Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1900-05-21

democrat, and timely hints given: Be
low are few excerts from his letter:
New York City, April 80, 1900.
To William J. Bryan, Lincoln, Neb
Dear Sir: Ours is a common cause
Therefore let us reason together want
the democratic party to win; so do YOU
NO one has more at stake than Yourself
You were the party standard bearer in
1896. You went down in an ignominious
defeat and the party suffered the conse-
quences. Our standard bearer in 1902
led us to victory. He carried California,
Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana,
Maryland, New Jersey, New York,
Washington and Wisconsin, and from
which he received I26 electoral votes.
In 1896 you carried but one of the above
named states, that of Washington, with
its four paltry electoral votes. The anal
ysis of the foregoing indesputabe facts
show that Cleveland polled in the ten
Northern states named, more than thirty
one times as many electoral votes as you
did.
1t is true that your popular vote was
large, as Mckinley beat you by only
6oI,5I4. Popular vote, however, counts
for nothing, the electoral vote every
thing. When we examine the figures we
find that Cleveland's popular vote over
Harrison was only 3So,SIo, yet Cleveland
had 1872 more electoral votes than Harri-
son, while you had IS less than Nc
Kinley.
Mr.. Cleveland carried Connecticut by
$3.50, while you lost it by 53,s4s. Cleve-
land carried Delaware by 49S, while you
lost it by $500. He carried Illinois by
26,933, while you lost it by I42,49S. He
carried Maryland by 2I,I3o, while you
lost it by 32,224. He carried New Jersey
, by I4,974, while you lost it by S7,6e2.
He carried New York by 45,5IS, while
You lost it by the enormous figure Of
26S ,469. He carried Wisconsin by 6,544
while you lost it by 1902 ,6I2. He carried
Indiana by 7,I25, while you lost it by
1881.
This humiliating defeat was not be
cause you were personally less popular
with the masses in 1896 than Mr.. Cleve
, land was in 1892, but solely because
Cleveland ran on a platform which adj
hered to democratic principles and up
held Jeffersonian democracy, while yo,
did not
The financial plank used by the popu
lists in their platform in 1892, and which
/ was borrowed and incorporated bodily
I into the democratic platform adopted a
Chicago in 1896, is what caused you
T downfall and likewise the downfall o
? the democratic party. In 1892 the finan
cial plank of the democratic platform de
i clared in favor OF the use and coinage c
. both gold and silver, but pledged tn
party to "such safeguards of Legislation
Z as shall insure the maintenance of tn
? parity of the two metals, and equa
, power of every dollar at all times in tn
b markets and the payment of debts"
4 The financial plank of the Chicag
y platform of 1896, and upon which yo
- stood, declared for 1.-THE free and III
:. limited coinage of both silver and gol
] at the present legal ration of I6 to will
out waiting for the consent of any othe
nation"
You were personally responsible IL
this plank. Every thinking democr'
in the land knew that it would be in
possible to permit the free and unlimlte
individual coinage of silver at the fal'
ration of I6 to I while the true or mark
q value ration was 81 to without also d
stroying the parity between the tv
:, metals thus coined. The same:plank
lie the platform further demanded that Il
ey silver dollar, coined at that ratio, "sha
be a full legal tender, equally with gol
- for all debts, public and private"
No greater bluhder than this was ev
made by any political party III t
4 United States, and no swifter nor mo
q telling punishment was ever admin
4 cred, as can be seen from the figures
have above presented. Notwithstandi
J this, it is now said by you that there "
be a reaffirmation of the Chicago pl
form of 1896 by the Kansas City Conve
ton of 1900.
i 1t is highly probable that under exsl
! ing conditions what YOU say goes,
sincerely hope that you will not
reaffirm" or "reiterate" or "readol
& the Chicago platform. To do this mes
to reaffirm the financial plank OF Il
d fatal platform, and to do so means
! utter destruction of our party.
1t pains me very much to have you