The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-09-13

Mr.. Schurz' letter is as follows:
Dear Sir: The newspapers of Aug.
26 published an interview wit b you in
which you were quoted as saying that
there is no doubt Mr.. Bryan (if elected
presidentl could order his secretary of
the treasury TO make payment in silver
of all the public debt payable in coin,
and for all current disbursements of the
government as well, which amount to
$l,5o0,OO0 to $l,75O.OO0 per day, and
that he would give such an order, too,
is very certain, if he is IN the same mind
that he was In 1896. You went on to
say that although Mr.. Bryan would
have great difficulty in doing that at
once, owing to the small silver resour-
.ces Of the government, yet he might
accomplish it in time, as the mere an
nouncement of such a purpose would
stop the inflow of gold or at least very
largely diminish payments in gold and
.corrfsp spondinRly y increase "a ayinents into
.into the tressnry y Of silyer; and silver
certificates;' that this would pract ticsliy
put the government on a silver basls,.
ruin its credit and being incalculables
disaster upon the business interests Of
the country.
DENIAL MADE BY MR. scHURz.
"Haying for great many years taken
deep and somewhat active interest IN
the establishment of sound monetary
system in the United States, may
without improperly publicly address
to you few remarksin reply to your
public statement. emphatically deny,
Mr.. Secretary, that the danger set forth
by you in your interviews really exists,
and that any president will be able to
do what you say might be done unless
the republican party in control of the
government In both legislative and ex-
ecutive branches prove itself utterly
dishonest in its professed purpose to
MAINTAIN the gold standard.
''This denial is not based upon the
reasoning of those of your critics who
seek to chow by figures that a president
desiring ever SO much to put the coun-
try upon silver basis would lack the
means for doing SO. On the contrary,
for arguments sake, will accept all
you say on that point. But you omit
to mention fact Of decisive impor-
tance,
EFFORT TO CAUSE ALARM.
''If the executive, as you say, pos.
sesses the discretion Of paying silver
in settlement Of all interest on the public
debt not specifically payable in gold ,and
of making its daily disbursements to it's
creditors in silver it is owing to al flaw
in the currency law passed at the last
session Of congress-a law which, as the
spokesman Of the republican party
promised, Was to put the gold standard
upon an impregnable basis. It was
suggested at the time by some Of the
critics that this law was purposely 80
manipulated by republican politicians
in the senate as to leave the possibility
Of the subyersion of the gold standard
by executive action open in order to
enable the republicans in the present
presidential campaign to say that the
election Of republican president was
absolutely necessary to save the gold
standard and to prevent dreadful econ.
zomic disaster. Whether any such
scheme entered into the legislation i do
not assume TO determine. Certain it is
however, that this feature Of the law is
now so used, and that you Mr.. secre.
tary, actually do 90 use it for the evi.
dent purpose Of alarming the business
community and the possessing classes
generally.
CALLS II A QUESTIONABLE COURSE.
81 hardly need to say TO you that
the spreading of false alarms of this
kind is very questionable and repre-.
hensible thing for anybody, and es.
pecially for secretary Of the treasury.
land I call your prediction Of the posi-.
Utilities specified by you and the disas.
iefs snre 10 follow ! false alarm for !
livery simple reason. Whoever may b
ected president On November s, there
n be another session 81 congress be,
Re he viii take ofics on March 1, 1901,
hs repuElicanI ,Will ke strong ma,