The San Francisco call., 1899-04-10
BRYAN CONTINUES HIS
DEBATE WITH BELMONT
Insists That True Democracy Is EN-
bodied in the Chicago
D1o+fo,,,,


LINCOLN, Nebr., April 9-Colonel w.
J. Bryan to-day mailed his answer to the
last letter received from Perry Belmont
some weeks ago. The correspondence thus
far has dealt largely with the rival JEFF
fersOn dinners to be held in New York.
but Mr.. Bryan ignores that matter and
devotes mis- attention to the differences
existing between himself and Mr.. Bel
mont on the question of Democratic party
policy His letter in part follows:
You ask. first, that I point out wherein vonr
utterances are 'unpatriotic, undemocratic un-
American and in conflict with the DEMOCRAT tjc
creed as set forth in Jefferson's first inaugural
We have no accepted standard by which to
determine whether a given opinion is patriotic
GI AIteI!San' ,S' Out we nave means of determin-
ing whether an opinion is democratic and in
accord with the teachings of jefferson. l pre-
sumo you use the word Democratic in the
party sense, otherwise that term would be as
dlthcult 10 define as patriotic" or "Ameri-
can
The right to determine what is democratic
IN a party sense belongs to the Democratic
party. The Chicago convention was more pure
" representative than any other convention
heId In recent years, because the rank and file
OF the party spoke on public questions through
instructed delegates The Chicago platform is
the latest authoritative definition of democracy
as eppled TO existing conditions. If a minority
OF the delegates to a national convention repre-
senting a minority of the members of the
Democratic party has right TO determine what
Is democratic, then each member of the party
has right to define democracy for himself and
to assert that he is a better Democrat than
any one else.
Let me apply this principle to three questions
upon which You have taken a position in the
F1rst-Standard money.
Second-Paper money.
Third-Income tax.
Jefferson favored the double standard as
against the single gold standard and during
his administration our nation had the free and
unlimited coinage OF gold and silver at the
legal ratio of 10 to l. The ratio was changed
TO l6 to during Jacksons administration 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 16 10 l without waiting for the aid or
consent OF any other nation. As a delegate to
the Chicago convention YOU voted for a minor
ity report which declared against independent
free coinage on the ground that it would not
only imperil our finances, but would retard or
entirely prevent International bimetallism to
which the effort of the Government should be
steadily directed" AS a delegate to the In
ulahapoIls convention, Two months later, you
| supported platform which declared in favor
of the gold standard without any declaration
in favor of international bimetallism. You may
be able to explain why the minority rejected
at the indianapolis convention the plank for
which 1t fought at Chicago.
Mckinley in 1891 charged in a public speech
that Mr. Cleveland during his first administra-
tion was dishonorlng Of the precious
was trying TO make money scarce and there
fore dear" and added. 'he would have in
value Of everything else-money the master
and everything else the servant If McKin-
ley then understood the real purpose Of the
gold standard as I believe he did. who could
think jefferson capable of advocating a policy
which instead of securing equal and exact
justice for all, makes money the master and
everything else the servant
Your prophecy that law to prevent wage
earners and salary earners from demanding
and securing payment in gold dollars would
not be Il winning issue" evinces a tender so
licitude for the laboring man. I might sug-
sest that blmetallism alarms you more than
It does the wage earners 1t was not the en-
plcyes who We're frightened at the specter of
free silver in 1885, neither did the laboring man
share your desire TO add to the privileges of
the banks.
ton, the Federation of Labor adopted the fol-
lowing resolution
Resolved, That we declare ourselves most
positively opposed to the Gage bill recently
introduced in Congress by the Secretary of the
Treasury. 1t is a measure that If made a law
will only the more firmly rivet the gold stand
/ ard on the people of the country and perpetu-
ate its disastrous effects in every form
I am not willing to believe that you are more
I interested in the aboring men than they are In
themselves or that you know better than they
what Is good for them