The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-04-10
Another Letter Pretending to show
Mr.. Belmont Does Not Understand
the Meaning of Democracy.
STILL FOR SIXTEEN TO ONE
PROPHET Or THE PLATTE HOLDS TO
ORIGINAL PROPOSITION.
A sneer mt the New York Mans solic-
ffude for LaborinG Mcn-DOI-
lar Dinner Gossip.

LINCOLN. Neb.. April e.-Col. w. ].
Bryan 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
dinners to be held in New York, but Mr..
Bryan ignores that matter and devotes his
attention to the differences existing between
himself and Mr.. Belmont questions Of
Democratic party policy. His letter in part,
follows:
Lincoln. Neb., April 5, 1893.
"Hon. Perry Belmont, New York:
Dear Sir-Upon my return to Lincoln 1
found your letter containing the original
letter and postscript given TO the press some
days before. / cannot find anything in my
letter to which you can consistently object.
"You began your speech lin Madison
square Garden on Aug. Is, 1896, by saying
that 1t was time for plain speaking and
proceeded TO accuse the Chicago convention
Of a betrayal of the Democratic party. In
your Brooklyn speech Sept is, 1896. you
spoke OF the Chicago platform as the
strange doctrines born in Chicago of
coalition between the unthinking element Of
the old party and the Socialists. who mas
querade as Populists.' 1t seems that in
using the words betrayal and masquerade
i unaonsciously fell into the style which
you employed in 1896. but did not reflect on
the intelligence of the gold standard advo-
Gates by characterizing them as an unthink-
ing element
''You ask, first, that 1 point out wherein
your utterances are 'unpatriotic. undemo-
cratic un-American and In conflict with the
Democratic creed as set forth in Jefferson's
first inaugural address,
I'VE have no accepted standard by which
10 determine whether a given opinion is
patriotic or American, but we have means
of determining whether an opinion is Demo-
cratic and in accord with the teachings of
jefferson. / presume you use the word
Democratic in the party sense, otherwise
that term would be difficult to define as
patriotic or American The right to de-
termine what is Democratic in party sense
belongs to the Democratic party. The Chi
cago convention was more purely represen-
tative than any other convention held in
recent years. because the rank and file of
the party spoke on public questions through
instructed delegates. The Chicago platform
IL the latest authoritative definition of De-
mocracy as applied TO existing conditions.
IF minority OF the delegates TO a ma
tional convention representing minority Of
the members of the Democratic party has a
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 a
position In the volumes sent me:
''First-Standard money.
"Second-Paper money.
'Third-Income tax
Jefferson favored the double standard as
against the single gold standard and dur
ing his administration our Nation had the
free and unlimited coinage of gold and silver
at the legal ratio of 15 to l. The ratio was
changed 10 10 To ] during Jackson's admin
istration. 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 to 1
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 inde-
pendent free coinage on the ground that IL
would not only imperil our finances but
would retard entirely prevent interna-
tional bimetallism. 10 which the effort of
the government should be steadily directed
AS a delegate to the indianapolis conven-
iion two months later you supported "A
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.
Mr.. Mckinley. in 1891, charged in a public
speech that Mr.. Cleveland during his first
administration. was dishonoring one of the
precious metals. discredting silver and en-
hancing the price of gold He insisted that
Mr.. Cleveland was trying TO make money
scarce and therefore dear and added. he
would have increased the value OF money
and diminished the value OF everything else.
Money the master and everything else the
servant II Mr.. Mckinley then under
stood the real purpose of the gold standard
as believe he did, who could think Jeffer-
son capable of advocating a policy which
instead OF securing equal and exact justice
for all. makes money the master and every
thing else the servant.
Mr.. Carlisle. In a speech In 1s7s said:
The conspiracy 10 destroy by legislation
and otherwise from three-sevenths TO one
half OF the metallic money Of the world Is
the most gigantic crime OF this or anv
other age If Mr.. Carlisle was then right.
as believe he was. In his denunciati,n of
the gold standard. who can believe Jefferson
capable OF being party 10 such crime?
After the election Mr. Mckinley sent a
commission to Europe TO secure interna-
tional aid in getting rid or the sold sand
ard and Republican Congress appropriated
money to pay the expenses OF the commits
sion. The commission failed because OF
English opposition and English opposition
was due 10 the opposition OF English finan-
ciers. Jeffersonian Democrats must have a