The age-herald., 1900-07-15
BRYAN'S EXACT POSITION
The Democratic Leader Declares Him
 self for Good and All

The World prints the following auto- graph letter from MT. Bryan, dated Lin coin, April 30:
 'WheneVer you see in the newspapers that I have abandoned silver, or side tracked or tried in any way to evade it, you can set it down as false While men differ as to the relative importance of the money question: the trust question and im- perialism, I regard all of them as import ant, and have not attempted to decide which is most important. It seems to me that the World ought to be able to see the folly of my taking sides in the dispute.
 Why should l discourage those who op- pose to gold standard and the trusts merely to gratify those who think the question of imperialism the all-mportant question? Why should I discourage the imperalists by saying that the trust question is all- important?
 "Why should I discourage the opponents of trusts and imperialism by saying that the money question is the only question to be considered? Others may emphasize one question or the other, but I shall em- phasize them all. If We are to win in Mo- yember we must have the cooperation of all who oppose Republican policies, and that cooperation can only be secured by making the fight all along the line The people who oppose the gold standard also oppose the trusts and imperialism, and there are nine who oppose all to three to one who favors the gold standard and yet oppose the trusts or imperialism. Why al- ienate nine in order to please one?
 '"rhe men who demand the abandonment of the silver question did what they could to make the party "a gold standard party, and when they were outvoted they left the party and did what they could to defeat the ticket. Now they want to drive away the Populists and Silver Republicans who came to us when the Gold Democrats de- serted.
 Whatever influence I>may have will be exerted to holding what we have and gain ing enough from the outside to defeat the Republicans, but I do not want it to be a barren victory.
 'I want the party to accomplish the re- forms to which it is pledged. I want the Filipinos to have a chance to celebrate the Fourth of July, and I want every private monopoly destroyed, but I also want silver restored at the ratio of 16 to 1 and I want the national banks deprived of the power to issue paper money.
 q also want the Constitution so amend ed as to authorize an income tax and the election of Senators by the people. In ad- dition to these I want to see the system known as government by injunction abol- ished, and arbitration between labor and capital established.
 '"Those who favor free silver favor all these reforms. Those who favor the gold standard favor few of these reforms, but are against most of them I am not willing to trade larger number of people who are all right for a small number who are part right. I am not anxious enough for the nomination to purchase it by sacrificing what believe to be right If my principles are as unpopular as gold Democrats think, why not nominate a gold Democrat?
 ,oJy i,,to tl,n ffar txll find that my strength df I have any) is not at all personal but is due to the principles advocate. The only part that is personal is the belief among our people that I am honest, and will fulfill every pledge make.
 ''If I gave them any reason to doubt my willingness to go down to defeat rather than abandon my convictions they would