Evening journal., 1900-10-30
J. SKELETON WILLIAMS WRITES
ON 1.-THE DUTY OF THE HOUR" "
In Company With the Three Living Demo cratic Former
Governors Of Virginia He Believes It His
Duty to Oppose Bryan

unanimous in opposing him than 4
have ever known them to be on any
other question.
"Feenng this way, and knowing of
many others who feel and understand
as / do, | can foresee, in the event OF
Bryan's election, successive periods in
which every man who has a spare dol
/ lar will hold on to il awaiting events.
The spare dollars are the dollars which
establish new enterprises, build towns
and cities, employ labor make prog
ress, send prices upward and establish
prosperity provided the dollars are
honest and full value. iney will wait
until the new administration is inau-
gurated and defines its policy; until
the new Cabinet is named and the pol
licy of its various members towards va
lrious interests is known.
This insures waiting and conse-
quent stagnation and trade paralysis
for the preliminary period of, say, six
months. If Mr.. Bryan is true TO his
promises and his friends, / do not see
how he can avoid naming a Cabinet
which will threaten every dollar in the
land with depreciation. every invest
ment and incorporated enterprise With
persecution. When the Cabinet has been
formed and the policy of the Bryan ad
ministration formally announced, tn
forces of evil will be let loose. Tn.
temporary panic which was expert
enced in August, SO, was but a pre-
monitory indication of the disaster to
the country which would follow the
political success OF the Free Silver cam
diate. No war in which this country
could engage could cost it so much
as a panic and two or three years ol
stagnation and depression. The money
spent in war remains in circulation
The money lost in panics vanishes
The soldier is always fed and clothed
and if he is killed or manned the gov
ernment cares for those dependent on
: him. The man deprived of work or
means by shrinking values and para
lyzed industries has nobody to look to.
he mortality which proceeds from
( starvation and want the disease which
travels with desperation, and tie
crime which accompanies idleness ant
, hunger are the usual fruits of indus
trial paralysis and languishing com
merce. l will venture the assertion
that the mortality and distress Incl
dent to a commercial panic and the
hard times that follow are far greater
than the mortality, the disease and
lprivation which have thus far proceed
ed from our recent war with Spain,
the insurrection in the Philippines and
d the troubles in China, all combined
4 Rust destroys as surely as fire.
Il represent 10000 employed men of
the best classes of American citizens
B and 100000 900 OF invested capital
/ and l feel my responsibility to both
The same conditions that give my
- stockholders and bondholders thei
D dividends and interest give the work
I ingmen their wages. In voting for
. President Mckinley / shall feel that
/ am doing my part as an American citi
D zen to defend the interests OF men and
: money for it is to the interest Of both
Y to have exchanges between buyer and
e seller brisk and new enterprises con.
b stantly developing / shall feel that
s am voting for the interests Of the
8 South, because this section Is on the
upgrade, and. more than any Other
+ section OF the country requires the
8 maintenance of the confidence that
s makes capital seek opportunity and
d outlet instead OF withdrawing to await
= results.
L Il recognize the Importance OF oul
j, foreign policy and the trust problem
II ed to deal with these as they have
q dealt with other questions, in due
time and in order bringing sucf
r changes as may be needed step by step
el There is no emergency to justify us il
h inviting the fearful commercial Danger
n which Mr.. Bryans election wOull
i bring, the disasters which the execu
s tion of his declared purposes and tn
b fulfilment of his promises would surel
ldevelop.
yfl "The dangers which may eventual
from trusts and sO-called imperialism
are remote-months and years away
II The danger sof an apparent endorse
L ment by the American people of MI
Bryan and Free Silver cOinage-an
to the two are inseparably united-and Of
q. Free Silver coinage administration ar
sf immediate They will be upon us i
re three weeks, if at all.
K "There is a curious inconsistency
the position of those who contend ths
or Congress can guard us against Ere
i Silver coinage and seem to think thf
II Congress cannot defend us against in
be elperialism or be trusted to deal wit
nv trusts. Mr.. Bryan can precipitate
r. panic upon us without the aid of Col
gress and against it's will. Mr.. Mckil
e. ley cannot commit us to imperialism {
ar deliver us over to the trusts without
he Congress to help him.
cd II have not, however, the least id'
to that Mr. Mckinley wishes to NAL
n himself emperor or to destroy our Ii
Iot critics. If he had any purpose of tn
he kind he would. it appears to me, ha'
begun on the South, where the necess
ge ties of our condition have given hi
nd pretexts. AS a matter of fact, he h
by left us a free hand to work out o
,b- own particular problems in our oy
BIZ way, and he has impressed me as
ngl broadminded. conservative and pat
an. otic citizen OF unusually pure person
yer character. whose mistakes have
net suited from his anxiety to obey WI
he believed to be the win of the pc
the pie.
nj "I am anxious to be true to the int,
hat ests of my part of our country and
will people and traditions. political a
hev otherwise. and | have always vOt