Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-04-10
Daily Tennebec Journal.
COL. W. J. BRYAN
Sends Another Letter to the
Hon. Perry Belmont.
Drops the Jefferson Dinners and At
tends Strictly to Politics.
Defends Riqht 10 Be lust the Kind Of
Democrat He Wishes 10 Be.


Belmont. some weeks ago. The corre-
spondence thus far has dealt largely
with the rival jefferson dinners to be
held in New York, but Mr.. Bryan ig-
nores the matter and devotes his atten-
ton To the differences existing between
himself and Mr.. Belmont on questions
of Democratic party policy. His letter
in part follows:
Lincoln, Neb.. April s.
Hon. Perry Belmont, New York:
Dear Sir-u-pon my return TO Lin
coin | found your letter containing the
original letter and postscript given t'
the press some days before. | cannoi
find anything in my letter 10 which yot
can consistently object.
You began your speech in Madison
Square Garden, on Aug. s, 1896, by say
ing it was time for plain speaking and
proceeded TO accuse the Chicago con-
vention of a betrayal of the Demo
cratic party In your Brooklyn speech
on Sept. Is. 1896. you spoke of the Chi
caso platform as The strange doc
;rines born in Chicago of a coalition
between the minimizing element of the
old party and the socialists who mas
querade as populists.'
1t seems that in using the words be
traya" and "masquerading" | uncon-
sciously fell into the style which you
employed in 1896, but I did not reflect
upon the intelligence of the gold stand
ard advocates by characterZing them
as an minimizing element"
You ask. first, that ] point out where
in your utterances are ''unpatriotic,
I'M American and in conflict with the
Democratic creed as set forth in Jeffer-
sons first inaugural address"
We have no accepted standard by
which to determine whether a given
opinion is patriotic or American. but
we have means of determining whether
an opinion is Democratic and in accord
with the teachings of jefferson. pre-
sumo you use the word Democratic in
part sense. otherwise that term would
be as difficult 10 define as patriotic"
or american"
The right to determine what is Dem
ocratic in a party sense belongs to the
Democratic party. The Chicago con-
vention was more purely representative
than any other convention held in re-
cent years because the rank and file Of
through instructed delegates The
Chicago platform is the latest authori-
iativt definition Of democracy as APP
piled To existing conditions. II a
minority of the members of the Demo-
cratic party has a right to determine
what is Democratic then each member
Of the party has right TO define de-
mocracy for himself and 70 assert that
he is 4 better Democrat than any one
else. Let me apply this principle TO
three questions upon which you have
taken position in the volumes sent
me:
First standard money; second, pa
per money: third. income tax.
jefferson favored the double stand
ard as against the single gold stand
ard and during his administration our
nation had the free and unlimited
coinage of gold and silver at the legal
ratio of Il to |. The ratio was chang
ed to l6 to / during Jackson's admin
iStration.
The Chicago platform pronounced
against the gold standard and in favor
of the return to the free and unlimited
coinage of gold and silver at the ratio
of IS to / without waiting for the aid
or consent Of any other nation. AS
delegate to the Chicago convention you
voted for a minority report which de-
clared against independent free coin
age on the ground that it would i'm
peril our finances. but would retard
or entirely prevent international BIZ
metallism, to which the effort of the
should be steadily direct
ed"
AS a delegate to the Indianapolis
two months later, you
supported a platform which declared
in favor of the gold standard without
any declaration in favor OF interna-
tionaI bi-metalism. You may be able
to explain why the minority rejected
at Indianapolis the plank for which |
fought at Chicago.
Mr. Mckinley. in 1891, charged in a
public speech that Mr.. Cleveland dur
ing his first administration, was dis
honoring one of the precious metals.
silver, and enhancing the
price of gold. He insisted that Mr..
Cleveland was trying to make money
scarce. and therefore dear" and added:
He would have increased the value
of money and diminished the value of
everything else. Money. the master
and everything else the servant" If
MIR. Mckinley then understood the
real purpose of the gold standard, as
believe he did, who could think JEFF
ferson capable of advocating a policy
which instead of securing equal and
exact justice for all makes money the
master and everything else the SER
vant?"
Mr.. Carlisle, in a speech in 1878. said:
THE conspiracy to destroy by legisla
ton and otherwise from three-sevenths
to one-half metallic money Of the
world is the most gigantic crime of this
or any other age"
If Mr.. Carlisle was then right, as ]
believe he was, in his denunciatiOn of
the gold standard, who can believe
jefferson capable of being n party to
such a crime.
After the election. Mr.. Mckinley sent
a commission to Europe to secure in
ternational aid in getting rid of the
gold standard and a Republican Con-
gress appropriated money to pay the
expenses of the commission.
,J>ha nnp,rnicSjop failed bpconCa nf