Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1899-03-22
JEFFERsoNLAN DEMOCRACY
Bryan Brings Forth a Square
Issue With the New York
Goldites.

/ CHATTANOOGA. Tenn, March g.
Hon. w. j. Bryan has given out the
following correspondence to the Asso-
ciated Press, having been notified that
It had not been made public by Mr..
Belmont. Dir. Bryan stated that be
had nothing to say. about, the matter,
but that the correspondence spoke FOR
itself:
CHAMPAIGN, H. March 16.
Hon. Perry Belmont, President Democratic
1 Club, New York:
/ Dear Sir: / received few days ago
the following telegram: New York.
March 8, Hon. w. j. Bryan, Lincoln,
Neb.-In arranging the toasts and res
pOnses at the banquet of the Demo-
cratic club on Jefferson's birthday.
April 13, the committee are most de-
sirous. If your engagement will permit
your attendance, to have you select
such subject as you prefer to discuss
In your own way, within the limit fer
all speeches of twenty minutes. Please
wire reply.
PERRY BELMONT, President"
RICHARD CROKER, Chairman.n
Upon my return to Nebraska l sent
the following inquiry:
"LINCOLN. Neb., March Is.
"Hcn. Perry Belmont, Democratic
Club, New York-Inyitatio received.
Remembering that you openly repudi-
ated the Democratic platform in the
last campaign, / desire to know, before
answering your invitation, whether you
have since the election publicly an
bounced your conversion to the princI-
pies set forth in the platform
WILLIAM j. BRYAN
The reply was as follows:
"The invitation extended to you is on
behalf of the Democratic club. Indi-
yidual opinions have not been consider
ed in issuing the invitation to celebrate
the birthday of Thomas Jefferson.
PERRY BELMONT"
s might plead a previous engagement
as a reason for declining. but that would
be equivalent to saying that / would
come but for the engagement, but
frankness compels me to add another
reason. l appreciate the compliment
which the democratic club pays me in
extending an invitation, but l do not
understand how individual opinions
can be ignored at political gathering
You are the president of the club and
represent the club before the public
Your position upon public questions
was well known in 1895, and your
telegram indicates that your posi-
:iol upon public questions is also well
The antagonism between our
with propriety join in political ban
quet given in honor of Democracy's
patron saint. Jefferson stood for cer-
tain well defined principles. If your
views are correct reflection of bis
ideas fear my voice would sound a
note at your banquet. If,
on the other hand, the Chicago plat
form applies (as l believe it does) JEFF
fersonian principles to present condi-
tions, then your conspicuous presence
ct the Jetfersonian banquet would not
honor the memory of the worlds great
est Democrat.
ado not misunderstood me. You
may be right and l may be wrong, but
L take IL for granted that we are equai-
ly conscientious, and l trust may not
show myself less courageous than you.
You proclaimed to your fellow citizens
in 1896 that my election upon Demo-
cratic platform would endanger the
nations welfare; you will pardon me if
suggest that banquet presided over
by you will injure rather than aid the
Democratic party believe in harmon
izing personal differences, but differ
ences in principal cannot be harmon
Ized, and in my judgment no party adj
vantage is to be derived from political
communion between Jeffersonian DEM
ocrats who stand upon the Chicago
nlatform and the RaBuhlican allies who
masquerade as Democrats between
campaigns in order to give more po-
tency to their betrayal of Democratic
principles on election day. Yours truly,
w. J. BRYAN"