The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1900-11-02
To the Editor Of The San:

lLC SlutCulCuJ DIT IluSiS iA'tii Wv w
a contract for steel cars which would be
Cancelled in the event of Bryan's election
You have called it bluff, by which, OF
course, you mean that my statement IS UNI
true. Now, let me give you the precise
provision in the contract for the construc-
ton of these 5000 steel cars.
CONTRACT CONDITIONAL ON
BRYAN'S DEFEAT.
The document constituting the contract,
addressed to me as President of the Batl-
more and Ohio Railroad Company, is as
follows:
Dear Sir-Referring to our verbal un-
Outstanding Yesterday with regard to the
purchase of 1000 gondola and 1000 self
clearing hopper bottom steel cars, write
this letter for your acceptance, SO as to
avoid any possible misunderstanding
Then come the terms. The concluding
para graph of the contract is: THE FUR
TIER VERBAL UNDERSTANDING
BETWEEN Us WAS THAT IN CASE
OF THE DEFEAT OF MCKINLEY FOR
PRESIDENT, YOU ARE TO HAVE
THE OPTION OF CANCELlNG 5000
CARS"
The 900 cars named were as | stated
in my remarks at the meeting. about the
NUM- er that would be well uuder way be-
fore the election, and would, therefore, be
taken; the remainder, under instructions
| have received, would not DC taken-as
to them the contract would be at an end.
1st. My statement was, therefore, true.
Yours is necessarily, therefore. false. You
could have found out the exact facts be-
fore you made your false statement; you
did not even try to do so.
End. Why was such a condition made?
nt r,liinrr
o. This is large order for cars, cost
ing well on to $5,O00,G00. These cars will
necessarily be paid for out of the proceeds
of securities provided under the various
plans of reorganization for such purposes.
These securities are necessarily tloated by
bankers, and Bryan's election is believed
by all bankers, without exception, to be ST.
certain of causing fear, doubt and hesta-
ton in the financial markets of the world
that they would not take the securities at
prices which the managers of the Company
regard as proper prices; still, they will
take them at proper prices, if Bryan is de-
feated. The funds, therefore, for the pay
ment of the cars would not be forthcom
ing; hence, as prudent business men, We
made the contract accordingly.
(2.) Again, if Bryan is elected, we be-
lieve that there will be such contraction
of business and enterprise that such large
additional number of cars will not be
needed. This is the plain, unyarnished
tale. Now, you may say that bankers an d
financial institutions have no business to
think as they do about the result of Bry-
ans election on business and finance.
That may be; but they do SO think, and
that ends it. You may say that the man
ayers of the road ought not to think that
Bryan's election will create such partial
paralysis of business that the road will
not need this additional equipment; but
they do so think, and that ends ii.
The writer of your editorial and the col
lector of the valuable gossip from the tried
and eminent tinanciers mentioned in your
news columns could, doubtless, manage
the railroad better than those now in
charge of it, but for the time being, at
least, our opinions must control. Now, |
have given you fact as to a plain con
tract and the business reasons for it.
What do you think of your charge against
me that l was telling falsehood?
Sun APPROVED SAME COURSE
IN 1896
3rd. am not done with YOU. | now
propose to show that made statement
Of precisely similar contracts made by
other industrial companies in 1895, which
became void in case of Bryan's election,
and you approved the utterance. Here is
the quotation from my Music Hall speech
in 1896, as taken from your columns:
ITO AVERT PANIC.
Look now at the great employers Of
labor and their attitude in this campaign
That too, is the subject of complaint The
great bicycle works at Hagerstown make q
contract for the sale of wheels, which will
be the means of furnishing more than 900
men with their support during the coming
year. But the contract depends for its
performance on McKinley's election. A
Democratic club of Baltimore threatens
to boycott the wheel because the manager
sim: ly told the truth about the contract
Why, | can tell that club that within ten
days one of the large concerns on the g.
& o. Railroad in West Virginia has made
an agreement for the sale of an enormous
product, and one of the express conditions
is: This agreement shall be null and void
if Bryan is elected There is not large
manufacturing concern on the Pittsburg
Division of the B. & O. Railroad but has
orders on file conditioned on MckinIcy's
election. Mr.. Campbell, of the great
Campbell Zell Manufacturing Company
of this city, has told the story Of paralysis
of manufacture caused by Bry.nism in Il
manner that leaves nothing to be said
IF this Bryan club wishes to boycott an
industrial plant because it has orders de-
pending on McKinley's election, they may
just as well provide themselves with the
State Directory of all the manufacturing
establishments of the United States, be
cause they are in the same condition as
that Of the Campbell Zell Company or the
great works at Hagerstown.
with substantial unanimitv the man
ayers of these great manufacturing con
Germs throughout the Union, without ref
erence to whether they are Democrats Or
Republicans, are opposing Bryan and
Organism. They know Bryan's success
would mean panic and disaster They
seek to avert panic and disaster, which
would throw untold thousands of work
men out of employment
Here is what you said of me and my
speech | almost blush to quote it;
when Mr.. Cowen rose to speak the APP
plause was deafening. 1t was fully six
minutes before he could proceed. Then
he was interrupted a gain and again. Flags
were waved by the men and handkcrcAief>
by the ladies' Mr.. Governs speech is given
in full on this page. 1t was a great speech.
You had headline even more eulogistic
and you especially commended my speech
to the wage -earners But let me give yon
few side lights on the report of the meet
ing on Thursday last from your columns
Of four years ago upon like meeting.
You nor describe the march of men from
Sparrows Point, Curtis Bay, Locust Point,
Mount Glare and other like busy centres
of industry in the city as the coercion Of
men by their employers.
See what you said in 1896, merely
give the substance of your description as
given in the Sun of November ,, 1896
You first describe the march of the "Work-
ers from Sparrows Point, coming by
| special train over the Pennsylvania Rail
road. Then you give the "WnrkerS from
East Baltimore,' under August Berke-
| meier, chief of the steved0res at Locust
| Point terminals of the Baltimore and Ohio
| Railroad. Then you describe the boys
| from Locust Point, under the direction of
Mr.. Beelcr, the B. K .. agent there.
| Then you grew enthusiastic over the
| march of the men from the car works ut
| Curtis Bay, who came by special train to
Camden Station. Then you reserved your
special enthusiasm for the men who came