Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1900-10-23
LINCOLN REPUBLICAN, A
DEMOCRAT.
Perry S. Heath Gets an Unexpected ..Reply
to a Letter to an Ohioan.

1
to Letter to an Ohioan.
i Mansfield, o., Oct. 19.-Nearly a
week ago Perry S. Heath; secretary of
the republican COMMITTEE, wrote Gen.
Brinkerhotf, one of the surviving
members of the first republican con-
vention, requesting him to sign an adj
dress to Lincoln republicans, copy Of
which was inclosed. Gen. BrinkerhOf
sent tart reply, in which he said he
was for home rule, free trade, fair play
and William Jennings Bryan. The
letters of Mr.. Heath and Gen. Brink
erhoff follow:
Chicago, Oct. 13.-Hon. Roelif
Brlnkerhoff, Mansfield, O.-Dear Sir:
The suggestion has been made by the
Hon. Jacob Weyand that the surviv-
ing founders OF the republican party
should jointly Sign patriotic appeal
to the voters of the United States urg-
ing them to support Mckinley and
Roosevelt in the present presidential
election. Acting upon this suggestion,
we have prepared short statement,
and submit it for your consideration
and signature should you approve of
the idea. A copy of this has been sent
out to the other twelve survivors, and
just as soon as their replies have been
received the paper will be given to the
press. Trusting for your cooperation,
am, yours truly,
PERRY S. HEATH, Secretary"
Gen. Brlnkerhoff's Reply.
70 this Gen. Brinkerhotf replied:
Mansfield, O., Oct. 19.-Perry S.
Heath, Secretary Republican Nation.
al Committee Sir: On my re-
turn home after week s absence I find
your letter of the 18th, asking me, as
one of the survivors of the Pittsburg
convention of 1856, organizing the re-
publican party, to approve of its pres.
ent position. OF the Ohio delegates
there are now only three surviving
the Hon. Rush R. Sloan of Sandusky,
the Hon. George H. Frey of Sprirg-
field and myself. OF these, Frey alone
is republican; Sloan and 1 are demo.
Gratis. Gov. Edgerton of Akron who
died recently, was also democrat.
Judge Epson, who has been quoted as
one of the survivors, was at Philadel-
phia, but not at Pittsburg. There
were about sixty Ohio delegates at the
Pittsburg convention, and nearly all
of them subsequently were men of re-
nown, and from my knowledge Of them
am very sure a large majority, if
now living, would be democrats. We
did not leave the republican party.
The republican party left us. The
republican platforms of 1856, 1860 and
1864, also in 1868, with the exception
of single plank, were fully in accord
with principles of Jetfersonian democ-
racy, but in 1872 the republican party
drifted to strange gods, with protect
ion as their chief, and the democratic
party, after wandering in the wilder
ness for dozen years, returned to its
old faith, and since then I have been
at home in politics with the comrades
of my youth. Then and since then
occasionally there have been planks
In democratic platforms 1 did not APP
prove, and there are such now, as
there are spots in the sun, but, as
whole, the principles of home rule,
free trade and fair play for all remain
undimmed, and just now William j.
Bryan is their prophet. Under exist
ing circumstances you must excuse
me by refusing to sign the paper you
sent me. Very respectfully yours,
"R. BRINKERHOFF."