The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1900-01-11

| hot DC pea ildneIiliN SIuelTdtheut Tia
the people of Nebraska have three
times declared their allegiance to the
platforms of St. Louis and Chicago.
and stands ready again this year TO
even more emphatieally stamp her
approval upon the principles and the
standard bearer, William J. BRYAN.
| EDITOR LEE WRITES LETTER.
St. Louis, Mo. Jan. 5.-Hon. John
| A. Lee, editor of the Interstate Gro
GER and one OF the prominent travel
| ing men in the west, was invited to
| be present at the Nebraska Ira yelling
Mems Bryan club banquet. On ac-
count OF pressing engagements Mr..
Lee was unable to attend The fol
lowing excerpts are from a letter he
wrote the club expressing his regrets;
81 congratulate your organization
upon the fact that you have arrang-
ed that the commercial travellers of
the United States shall have the
honor OF holding the first great
meeting for the cause in 1900 and of
practically opening the great cam
paign for justice, humanity and good
government.
As practical commercial traveller
on the road for twelve years, who has
for many years advocated their in
terests in official positions in their
fraternal organizations with which
they have honored me, and as a stu
dent of conditions affecting their
interests, l think it exceedingly APP
propriate that they should be given
the place in the leadership of the
democratic column as it begins to
march to the field of battle to con-
front the foes of the principles of lib
erty, of the principle of equal rights
and privileges to all, and ofequal op-
portunities in life to everyone.
In the campaign of 1896, | regret
that many of our fellow commercial
travellers were deceived by promises
made only to be broken, and infu-
enced and alarmed by dire predic-
tions and forebodings.
They have found that the prosperi-
ty promised to them has not been
realized, though for them the dire
predictions have come true, for since
1896 not only have the compensa-
tions of their occupation been greatly
reduced, but through the organiza
tion of great monopolies and trusts
thousands of commercial travellers
have been deprived of employment
and the opportunities OF life and the
avenues of industry, along the line of
their trainging and experience closed
to them.
The lesson has been a bitter one,
hearts have been made sore, houses
have been desolated. lives have beer
embittered and the industry and ef-
fort of years has been destroyed.
The altar of ''Mammon' has been
boldly and insolently erected in the
temple of liberty, and the American
commercial traveller has been the first
victim to be inundated. Therefore.
| it is fitting that those who have been
most deeply wronged. the CONNER
cial travellers of the United States,
should, as in olden times. be given
the post of honor, the leadership of
fray.
All pretense has at last been cast
aside by the republican party.
| The single gold standard has been
fiauntingly raised, monopoly has
been enthroned, the principles of self
government have been trampled
under foot, territorial conquest by
force has been begun. slavery to abol
| ish which $50, 900 precious lives of
north and south were sacrificed in
our civil war, has been again officially
recognized, the treasury ofthe United
States has been dishonesty and ille-
gally emptied into the yawning Golfers
of the national bank and money trust
| taxes have been burdensomely in
creased, the expenses OF the govern
ment enormously multiplied and one
of the most unrestrained and reck-
less eras of financial debauchery and
official corruption instituted ever
known in the history of the world.
| therefore believe that the people
are ready for a change, that public
sentiment is aroused in favor of refor-
nation and that the battle-the
great battle of which you have been
given the honor of firing the first gun
will result in a grand victory for
the imperishable principles of democ-
racy.
/ congratulate you and your
organization upon your urpromptitude
and activity and am proud to be a
mernb her of the executive committee