less it will have to
pay Yet your plan involves the PROPOSE
ton OF the retirement of our national pa
per currency and greenbacks. upon which
we pay no interest at all, and the issuance
of bonds in its stead in the sum of $780,
0DOW, which We shall owe, and upon
which we shall be required to pay interest.
The inconsistency of your statement and
your plan seems glarng.
we oppose your currency bill because
as has been well said, it il "a bill to provide
for the abdication of the sovereign powers
OF the government to the banks. for
Strengthening the hands of the speculative
cliques, enriching the few and impoversh-
ing the many"
Secretary Gage Misapprehends,
Mr.. Gompers declares that Secretary
Gage misapprehends the language of the
resolutions in thinking that it is denuncia-
tory of motives, plan or bill. He says:
THE resolutions declare ourselves most
positively opposed to the Gage financial
BILL and we pronounce the Gage bill an
undisguised effort to retire our greenback
currency and all government paper money,
with view to the substitution of national
bank notes in their stead | submit that
you will seek in vain for single denunca-
tory word either in regard to your motives,
your plan or your bill. We realize that de-
nunciatiOn is not argument. but to declare
our position and the statement of a fact
In regard to most important and far
reaching measure affecting and changing
the financial system of our country, can by
no means be construed as denunciation
Those resolutions declare against your
plan for more thoroughly committing our
country to The gold standard, a. plan for
destroying our SreeEback currency and sub
shutting bank notes. a plan in fact for
weakening the control of the national gov
eminent over that most important of all
measures, the measure of values. and
Strengthening the banks, a plan aiming at
what you call currency REFORM, and which
we call bank monopoly
That you should take offense at these
resolutions | regret. for the right to ex-
press disapprovaI of the acts of their SER
wants is one of the rights held sacred by
the American people and one you will free
~ accord. To deny that right is to deny the
people voice in their OWE government. We
do not question your right to give express
sion to your views, neither should you Ques-
ton or right to dissent from them.
we do not Charge you with ignorancS
relative absolute or allege any . !.
purpose or .perversity of Ip.-, ea.
your part, implied in you. ,attar .,
upon rereadns the resolr.> viii ,sn,, G ,ot
them either condcmns.. ,rv or denmncia to ,ae
as you say they IRE. The resolutions arc
Gec,arators - the views of the American
eue,attC'. of Labor. and are entirely i'm
ip.s al. for. of all men in public life We
70: e the greatest respect for your probity
: and integrity.