The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-01-23
HARD SLAP AT BRYANISM
4 ACTION or MEME FRS OF NEW FORK
 DEMOCRATIC CLUB.

ton Causes a stir-ObJection Raised
 That the Public May Construc the
 Proceeding as the Act of the Club. .,
 New York, Jan. 22.-The following
 letter signed by John Fox, a former
 president of the Democratic club and
 now member of the board of gover-
 nors; R. B. Roosevelt, and John F.
 Doyle was sent tonight to Hon. John
 w. Keller, president of the Democratic club
 Tt is with the most kindly feeling and certainly with no desire to criticise your acts that we take the liberty as members of the Democratic club, to
 address you. We are credibly informed
 that you have invited Hon. William
 Jennings Bryan to become your guest
 at the Democratic club, and take din-
 ner with you and party of friends.
 In other words, MT Bryan is to be en-
 tertained by you and that the place of
 such entertainment is at the Democrat
 ic club. While it is your unquestioned
 right or the right of any other member to invite any gentleman whom he may choose to become his guest at the club, yet under existing conditions we great ly fear that your act will become con- strued by the public as the act of the club should you give such dinner to this distinguished guest without afr
 matively disclaiming such intention on the part of the club.
 We, ourselves, can fully distinguish between an official act and individual opinions. We want 1t understood, too, that we have no personal objections to MT. Bryan, nor do we object in the slightest degree to your giving him a dinner at the club, in your individual capacity as one of it's members. We should much regret, however If what you proposed to do should be construed throughout the country as a political endorsement by the Democratic club of the presidential candidacy, at this | time, of MT. Bryan.
 "The Democratic club is essentially q democratic political organization and of its 5000 members none but demo- crats belong to 1t. You are now it's president and in the absence of g dis claimer on your part to the contrary, your course in anything pertaining to the club or it's affairs might be con- strued and not unreasonably so, as the act of the club.
 Tt will not do to say that such a construction would only be placed up- on your acts by the ignorant and mis- informed because MT. Bryan himself has established a precedent which Is applicable to the case now in point. We desire to call your attention to DOT tion of the correspondence which took place between your immediate prede- cessor as president of the club and the distinguished gentleman whom you have invited to be your guest. You will remember that MT. Bryan now stands before the nation as an avowed aspirant seeking the democratic presi- dential nominations; that in Aori 13 last, and for a long time prior thereto, he has maintained the same attitude; that banquet was about to a gi, en by the club on said date in honor of the birthday of Thomas Jefferson that MT. Bryan was given a most cordial and considerate invitation to attend such banquet; and that the invitation was signed by Perry Belmont, president, etAu NlUhcI,
 You will further remember that on the receipt of this invitation MT. Bryan, on March 13, made to the president of the club the following reply: Invita- ton received. Remembering that you openly repudated the democratic plat form in the last campaign I desire to know before answering such invitation whether you have since the election publicly announced your conversion to the principles set forth in that plat form
 ITO this answer the president made the following reply: The invitation ex- tended to you Is on behalf of the Demo- cratic club. Individual opinions have | not been considered in issuing the in- | vitation to celebrate the birthday of | Thomas Jefferson
 Notwithstanding the fact that Mr. | Belmonts affirmative declaration that | the invitation was on behalf of the Democratic club, and that individual opinion had not been considered in is- suing the invitation, MT. Bryan was not content to send a polite declination of the invitation, but saw fit to enlarge upon the subject in the following lan- guage: I appreciate the compliment the Democratic club pays me in extend- ing the invitation, but do not under- stand how individual opinions can be ignored at political gathering. You are the president of the club and repre- sentative of the club. Your position on public questions was well known in 1S96 and your precious telegram indi- cates that your position has not chang ed. I believe in harmonizing personal and in my opinion, no party advantage is to be derived from politi- cal communion between Jefferson de- mocrats who stand upon the Chicago platform and the republican allies who as democrats between cam paigns. in order to give more potency % their betrayal of democratic princi- oles on election day
 'To this suitable reply was made by he president, and it may be fairly in- erred from all of the foregoing that if you were not considered by MT. Bryan IS an avowed believer in his doctrine of rec and unlimited coinage of silver at he ratio of 16 to 1 he would also have ieclined your invitation on the ground | , that no party advantage is to be deriv- d from political communion with you (