Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1900-09-13
The Secretary Of The Treasury POint'
Out the PallaCy Of His Cores
pOndolt'S Plan.
The DANGERS OF BRYANISM.
The Sure Way to Escape Them Is To
Keep The Republican Party

N6W 1OTk.-
Dear Slr:-I have the honor to acknow
ledge the receipt of yours of the Sd inst.
in which you utter some words Of criticism
upon the statements made by me in
newspaper interview published August 26
in which l expressed the opinion that Mr.
Bryan, if elected President, could by thu
exercise of considerable 'perverse ingenui
ty, put the Government on a silver basis
ruin its credit, and bring incalculable die
aster upon the business interests of tn,
country.
"You deny that the dangers set forth b!
me in that interview really exist, and tina
any President will be able to do what / de
clare might be done, unless the Republi
can party in control of the Government il
both the Legislative and executive branch
es, proves itself utterly dishonest in it
professed purpose to maintain the golC
standard You say your denial lis no
based upon the reasoning Of those of you
critics who seek to show by figures that {
President, desiring ever so much to pu
the country on silver basis would lacE
the means of doing so.' On the contrary
you admit for arguments sake all say
on that point. 1t would not seem, there
fore, that there is any particular difference
between us as to what Mr. Bryan, as Pres
dent, could do under the law or in spite o.
the law as it now is.
sit ought to have been apparent to you
as it no doubt was, that l was speaking o.
the possibilities of the case under circum
stances and conditions as they now exist
but you proceed to point out how, at the
next session of Congress, which will meet
in December, legislation could be had
which would completely forestall unfriend'
ly action toward the gold standard, even il
Mr.. Bryan were elected, and should still
cherish the frm-set purpose declared by
him on September l6, 1896, at Knoxville,
Tenn, where he said IF there is any
one who believes that the gold standard is
a good thing or that it must be maintain
ed, J warn him not to cast his vote for me,
because promise him it will not be main.
tanned in this country longer than am
able to get rid of it,
"You rebuke me in polite terms for
sounding a false note of alarm, disquieting
the business community and especially
when uttered by one in authority.
81 am not all skilled in controversy, and
have had 70 practise in dialectics, but 7
will indulge in few words in the way of
rejoinder to your criticism.
BRYAN's DISASTROUS PRINCIPLE.
"In the first place, then, no more seri-
Gus disaster could overtake this country
lin this 1 think you will agree with me)
than the breaking down of the gold STAN
dard and the adoption of that principle of
money for which Mr.. Bryan contends. In
1896 you yourself are quoted as having
said -
"'The mere apprehension of possibili-
ty of Mr.. Brvan's election and of the con-
sequent placing of our country upon the
silver basis has already caused untold mil
lions of our securities to be thrown upon
the market. Scores of business orders are
already recalled, large number of manu-
featuring establishments have already
stopped or restricted their operations, en-
terprise is already discouraged, and nearly
Daralyzed. And if these are the
effects of a mere apprehension of a posi-
Dility, what would be the effect of the
event itself? There is scarcely an imagin-
lbe limit to the destruction certain to be
wrought by the business disturbance that
MIR. BrYan's mere election would cause
Il myself am unable to perceive why
lie SdIuc Consequences III a hbilOi NCS'OO
perhaps, would not ensue now, which you
10 forcibly foreshadowed then.
"Now, when consequences so great as
hese are involved, the forces operating to
them should be resisted at
,very point. Even the possibility Of dan
,er should be avoided. 1t is a familiar
act, and one altogether too much in evil
lence, that an administrative officer filled
With hatred and contempt of a particular
aw, can by perverse ingenuity, practically
lullify its operations. You point out in
'our letter that if the course indicated by
ne in the interview referred to should be
by MIR. Bryan, the Republi-
AN Congress which meets in December
lext, could in advance restrain him by
lew and more effective mandatory proyi-
ions.
FALLAcIoUs ARGUMENT.