The evening times., 1900-09-13
: SeVer-Eight Nine
IMPERIALISM THE ISSUE.
Perry BeIHiont's letter to National
Conan utitteenien sIcGrayy.


GRAFTON. " Va, Sept. 13.-Hon. John
T. AcGraw, of this city. Democratic Ma
tioDal Committeeman for West Virginia
and the nominee of the West Virginia
Democrats for United States Senator 10
succeed Hon. Stephen B. Elkins, has re-
ceiyed the following Letter from Hon Perry
Belmont, CT New York:
Newport r. l.. Sept My Dear
Sir: I an very sorry i cannot at present
go to Wheeling as you ask me and aid in
the campsign against the reelection OF
President Mckinley. Later On I may be
able to do So
The Republican idea. the imperia1istie
idea that ali the millions of people in our
Territories aud islandg.~a greater number
than was our whole population seventy
years ago, can, ii time of peace, excepting
these who are aliens and protected by
treaties, be governed by Congress accord
ing TO its own fancy, unrestrained by the
Constitution and the judicial power and if
Congress shall not legislate can. bv any
President, be lie Mckinley or Bryan OF
anybody else, be ruled arbitrarily and re-
gardless of any other restraint than the
usages Of war. viii, I am confident. he re-
jeeted by the voters of West Virginia
Such imperialism was by the Kansas
City Convention made the supreme issue,
! ard voters are rapidly coming to perceive
that in comparison with it, other pending
political issues are trivial
The Republican leaders asked IN their
Philadelphia platform the re-election Of
President Mckinley because he had OBJ
taIned the Treaty of Paris hut now they
I condemn Mr. Bryan because he as they
say. achieved it's ratification by the Ssn-
ate Mr.. Denby has been for twelve years
in the diplomatic service of the United
1
Mckinley in the Philippines He has re-
! Gently declared that Mr.. Bryan accomplish
ed the ratification so that he might thereby
create what MIR DENLY describes as the
/ bogie of Imperialism. IN order that he
might fight and overcome the monster
! He imagines that the imperialism which
! the Democrats denounee is altogether the
/ treaty and is not the Republican desire and
| purpose to govern the ceded islands in dis
| regard of the Constitution.
The Republican national platform COM
mended the recent Republican financial
! law as an enactment by which the parity
Of all our money and the stability of our
| currency upon a gold basis has beer secur-
/ ed Mark the word secured But now
| Secretary Gage and Republican newspapers
| affirm that Secretary Gage, or any Secre-
! Jary OF the Treasury, can, without render
/ ing himself liable to impeachment for vio-
lating the new law, easily pus the country
| on 2 siiyeF-dollar basis.
| After reading what Secretary Gage has
/ recently said OF the inefhciency of the last
Republican financial law OF March + 1900
! We may wonder whether or not there are
in the Republican party many voters who
really wish for the United States an ef-
| fectiye gold monometallic basis, as in Eng
| land, where silver coins are only token
! currency and nothing is full legal tender
excepting gold coin Gold dollars the only
| ct dnil b1,t civ
! paper dollars al the same time SO far a
standard as to be full legal tender for ali
! Government and private debts is on the
face of it Incompatible and inconsistent.
| However that may be. the compietest gold
! standard that human ingenuity can make
| would be poor compensation for the aban-
| donment by the United States of their
| Constitution. as imperialiSts' propose
| "Frantically endeavorfng to eydde and
shirk the issue of imperialism the Re-
| publican leaders count up the number OF
| vacancies soon to be on the Supreme Court
bench and announce the names of those
Mr.. Bryan Will propose to the Senate afte-
| March to fill the vacancies How infaI-
lible rs mind readers and the foretellers
OF events in the future those 'imperialists'
! must be if they are really sincere in what
! they say TO their countTymen.
Have you not been impressed by evi-
| dence of the alienation of the Republican
omission in the Philadelphia platform ot
any mention of the Constitution in con
neetion with plan 10 govern the new
islands, and omission by the President in
his sFeech at Canton on the 18th of July
last to mention the Constitution In con-
nection with anything whatever? He pro-
claimed the baldeSt imperialism when he
said to the committee notifying him of his
denomination that Congress has full legis-
Iative power over the territory belonging
TO the United States. ana therefore, by in
ference can govern in disregard of the
Constitution, which does not permit the
exercise anywhere, by any Federal agent
of such arbitrary power. Tha, ConstittI-
ton is now as necessary in our new islands
/ as In West Virginia, and it is difficult tC
understand how our banhs our trust com.
panies, our insurance companies, and in
dividEais having ioanable capital seeking
investment in those islands can tolerate
the imperialism which deprives that capt
tai of the protection of the Constitution
and the judicial power imperialism of
fers nothing in place Of the Constitution
but the arbitrary will of those ruling 70
the time at Washington. Yours yer,
truly, PERKY BELMoNT.'
$50 To Richmond. Va, and Re- $3.5'