The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-01-23

spOnsibility for the Tacit In
\ dOrsement So EARLY In the Cam
paign of an AvOwed Candidate
for the Presidential Nomination
Letter Is Cordial and Courteous.
NEW YORK. Jan. 22-The following
Setter, signed by John A. Fox, former
president of the Democratic club. and
now member of the board Ct governors;
Robert Roosevelt and John F. Doyle, was
cent tonight to John F. Keller, president
of the Democratic club:
1T is with the most kindly feeling, GER
tainly with no desire to criticise your
acts that We take the liberty, as mem
bers of the Democratic club, to address
. you. We are creditably Informed that
You have invited William ]. Bryan to
become your guest at the Democratic
club, and take dinner with you and a
party of friends. In other words Mr..
Bryan Is to be entertained by you, and
the place Of such entertainment is at the
Democratic club While 1t is your I'M
Questionable right, or the right of any
other member to invite any gentleman
whom he may choose to become his guest
at the club, yet, under existing circum-
stances, we greatly fear that your act
will become construed by the public as
an act Of the club, should you give such
dinner to this distinguished guest with
out aff1rmatively disclaiming such inten-
ton on the part of the club.
I'VE ourselves can fully distinguish be-
tween an official act and individual
opinions We want it understood, too,
that we have no personal objections to
Mr.. Bryan, nor do we object in the slight
est degree to your giving him a dinner
at the club, in your individual capacity
as one Of its members. We should much
regret, however, If what you propose to
do should be construed throughout the
country as a political Endorsement by the
Democratic club Of the candidacy, at this
time, of Mr. Bryan
ARE ALL. DEMOCRATS.
THE Democratic club Is essentially
Democratic political organization and Of
Its 5000 members none but Democrats
belong to it. You are now its president,
and, in the absence of disclaimer on
your part to the contrary, your course
in anything that pertains to the club or
it's affairs might be constlHled, and not
unreasonable so, as the act of the club.
1t will not do to say that such construc-
1on would only be placed upon your acts
by the ignorant or misinformed, because
Mr.. Bryan himself has established a
precedent which is applicable to the case
now In point. We desire to call your at
tention to portion of the correspondence
which took place between your imme-
date predecessor, as president of the
club and the distinguished gentleman
whom you have invited to be your guest
at the club. You will remember that Mr..
Bryan now stands before the nation as
an avowed aspirant, seeking the Demo
cratic presidential nomination"
BELMONT INCIDENT.
Here the letter cites the acrimonious
correspondence between Mr.. Bryan and
Perry Belmont, growing out of Mr.. Bry
ems declination of the Democratic clubs
invitation to the Jefferson. day banquet
last April, In which he condemned "po-
litical communion between Jefferson DEM
ocrats who stand upon the Chicago plat
form and the Republican allies who mas
querade as Democrats between campaigns
in order to give more potency to their
betrayal of Democratic principles on
/ election day" The letter continues: .
ut may be fairly inferred from all Of
the foregoing that If you were not con-
sidered by Mr.. Bryan as an avowed be-
lever in his doctrine of free and unlim-
tied silver coinage at the ration of 16 to
/, he would also have declined your in
yitation, the ground that mo party
advantage is to be derived from political
mir wit ha in
club
I'VE do not believe in the wisdom of
free coinage at that ratio We do know.
however, that we are Democrats and are
Interested in the success of the Demo-
cratic party in the city, in the state and
in the nation.
'"rhis being true, we sincerely but re-
spectfully urge upon you, occupying as
you do the position of president of the
club, not to do anything which would
/ tend to forestall the action of the next
Democratic national convention.
RIGHT TO OPINION.
"As individuals We insist upon the right
to express our opinions in regard to the
future policy of our party. and the Sc
lection of its nominees We believe it
unwise to permit the opinion to go broad
cast throughout the land that the Demo
I cratic club of this city, or the Democrat
[ ic party Of this state, so far in advance
of the convention. are irrevocably COM
mitted to the Endorsement of the prin-
ciples of the last national platform or OF
the views of the last presidential nom
4 inee.
L 1--WE are painfully aware of the fact
J that in 1896 we lost the state of New Yorl,
II by 26S 469, and the city by more than
Y 10000 1t is our desire, If possible, to
prevent a repetition of another such Dem
Y ocratic presidential disappointment
.'In conclusion, let us again repeat that
4 we take this course in good feeling, an6
to prevent, if possible. misconstructior
of your individual act, as being the act
n of the Democratic club"
MR.. KELLER EXPLAINS.
John w. Keller had not seen the letter
until a reporter gave him copy of it
IIe read it carefully and then said:
'I was in my office all day. They could
have located me easily enough. I thinl
they might have sent me a copy befor.
they rushed to the newspapers with 1t.
III "However," he continued, II will say
that these gentlemen have not understood
my intentions, in spite Of all that ha!