The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-04-10
REPLY to BELMONT
ANOTHER LETTER MAILED TO HIM
BY MIR. BRYAN FROM
LINCOLN
DEMOCRACY IN QUESTION
Convention Discusses the Issues
Raised In the Last Campaign and
the Stand Upon Them Taken by
Himself and the Eastern Man
Text Of Letter.

LINCOLN, Neb., April 9-Col w. ].
Bryan tonight mailed his answer to the
last letter received from Hon. Perry Bel
mont, some weeks ago. The correspond
ence thus far has dealt largely with the
rival Jefferson dinners to be held IN New
York. but Mr.. Bryan ignores that mat
ter, and devotes his attention to the diff
ferences existing between himself ana Mr..
Belmont and questions Of Democratic par
ty policy. His letter in part follows:
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 let
ter to which you can consistently object.
You began your speech in Madison
Square Garden on Aug. IS, 1896, by saying
that it was time for plain speaking"
and proceeded to accuse the Chicago
convention Of betrayal of the Demo-
cratic party. In your Brooklyn speech on
Sept. Is, 1895, 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 masquerade as
Populists.' 1t seems that in using the
words betrayal and masquerade" I
unconsciously fell into the style which
you employed in 1896, but I could not
reflect upon the understanding of the
gold standard, delegates by characters
You ask me to point out wherein your
utterances are ''unpatriotic, un-Demo-
cratic, un-American and in conflict with
the Democratic creed of Thomas Jeffer-
no accepted standard by which to de-
termine whether a given opinion is pa
trtot1c or American, but we have means
Of determining whether an opinion is
Democratic and in accord with the teach
ings of Jefferson. 1 presume you use
the word Democratic in the party sense,
otherwise that term would be as diff
cult to define as patriotic or Amer
ican"
The right to determine what is Demo
Democratic party. The Chicago conven-
ton was more purely representative
than any other convention held in recent
years. because the rank and file Of the
instructed delegates. The Chicago plat
form is the latest authoritative defini
ton of Democracy as applied to existing
conditions. If a minority of the delegates
to national convention representing a
minority Of the members of the Demo-
cratic party has a right to determine
of the party has a right to define Democ-
racy for himself and to assert that he is
better Democrat than any one else.
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 standard
as against the single gold standard. and
during his administration our nation had
the free and unlimited coinage of gold
and silver at the legal ratio Of IS to l.
The ratio was changed to 16 to during
Jackson's administration. The Chicago
platform pronounced against the gold
the free and unlimited coinage of gold
and silver at the ratio of 16 to ], without
waiting for the aid or consent of any
other nation.
AS a delegate to the Chicago conven-
ton you voted for a minority report,
which declared against Independent free
coinage on the ground that it would -oot
only imperil our finances, but would re-.
tard or entirely prevent International BIZ
metallism, to which the effort of the gov
eminent should be steadily directed"
vention two months later you supported
a platform which declared in favor of
the gold standard without any declara-
ton in favor of international bimetallism.
You may be able to explain why the
minority rejected at Indianapolis the
plank for which it fought at Chicago.
because they are important and because
your position upon them has been clear
ly defined. Your speeches abound in ex-
pressions of confidence In the gold stand
ard, your correspondence with Mr.. War
ner sets forth your opposition to the in
come tax and newspaper item, quoted
in your book. gives you credit for draft
ing that portion of the Indianapolis plat
form which related to the retirement of
the greenbacks and the substitution Of
bank currency.
wage earners and. salary earners from
receiving and demanding payment In gold
dollars would not be a winning issue"
boring man. I might suggest that bimet
allism alarms you more than 1t does the
wage earners. 1t was not the laboring
men who were frightened at the spectacle
of free silver in 1896; neither did the Ia
boring men share in your enthusiasm
for the gold standard.
I am not willing to believe that you
are more interested in the laboring men
than they are themselves, or that you
know better than they what is best for
them. w. J. Bryan.