The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-21

Chattanooga, Tenn, March 20.-Hon.
w. j. Bryan today gave out the follow
ing correspondence to the Associated
Press, having been notified that it had
not been made public by Mr. Belmont.
Mr. Bryan stated that he had nothing
further to say about the matter: that
the correspondence spoke for itself:
champaign, Ills, March l6, 1889
Hon. Perry Belmont, President Demo-
cratic Club, New York: Dear Sir-I re-
ceived, few days ago, the following
telegram:
New York, March 5-Hon. w. ]. Bryan,
Lincoln, Neb.: In arranging the toasts
and responses at the banquet of the DEM
ocratic club of Jeffersons birthday, April
Is, the committee are most desirous, If
your engagements will permit your at
tendance to have you select such subject
as you prefer to discuss in your own way,
within the limit for all speeches of twenty
minutes. Please wire reply.
PERRY BELMONT, President.
Upon my return to Nebraska 1 sent
you the following inquiry:
Lincoln, Neb, March 13.-Hon. Perry
Belmont. Democratic Club, New York:
you openly repudiated the Democratic
platform in the last campaign, desire TO
know, before answering invitation,
whether you have, SINCE the election,
publicly announced your conversion to
the principles set forth in that platform.
WILLIAM j. BRYAN.
'I have just received your reply:
The invitation extended to you is on
behalf of the Democratic club Individual
opinions have not been considered in issu-
ing the invitation to celebrate the birth
PERRY BELMONT.
81 might plead a previous engagement
as reason for declining. but that
would be equivalent to saying that l
would come but for the engagement,
but frankness comDels me to add an
other reason. l appreciate the comDli-
ment which the Democratic club pays
me in extending an invitation, but l
do not understand how individual opin
ions can be ignored at a political gath
ering. You are the president of the
club, and represent the club before the
public. Your position upon public ques-
tions was well known in 1885, and your
telegram indicates that your position
has not been changed. My position
upon public questions is also well
known. The antagoniSm between our
positions is so great that we cannot
with propriety join in a political ban
quet given in honor of Democracy's
patron saint. Jefferson stood for GER
tain well defined principles. If your
views are a correct reflection of his
ideas, l fear that my voice would sound
a discordant note at your banquet. If,
on the other hand, the Chicago plat
form applies Gas 1 believe it does) JEFF
fersonian principles to present condi-
tions, then your conspicuous presence at
the Jeffersonian banquet would not
honor the memory of the worlds great
est Democrat.
'Do not misunderstood me. You may
be right and 1 may be wrong, but L take
it for granted that we are equally con-
Scientious, and L trust l may not show
myself less courageous than you. You
proclaimed to your fellow citizens in
1896 that my election upon Democratic
platform would endanger the nation's
welfare; you will pardon me if 1 sug-
gest that a banquet presided over by
You will injure, rather than aid the
Democratic party. [ believe in harmon
izing personal differences, but differ
ence in principle cannot be harmonized,
and, in my judgment, no party ad-
vantage is to be derived from political
communion between Jeffersonian Dem
ocrats who stand upon the Chicago
platform and the Republican allies wiz
masquerade as Democrats between
campaigns, in order to give more DO
tency to their betrayal of Democratic
principles on election day. Yours truly,
"W J. BRYA N ,