Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-04-11
nRyAy TO BELMONT AGAIN.
Answer to Last Letter of New f"r"-
er.s-True Democracy.

some weeks ago. Jhe correspondence 'h"'
far has dealt largely with the rival Jei-
ferson dinners to be held in New YORK,
but Mr. Bryan ignores that matter ana
devotes his attention to the differences
existing between himself and Mr.. Bel
mont on questions of Democratic party
policy. His letter In part follows:
"T.incoln. Neb., April s, 1879.
"HOn. Perry Belmont. New York:
Dear Sr.-Upon my return 10 Lincoln
] found your letter containing the orlSl-
nal letter and postscript given 10 the
press some days before. cannot ilhu any am,
thing in my letter 10 which you can coh-
sistently object. -.
you began your speech in Madison
Square Garden on August 3. 1876, by say ,
ing II was time for plain SPEAKING anu
proceeded to accuse the Chlcago 'pil-
vention Of a betrayal Of the Democratic
marty In your Brooklyn speech on Sep
TENDER IL. 1886. you spoke OF the thled5 80
platfOrm as the strange doctrines, DOTH
i'm Chicago Of a coalition between the I'M
thinking element of the old party ana the
socialists who masquerade as fopullstS.
at seems that In using the words pc
trayar and 'masquerading, unconscious
lv fell into the STYLE which YOU employer
i'm 1896. but | did not. reflect upon the m
telligence Of the gold-standard advocates
by characterizing them as an MINIMIZING
element -..,,.,..t,,
You ask. first, that l point out wherein
z-our utteranccs are 'unpatilOuc, uh-
Democratic, un-American, ana IN conIilCt
with the Democratic creed as set lVrtn IN
Jefferson's first inaugural ADDRESS w
have no accepted standard by Whlch "
determine whether given opinion y p
triotic or American, but we nave nledi,9
OF determining whether an opinion -
Democratic and in accord with the teaCn-
ings of jefferson. l presume you use
the word Democratic in the party sehsS,
otherwise that term would be as dlihcuit
To define as patriotic or American.
WHAT is DEMOCRATIC?
1.-THE right to determine what is Demo
cratic i'm a party sense belongs 10 me
Democratic party. The Chcaso Ill ~
vention was more purely representative
than any other convention held In recent
years. because the rank and HE OF lhe
party spoke on public questions through
instructed delegates. The chicago pat
form is the latest authoritative ueHhluoh
Of Democracy as applied 10 existing con-
dstions If minority of the delegates
to national convention, representing
Il minority Of the members of the Demo
cratic party. has a right To determine
what is Democratic, then each member
Of the party has a right TO define Democ-
racy for himself. and to assert That ne
is a better Democrat than any one else.
Let me apply this principle to three
questions upon which you nave taken Il
position i'm the volumes sent me-frst'
standard money: second, paper money;
third. income tax.
Jefferson favored the double standard
as against the single gold standard, ana
during his administration our nation had
the free and unlimited coinage OF gold
and silver at the legal ratio of 10 10 ].
The ratio was changed TO 10 to during
JacksOn's 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 l6 to !. without waiting for the aid or
consent of any other nation. As a dele
gate to the Chicago convention you voted
for a minority report, which declared
against independent free coinage on the
finances, but would retard or entirely pre-
vent international bimetallsm, to which
the effort Of the government should be
steadily directed As a delegate TO the
indianapolis convention, two months Ia
ter, you supported a platform which de-
clared in favor OF the gold standard.
without any declaration i'm favor Of in
ternational bimetalism. You may be
able to explain why the minority rejected
at indianapolis the plank for which it
fought at Chicago.
MKINLEY'S UTTERANCES.
"Mr. Mckinley. I'm 1891. charged in n
public speech that Mr.. Cleveland during
his first administration was dishOnOrng
one Of the precious metals, discreditng
silver and enhancing the price OF gold.
He insisted that Mr.. Cleveland was try
ing to make money scarce and therefore
dear and added: He would have in
creased the value of money and dmin
ished the value Of everything else. Money
the master. and everything else the SER
want If Mr.. Mckinley then understood
the real purpose Of the gold standard. as
! believe he did. who could think jefferson
capable of advocating 4 policy which,
instead Of securing equal and exact JUS
tice for all. makes money the master
and everything else the servant
mir. Carlisle. i'm a speech i'm 1878. said:
The conspiracy TO destroy by legislation
and otherwise from three-sevenths to
One-half of the metallic money of the
or any other age If Mr.. Carlisle was
then right, as l believe he was. in his de-
nunciation Of the gold standard, who can
believe Jefferson capable OF being a party
10 such a crime?
"After the election Mr.. Mckinley sent
commission to Europe TO secure interna-
tional aid in getting rid of the gold stand
ard, and Republican Congress apprOpri-
ated money TO pay the expenses of the
commission. The commission failed he
cause of English opposition, and English
opposition was due 10 the opposition of
English financiers. Jeffersonian Demo-
Gratis must have a better reason for sub
hitting to the gold standard than the fact
means for raising the purchasing-p power
Of their money.
OPPOSITION TO INCOME-TAX.
81 have selected these three questions
because they are important and because
your position upon them has been clearly
defined. Your speeches abound i'm express
sons of confidence in the gold standard
your correspondence with Mr.. Warner
sets forth your opposition TO the income
tax. and newspaper item, quoted in your
i. a.
portion of the indianapolis platform which
related to the retirement OF the green
backs and the substitution of bank cur
rency.
Your prophecy that "A law to prevent
Wage-earners and salary-earners from de-
handing and securing payment in gold
dollars would not be a winning issue
evinces a tender solictude for the labor
ng-man. ! might suggest that bimetallism
alarms you more than it does the wage
earnerS. II was not the employees who
were frightened at the spectre OF free
silver in 1896: neither did the lab0ring-man
share your desire TO add 10 the privileges
OF the banks.
ION December 60 1897. a year after the
election the Federation of Labor adopted
the following resolutions:
Resolved. That we declare ourselves
most positively opposed TO the Gage finan-
cial bill recently introduced in Congress
by the Secretary of the Treasury IL IS
a measure that, If adopted as a law, will
only the more firmly rivet the gold
standard on the people of the country and
perpetuate its disastrous effects in every
form.
Resolved. That we pronounce the Gage
bill an undsguised effort to retire our
greenback currency and all government
paper money, with view 10 the substi-
tuition of national-bank notes i'm their
stead and thus fasten the natonal-bank
system for years upon the American peO-
Pile.