The Portland daily press., 1899-04-10
Silver Cllieftain Writes to Mr. Bel.
mont.
Chicago Platform Only
True Standard,
Why Jefferson Must Have Been
Free SilYerite.

Lincoln, Neh., April 9.-Col. W. j.
Bryan today mailed his answer to the last
letter received from Hon. Perry Belmont
some weeks ago. The correspondence thus
far has dealt largely with the rival Jaffer-
son dinners to be. .heldiin sew York, but
Mr.. Bryan ignores that matter and de-
votes his attention 10 the differences ex-
isting 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:-Upon my return TO Lincoln
/ found your letter containing the origi-
nal letter and postscript given to the pre- s
some days before. | cannot find anything
in my letter TO which you can consistent
ly object.
You began your speech in Madison
Square Garden on August $, 1896, by say
ing it was time for plain speaking and
proceeded to accuse the Chicago conven-
rion of "betrayal' of the Democratic
party. In your Brooklyn speech on
September 10, 1896, youa spoke of the
| Chicago platform ms "the strange
doctrines born in Chicago of u coalition
between the unthinking element of the
Democratic party and the socialists who
masqueraded as populists.s
! 1t seems that IN using the words "be-
trayal" and "masqueraoing, uncon-
sciously fell into the style which you en-
ployed in 1896, but did not reflect upon
the intelligence of the gold standard ad-
vocates by characteriZiDg them as an
"unthinlling element.
You ask, first. that point out wherein
your utterances are .'unpatrIotic, un-
democratic, un-American and in conflict
with the Democratic creed as set forth IN
Jefferson's 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 nn opinion is
Democratic ana in accord with the teach
ings Of Jefferson. l presume you use the
I'd g uocratic in the party sense osher-
~ ISs that term would be AS dtfllcuiU To
define as 'patriotic" or American,
The right to determine what is Demo-
cratic in party sense belongs 10 tne
Democratic party. The Chicago conven-
tion was IN ore purely representative than
any other convention held in recent years
because the rank and file of the party
spoke on public questions through In
s6ructed delegates. 1he Chicago platform
Is the latest authoritative definition of
Democracy as applied to existing condi-
tions. Ii minority of the members of
the Democratic party has right to deter
mine what is Democratic then each mem
ber of the party has right to denne
| Democracy for himself and to assert that
| he is a better Democrat than anyone else.
Let me apply this principle to three ques-
| tiops upon which you have taken IL
position In the volumes sent me:
First-Standard money; second, paper
money third. income tax.
jefferson favored the double standard
rs against the single gold standard, and
during his administration our nation had
the free and unlimited coinage of gold
| and silver ut the legal ratio OF 10 to /.
The ratio was changed to 10 TO Il during
Jackson 5 administration.
The Chicago platform pronounced
against the gold standard and in favor OF
the return to free and unlinitet coinage
of gold and silver at the ratio of 10 to i,
without waiting for the aid or consent or
any other nation. As delegate to the
| Chicago convention, you voted 1or u
minority report wnich declared against
| indspendenG free coinage on the ground
| that iU would not only imperil our
finances, "but would retard or entirely
prevent international Di-metalllsm, 10
| which the effort OF the government should
| be steadily directed.
| As delegate to the indianapolis con-
| yention two months later, you supported
a platform which declared in favor of the
gold standard without any declaration In
| favor of international bi-metallism. 1ou
may be able to explain why the minority
rejected at Indianapolis the plank Tor
/ which SOuHnO aI NuICaAo. III. AApAiit-
| lev in 1891, charged in public speech
that Mr. Cleveland during his first ad-
mInistration was dishonoring one of the
| precious metals disorediting 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 every
thing else. Money, the master. ana every
thing else the servant"
F.. If Mr. Mckinley then understood the
real purpose OF the gold standard. as be-
| heve he did, who could think Jefferson
capable of advocating IL policy which in
stead OF securing equal ami exact justice
for all ''makes money the master and
everything else the servant"
Mr.. Carlisle in IA speech in 1875, ssid'
"Ihe conspiracy to destroy by legislation
and otherwise from thTeesevenths TO ops-
half of the metallic money of the world Is
the most gigantic crime 0t tA.s or any
other age
If Mr.. Carlisle was then right rs be-
| lieve he was, in his deuunclation or the