The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-02-25
THE MONEY QUESTION
MUST BE SETTLED BEFORE
ANYTHING ELSE.
w. j. Bryan Insists That the Currency
Question Must be Settled Before Any
thing Else Can be Donc--Gold Power
Prevents the Eradication OF Trusts.

In u lengthy communication to the
New York journal William j. Bryan
defends the democratic position in re-
gard to free silver coinage and con-
tends that the money question must
first be settled by the people of this
country before anything can be nc
complished and before disposing of
the trusts and trades conspiracics
While the communication does not APP
pear as an answer to the recent letter
published by Mr.. Arthur McEwen,
cditor-in- chief of the Journal, it is APP
parent that Mr.. Hearst has sought
this letter from Mr.. Bryan. 1t is
| seIni-otficially announced that the
journal does not indorse as a news
| in-chicf.
In assigning his reasons for insist
ing upon the settlement of the money
question first, Mr. Bryan says:
1.-The power that controls our fnan-
cial policy can control the policy of
ou-: government on every other subject
whenever occasion arises for the exer-
else of that control.
Suppose, for instance, that the
money question were dropped and the
fight against the trusts made the main
issue. Much foreign capital is invest
ed in trusts, and foreign fnanciers
could announce that any legislation
hostile to trusts would be followed by
the withdrawal Of foreign capital and
a panic. If they can threaten the
withdrawal of foreign capital to pre-
vent a change of our financial policy,
they can threaten such withdrawal to
prevent the humiliation of trusts or
the regulation of other corporations.
Not only can this threat be made in
regard to our domestic policy, but it
can be made to prevent the adoption
of any foreign policy which does not
meet with favor in Europe. We can
not protect the rights Of our citizens,
avenge an insult to the flag, enforce
| the Monroe doctrine Or express our
/ sympathy with those who are strug-
Cling to be free if VIC arc deferred by
the threats of foreign investors The
right to legislnte for our people on the
money question involves the right tC
legislate on all questions, and until
this right is secured the discussion OF
other questions will avail nothing
When we have released ourselves from
the dictation Of foreign fnanciers and
overthrown the local money trust
which controls our ti1iaucial policy, we
shall be in position to undertake the
determination of other trusts and the
protection of our people from all forms
OF monopolistic oppression
In reference to the gold democrat:
Mr. Bryan takes an equally emphatic
position and insists that it will be this
height Of folly to make any cornpro
mise with error in order to gain what
4 some people believe to be a temporary
advantage.
THE other plans Of the Chicago
platform" Mr.. BRYAN writes, are no
abandoned. Those who favor FREE
coinage at 16 to l advocate and viii
carry out all the other reforms enumer
ated in the PLATFORM but they will no
lessen the emphasis, placed upon thu
money question by the party itself il
its latest utterances.
"But there are some who admit tn
necessity for bimetal]ism and who con
fess that it can only be secured by in
dependent action, but suggest chang
of ratio They ask, Why l6 to l?
answer that there are sc.erai reasons
Sixteen to one is the ratio ut whicl
we had free coinage from 1884 to ls7;