Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1900-09-20
W.. BRYAN'S LETTER
The Presidential Cand. date Accepts
the Democratic Nomination.
The DIFFERENT ISSUES REVIEWED.
The Demand for the Election Of Senators
BY Direct Vote Of the People-The In.
come Tax Plank InAdyo teltl Omit
ted By the Committee.


come Tax Plank Insdye teltly Omit
ted by the Committee.
Lincoln, Neb., Sept. 1S.-William J.
Bryan's letter accepting the demo-
cratic nomination for president of the
United States was given out yester-
day. 1t is as follows:
Hon. James D. Richardson, Chairman,
and Others Of the Notification Com
mittee of the Democratic National
Convention:
Gentlemen:-In accepting the nomina-
ton rendered by you on behalf of the
democratic party, beg to assure you OF
my appreciation of the great honor con-
ferred upon me by the delegates In con-
ventlon assembled, and by the voters who
gave instruction to the delegates.
| am sensible Of the responsibilities
which rest upon the chief magistrate Of
so great nation, and realize the far
reaching effect Of the questions involved
In the present contest.
Trusts.
The platform very properly gives prom
inence to the trust question. The appal-
| ling growth of combinations In restraint
of trade during the present administra-
ton proves concluslvely that the repub-
| lican party lacks either the desire or the
| ability to deal with the question effective
ly. II, as may be fairly assumed from
| the speeches and conduct OF the repub--
lican leaders, that party does not intend
to take the peoples side against THESE
organizations, then the weak and quail.
fled condemnation Of trusts to be found
| In the republican platform is designed to
distract attention while industrial des-
potsm is completing Its work. A private
monopoly has always been an outlaw:
| No defense can be made OF an Industrial
system in which one, or few men, can
control for their own profit the output
or price of any article Of merchandise.
Under such a system the consumer suf-
fers extortion, the producer OF raw ma ne,
rial has but one purchaser and must sell
at the arbitrary price fixed; the laborer
has but one employer, and Is powerless
to protest against injustice, either IN
wages or In conditions Of labor; the small
stakeholder Is at the mercy OF the spec
ulator, while the travelling salesman con-
tributes his salary to the overgrowini
profits of the trust. Since but small
proportion of the people can share In the
advantages secured by private monopoly,
| 1t follows that the remainder OF the peo-
pie are not only excluded from the bene-
fits, but are the helpless victims OF every
monopoly organized It Is difficult to
overestimato the immediate injustice that
| NAV be DONE or to calculate the ultimate
effect of this injustice upon the social
and political welfare Of the people. Our
platform, after suggesting certain spe-
citlc remedies, pledges the party to an un-
ceasing warfare against private monop-
oily In nation state and city. hartlly
approve of this promise; If elected, It
shall be my earnest and constant en-.
deavor to fulfill the promise In letter and
spirit. | shall select an attorney general
who will without fear or favor, enforce
existing laws: | shall recommend such
additional legislation as may be neces-
sary to dissolve every private. monopoly
which does business outside of the state
Of its origin; and IT, contrary to my be-
lief and hope, constitutional amendment
is found to be necessary shall recon-
mend such an amendment as Will, without
impairing any of the existing rights OF
the states, empower congress to protect
the people of all the states from injury
at the hands of individuals or corpora
tons engaged in interstate commerce.
The Financial Plank.
The platform reiterates the demand
contained In the Chicago platform for an
American financial system made by the
American people for themselves. The
purpose of such system Is to restore
and maintain blmetalic level of prices,
and in order that there may be no un-
certainty as to the method of restoring
bmetallism the specific declaration In
favor of free and unlimited coinage. at
the existing ratio OF l6 to l, independent
Of the action of other nations, Is repeat
ed In 1896 the republican party recog-
nized the necessity for bimetallism by
pledging the party to an earnest effort
to secure an international agreement for
the free coinage Of silver, and the pres
ident, Immediately after his Inauguration,
by authority of congress, appointed a
commission composed of distinguished
egn aid. Secretary Hay, In a letter writ
ten to Lord Alderman in November, 1898,
and afterwards published in England, de-
clsred that at that time the president and
majority of his cabinet still believed
In the great desirabllity Of an nterna-
tional agreement for the restoration Of
the double standard. but that 1t did not
seem opportune to reopen the negotiations
Just then. The financial law enacted
less than year ago contains conclud-
Ing section declaring that the measure
was not Intended to stand in the way
OF the restoration of bimetallsm, when
ever 1t could be done by cooperation with
other nations The platform submitted
to the last republican convention with
the Endorsement of the administration
again suggested the possibility Of secur-
Ing foreign aid in restoring silver.
Now the republican party, for the frst
time, openly abandons Its advocacy OF
the double standard, and indorses the
monetary system which 1t has SO often
and so emphatically condemned. The
democrat tic party on the contrary re-
mains the steadfast advocate of the gold
and silver coinage Of the constitution,
and is not willing that other nations shall
; determine for us the time and manner
of restoring silver to Its ancient place
as a standard money The ratio of Il
to | Is not only the ratio now existing
between all the gold and silver dollars In
circulation In this country ratio which
: even the republican administration has
, | not attempted to change, but 1t Is the only
ratio advocated by those who are seeking
. to reopen the mints. Whether the senate
now hostile to bimetalllsm, can be
campaign of 1902 can only be determined
after the votes are counted, but neither
the present nor the future political com
Eplexion of congress has prevented OIL
should prevent an announcement OF tn
partys position upon the subject In uh
equivocal terms
! The currency bill, which received tn
sanction of the executive and the repuD
lican members Of the house and senate
justifes the warning given by the demo
ocratic party In 1895. 1t was then pre-
dicted that the republican party woul,
attempt to retire the greenbacks, al
, though the party and Its leaders studious
ly concealed their intentions. That pur
l L. latn aud