The Portland daily press., 1898-07-25
M'klNNEY EXPOSED,
BE Was Against Bryan and Free Silver
Two Years Ago.

MIR. William Il. Jeffrey, who furnished
q considerable portion of the free silver
oratory in Cumberland and York coun-
ties during the campaign of two years
ago, is taking hand in tine present cam
paign in a manner that rankles the peace
makers in the Democratic party. A per.
sistent attempt has been made ever
since the district convention to prevent o
renewal of the warfare which diyid I'D
the Maine Democracy in 1896, and to in.
duoe the campaigners to let the currency
question severely alone.
But Mr.. jeffrey has placed bar of free
silver ON his shoulder and is daring the
gold Democrats to knock it off. He keeps
a big scrap book, and in looking it over
a few days ago he came across copy
of a letter written by congressman
Luther 3. Mckinney, written when that
gentleman was United States minister
at Colombia, in which he denounced
Bryan and the freesssilver heresy and de.
clared that if he were at home he would
|
on the Chicago platform.
AS Hon. Samuel L. Lord, the Demo.
cratic candidate for governor in Maine,
was Nominated on platform indorsing
that of the Chicago convention. Mr.
jeffrey wondered whether Candidate Nc
Kinney is likely to vote for Mr. Lord this
fall. That question is embodied in a racy
open letter to the Democratic congress.
ional candidate, which reads as follows:
Hon. Luther f. Mckinney, Bridgton,
Me.
My Dear Mr.. McKinney-It fhas been
my intention over since your nomination
as the Democratic candidate for member
for Congress, to write you. have want
ed to extend my personal congratula-
lions, for it is not necessary for IRE to
assure you of my high regard f. your
worth as citizen and friend, but I
have RETAINED from extending my con-
CALCULATIONS, because as Democrat can
| not do SO. The time once was, when to
follow your public career was to me a
pleasure. We who had stood shoulder to
shoulder for you, supported you in victory
and defeat. We who had raised the banner
of Mckinney and Democracy so many
times, had learned to honor and trust you
but there came day when we saw the
| trusted leader and honored Democrat, be-
| tray his party, vilify its candidates land
trail its banner in the dust. When the
public press came to us bearing this mes.
no of ho%r yol
were hurt A a
Under date of October 5, 1898, less than
two yearssago, the Manchester, NH. Un-
ion, your recognized mouthpiece and or
gan, published an extract from your let
ter to prominent New Hampshire
Democrat written from Bogota, Colon
bia. at which place you was then the en-
yoy Of this government. under Demo-
cratic administration. ToErefresh your
mem DRY will quote part of your letter
as 1t appeared in the publication referred
to. You said:
must say that am thoroughly dis
gusted with the Democratic party. if thew
have done what suppose the y have. It
takes US long time to get news here,
but a dispatch to this city says they have
nominated Bryan of Nebraska for Presi-
dent. If they have done that it is sure
that they have free silver platform.
was In Congress with Bryan, and
know him WE'LL and I do not hesitate to
say that no party in the history of this
is so small in calibre as he. And IL the
party of jefferson and Jackson and CIeye
land has gotten SO hard up that thew
nominate such men, then it is time that
the party should be re-organized, or 90
out of power until the insanity that has
taken hold of the party passes away and
sound Judgment once more rules Its
ranks.
1 believe that If the silver men of the
United States should succeed in placing
law on the statute books of the country
to coin silver free at the ratio of sixteen
to one, it would be the greatest curse that
ever happened to the people. Not even
the rebellion of '61 with all its financial
evils, was compared with the evil that
su 5h law would int1lct.
I do not hesitate to say that though l
am Democrat of the most radical kind,
yet were l at home should not vote for
any man who advocated such q do ctrine.
Mckinley high protection is bad .enough,
but free silver is far worse. If the Demo-
Gratis will keep level head and maintain
their organization, in four years the mem
bers of the party will have learned some
sense and we may go back into power
again, but if we should elect free silver
President and Congress this fall, the
party in four years would go out of
power, with the execration of the people
on their heads. Hoping, however, for the
best, l am very truly,
LUTHER f. MCKINNEY
If the opinions and views expressed by
you in the above letter, are your honest
sentiments then certainly will be the
last one to criticise you, but we all recog-
nize that these are trying times in the
history of the Democratic party, times
when each voter is justified in asking
"whatsmanner of man is this" that comes
before us clothed in the garments of
Democracy. We are again nearing crisis
in our history, and in crisis neutral