St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1900-10-24
THE DUTY OF THE GOLD DE1-
OCRAT.
A Strong Statement of the Case by Judge
Hartman of Michigan.


Hartman of Michigan.
The following letter by Judge W. D.
Hartman of Ann Arbor, Mich, is in re-
ply to a letter from Col. H. S. Dean and
has also local interest as Judge Harri-
man is a native of Peacham and we'll re-
membered by many Caledonia county
people.
Col. Henry S. Dean: My Dear Sir
You have asked me how the Gold Dem
ocrats are going to vote this election.
There is but one thing the Gold DEM
ocrat can consistently do this election
and that is to vote for William McKin-
ley. Mr.. Bryan is essentially Populist
accepted a Populist nomination-is
running on Populst platform and near
ly every crazy Populist IN the country is
giving his candidacy an enthusiastic sup
port and he ought to do it. For Mr..
BRYAN is an honest and sincere represen-
tative of Populist principles. Against
the judgment and wishes of intelligent
Democrats, Mr.. Bryan forced the indorse-
ment of the Populistic idea OF the free
coinage of silver at the ratio of 16 to l,
upon the Kansas City convention and
should he be elected president, we may
well fear with his sincerity and earnest
ness in the matter and using the tire.
mendous patronage of his great office,
he would force the adoption OF that idea
into law by cOngress-a result which all
experience proves would bring untold
disasters upon the country. Why should
| the salaried man whose income might be
reduced one-half in purchasing power
why should the business man, whose
prosperity and success depends upon an
| honest and stable standard of value
why should the laboring man, who is
more Interested than any one else that
his weekly wages should be paid in the
best and soundest money the civilized
world knows-why should the nation at
large, which has just entered upon ar
era of prosperity, such as it has never yet
enjoyed, take any chances in this matter
The bare possibility that the vast bus
mess interests, the prosperity and homo
of the greatest nation in the world, may
be turned over to the freaky manage
ment Of William Jennings Bryan, whC
has never had any business experience
and never shown any capacity except 70
talk, with Tillman, Altgeld and ]. Hami1
ton Lewis for his confidential advisers, i
enough to brighten any intelligent an
conservative citizen and make him a
most despair of the republic! Such
citizen could only be able to sleep bt
tween now and November by his conf
dence that such a stupendous folly wi
L. 4ol |.
While it is clear that no Gold Dem
ocrats can consistently vote for Mi
Bryan, | cannot understand how an
Democrat is bound in honor to supper
him. There is not a single declaration
the Kansas City platform which any il
telligent Democrat from Jefferson t
Cleveland would have recognized as
part of the creed of the historic Den
ocracy. Even a tariff for revenue, til
advocacy of which has given the Den
) ocratic party its best, if not its only e.
cuse for existence for 80 years, is pract
calIy ignored by that platform, and Sen;
tor Wellington in Detroit the other da
: publicity declared that is was not Il
purpose of the followers of Bryan to di
turb the Dingley tariff or the Republlca
! principle of protection. A pretty trea
this, to which the Democrat of the scho
of Tiden and Cleveland is invited.
= The position of Mr.. Bryan upon tt
= Philippine question is equally in the fa
- of Democratic policy and Democrat
u practice in the past. All the territory v
, possess west of the Mississippi river, e
cept Alaska, and all of our territol
= south of the old thirteen colonies, w;
l. acquired by the wise and far-reachir
n craftsmanship of the Democratic part
!. Even thessnorthern boundary of Gregg
today would have been above the tilt
fourth degree of latitude, reaching near
:, to the southern boundary OF Alaska, ht
- not the purposes OF the Democratic par
y. been thwarted by our self-satisfied Ne
-. England grandmothers. Not one of o
. great acquisitions of territory but b
> redounded to the wealth, prosperity al
n greatness of our country, and yet ca
" one OF there acquisitions was opposed
- almost precisely the same argumen
. now used by Mr.. Bryan against the {
- uuisition or retention OF the Philippine
The Philippines are ours by the reco
= nized principles of international la
. ours as an undersigned and provident
' result of war war which the folio
" ers OF Bryan melted and urged on-a
&c as the result of treaty which Bryan &
- vised his friends to ratify by their vot
> Imagine, if possible such Democrat
Andrew Jackson melting a war Wi
Spain, enlisting and drawing the pay
colonel in that war, advising his frien
to ratify the treaty of peace, and tn
y pusilanimously attempting to sneak c
u of the responsibility which that trea
IS imposed; This bare statement indicat
IL IL the difference between Andrew Jacks
~ the Democrat and William Jennir
~ Bryan the Populist.
OF The Kansas City platform is wcnd
II, fully clear upon the subjects of the d
OF laration of independence and the con
lis tuition. That convention contain
o. many members who were formerly CO.
te tutors of Jefferson Davis or educated
es his school. Jefferson Davis was alw;
o. prating about the declaration of in
so pendence and the constitution.
er maintained that the constitution did
We permit congress to coerce a state, {
les that for the north 70 force a COVE
tie ment upon ten millions OF white men
the south without their consent wa
gross violation Of the principles of
m declaration of independence. But
OIL sword of Gen. Grant, coupled with
common sense of the nation, made sh
work OF the arguments of pedantry.
aE ,nIn Z