The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1899-04-20
Bryan to Belmont.
LANGUAGE OF LATTER THROWN
BACK AT HIM.

4
BACK AT HIM.
The l]ebraslean Makes Full Answer
to the New Yorker Letter Of Recent
Date-Inconsisteucy Plainly Shown
and Boiter's Political Mistakes
Poiated Out-Bryan Stands Firmly
by Chicago Platform.
LINCOLN, Nebraska. April 9.-Col.
W. J. Brysn to-day 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 Jefferson din
ners to be held in New York, but Mr..
Bryan ignores that matter and devotes
his attention to the differences exist
ing between himself and Mr.. Belmont
on questions OF Democratic party
policy. His letter, in part. follows:
LINCOLN. April 8, 1S99.-Hon. Perry
Belmont, New York. Dear Sir:-Upon
my return to Lincoln l found your
letter containing the original letter
and postscript given to the press
some days before. l cannot find any
thing in my letter to which you can
consistently object.
You began.your speech in Madison
| Square Garden on August 8, 1896, by
saying it was time for plain speak
ing and proceeded to accuse the
Chicago convention of betrayal of
the Democratic party. In your Brook
lyn speech on September Is, 1896, you
spoke of the Chicago platform as the
strange element OF the old party and
the socialists who masquerade as
Populists.'
at seems that in using the words
betrayal and 'masquerading,' I
unconsciously fell into the style which
you employed in 1896, but did not
reflect upon the intelligence of tho
gold standard advocates by character
izing them as an 'unthinking ele-
ment.'
'You ask, first, that 1 point out
wherein your utterances are 'un-
patriotic, un-Democratic, un-Ameri-
can and in conflict with the Demo-
cratic creed as set forth in Jefferson's
first inaugurated address, We have
no accepted standard by which to
determine whether given opinion is
patriotic or American, but we have
means of determining whether an
opinion is Democratic and in accord
with the teachings of Jefferson. [
presume you use the word Democratic
in the party sense, otherwise that
term would be as difficult to define as
| patriotic and American
1.-The right to determine what is
Democratic in the party sense belongs
to the Democratic party. The Chi
cago convention was more purely
representative than any other con-
vention held in recent years, because:
the rank and file of the party spoke
on public questions through instruct
ed delegates. The Chicago platform
is the latest authoritative definition
of Democracy as applied to existing:
conditions. If a minority OF the dele
gates to 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 better Democrat
than any one else. Let me apply
this principle to three questions upon
which you have taken position in
the volumes sent me:
First, standard money; second,
paper money, third; income tax.
| jefferson favored the double stand
ard as against the single gold stand
ard, and during his administration
our nation had the free and unlimited
coinage of gold and silver at the legal
ratio of Is to /. This ratio was
changed to 16 to during Jackson's
administration. The Chicago plat
form pronounced against the gold
standard in favor of the return to the
free and unlimited coinage of gold
and silver at the ratio Of 16 to l with
out waiting for the aid and consent
of any other nation.
LAS a delegate to the Chicago con-
vention you voted for minority re.
port which declared against indie.
pendent free coinage on the ground
that it would not only imperial oul
ly prevent international bimetailisn
to which the effort Of the government
should be steadily directed AS 6
delegate to the Indianapolis eenven
ton two months later you supported
a platform which declared in favor o
the gold standard without any decla
ration in favor OF internationa
bimetallism. You may be able to ex
plain why the minority rejected a
Indianapolis the plank for which i
fought at Chicago.
'.Mr. Mckinley in 1891 charged il
! a public speech that Mr.. Cleveland
during his first administration. wa
dishonoring one Of the prcciou
metals, discrediting silver and raisin,
the price of gold. He insisted tina
Mr.. Cleveland was trying to max
money scarce, and therefore dear,
and added he would have increases
the value of money and diminishe
the value of everything else. None
the master and everything else tn
servant II Mr.. Mckinley then un
derstood the real purpose Of the gol
standard. as l believe he did, VIII
could think Jefferson capable G
.. advocating a policy which instead {
! securing equal and exact justice fo
all, makes money the master an
everything else the servant?'
; MIR. Carlisle, in speech in 1873
said: The conspiracy to destroy b
legislation and otherwise from three
seventies to one-half OF the metalli
money of the world is the most Cigar
\ tic crime OF this or any other age
, IF Mr. Carlisle was then right, .
, l believe he was, in his denunciatio
of the gold standard. who can belie'
jefferson capable OF being party
such crime?
latter the election MIR. Mckinle
sent a commission to Europe to s
cure International aid in getting Z