The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1899-08-04

Madison, Neb., July 16, 1e9o.-Hon.
j. Sterling Morton, Nebraska City,
Neb.-Dear Sir: Some one has kindly
sent me the Conservative, in which I
find, among other things, the follow
ing:
"The Conservative will pay a round
sum in gold coin for proof that any
leader of fusion and confusion in the
state of Nebraska has ever, by amy ef-
fort, menta! or manual, outside of en-
deavors to get or hold office, made
twenty-five hundred dollars in a single
year.
1.-THE Conservative will pay in gold
coin a reward for the discovery of any
capital in manufacture or farming,
which has been brought into Nebraska
and made productive by populism.
Who, OF all its leaders, has accom-
plished anything for the general well
fare of Nebraska?"
In another place you say: "In Me-
hraska, from Allen and KEN and Nc
keighan and Maxwell and Bill Dech,
from the highest to the lowest, what
have the leaders of fusion organized,
instituted Or animated for the common
good? What principles do they stand
TO when fused together? Are they
anything more or less than ]incarnate
Importantly for office? Fusion should
discuss government or policies Of
finance except as a presumed
of getting office? Fusion should
either formulate a platform of princi-
pies, or compose a confession, for pub
lie circulation. The tax-paying voters
call upon Allen, the ex-United States
senator and present district judge,
and all the lesser exponents of fusion,
to show their hands. Let everybody
gee upon what they are doing their
betting, bluffng, office seeking and
office-holding. If there be among
them anything but inordinate appetite
for public place and emolument, let
the people see the other thing or
things" And in still another place
you say: "The Conservative refers al
ways to leaders like KEN, Bill Dech,
Bryan, Allen, and D. Glenn Beaver
when it inquiries for industrial plants
which populism has erected in Ne
braska."
There are many similar expressions
IN the different issues of your paper,
from which one would naturally infer
that you were not in love with "Aflen,
Holcomb, KEN, McKeighan, Maxwell,
and Dech." l do not know that any of
the gentlemen you have named have,
at any time, sought your affection or
asked YOU advice.
For the first time in my life I saw
you at Lincoln, during the session OF
the legislature of 1929. l was intro
duced to you at that time. We were
candidates for United States senator
before that body. l was elected and
you were defeated, and from thence to
this time you have not forgiven me
for having received the suffrages of
the legislature.
SO far as my earning capacity is
concerned, you know nothing about it
one way CT the other, and | trust 7
will not offend YOU by saying that, by
my w individual efforts, and with
out any assistance from influential
friends, I have earned more money
every year CT my working life than
you have. I will take your one hun
dred dollars, Mr.. Morton and you can
pay it in gold coin, silver coin, CT in
paper money, as you like, and I will
prove to you that long before I held an
office, l earned more than So, 500 in a
single year." in the practice of the
law. A portion of my money was
saved and invested in Nebraska land,
and l am now the owner of as good a
farm in the state of Nebraska as YOUR
own. l have more acres under cult
Walton than you have, and employ
more men on my farm than you en-
ploy on yours. But I will not fall into
your kind of personal argument. 1t
is neither to my credit nor to nv
discredit that I have a few acres of
land from wGhich I am c~ndeavorinp- to
save enough to care for my family and
myself in old age. This is but proper
economy and foresight. Wealth is not
the standard Of manhood in the state
of Nebraska. worth makes the man.
and the want OF it the fellow" and
however much money a man NAV
possess if he does not possess also the
elements Of manhood, he cannot be
reckoned among the important world
forces.
That / have accomplished anything
for the general welfare of Nebraska"
l cannot positively affirm. Have you
accomplished anything Mr.. Morton?
Certainly | have honestly ~cndcavored
to do SO, and in my effort. | have spent
no time in denouncing or belittling
gentlemen with whom ! disagreed
politically. I rejoice that I do not
agree with you. You do not believe
IN a thing politically, in which l be-
lieve, except, possibly. the doctrine of
low tariff taxation. r. you believe in
that then we occupy common ground
on n question; if you do not so be-
lieve. we do not. ] have no faith
whatever in you as a moulder of pub
lie sentiment. You are an unsafe
guide; you are not a sound philoso-
pher. That you possess considerable
general education and a pleasing per-
sonality, I readily admit. But YOU put
your education to poorer account. and
use it to less advantage than any man
in this commonwealth of whom ]
have the slightest knowledge, and
Your education has never led you TO
such heights as to induce you to speak
wch OF those with whom you disagree.
will tell you a few things in
which l believe, and if you think yuu
are competent to expose my ignor-
sance. and show the people of this
state that l am unsound in my pol
ftical faith, I think you owe that much
TO the public, and / will give you
ample opportunity 10 do so at any
convenient time and place you may
see proper to select.
In The first place, l believe in the
abolition of the issue power of nat
iOnal banks. believe the noue.. u