The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1902-10-21

Mr.. Allan Benny, the Democratic can
didate for Congress in the Ninth district,
has written a letter justly rebuking
Robert Carey, his Republican opponent,
for the boyishly fiippant manner in which
he replied to his serious offer to debate
with him the issues of the campaign. In
his letter Mr.. Benny says
Bayonne, N. j., Oct. 1S, 1902.
My Dear Mr.. Carey-Your favor of
the 18th instant is before me. You seem
to wholly misunderstood my letter of
October 13 to you. Ny purpose in writ
ing the letter was, and my desire now.
is, to discuss with you in a friendly way
''the important issues affecting our
people, and Involved in our candidacy"
as suggested in that letter, and to do SO
in such a way and at such times and in
such various places in the district, agree
able to us both, that the people of this
Ninth district may learn our respective
position with regard to these matters in
time to form an intelligent opinion, be-
fore election day, as to whether you or
I would better serve their interests in
Congress. 1 had no right to, and did
not, suggest that we talk upon "any-
thing which you W may suggest as an
issue" Issues are made by conditions;
not suggested by candidates. expected
to be met by you in the same spirit,
thinking you would gladly argue with me
and state your position on the question
of the day before the people in the differ
ent localities.
You had no authority to reply to me
that you, being the challenged party,
shave the right to name the conditions
of the debate" which conditions you
specified. The conditions of debate, or
other orderly discussion between gentle
men, are matters for mutual agreement
and not of arbitrary dictation by the one
party and subservient acceptance by the
other. You must not, in effect, say to me
.syou shall do thus and So" While will
willingly agree to any fair conditions Il
cannot permit you to dictate unreason-
able terms 1t is an un-American policy,
and am opposed to it. Your conditions,
as laid down, are not only without war
rant, but are unfair and impossible.
You say s'the issue must be so dis
tinctiyely defined that there will be no
mistake as to the subject, so as to avoid
the discussion degenerating into a mere
exchange of words.' You have been
talking at public meetings for the past
week. Surely you must either have been
discussing the issues of the campaign or
else your talk necessarily degenerated
s.into a mere use of words
LABOR AND TRUSTS.
You then tell me that if | think the
labor question is involved to state what
phase of it / desire to debate, but, if
do not conceive it to be political issue,
you still will be glad to express your SEN
timents towards the laboring men and
matters in which they are interested. In
other words, you say I must distinctly
state the issue to prevent the discussion
..degenerating," etc. ,and then in the next
paragraph you ignore the conditions of
your own making and offer to talk out
side the issue anyway. Later you tell
me that if / sbelieve the so-called trust
issue to be involved in this campaign
you will be pleased to express your views
on that question and tell why you stand
with the President ON, the tariff. Inas-
much as there is>grave uncertainty as
to whether the President stands with the
Iowa wing of the Republican party in
favor of revising the tariff or with the
Speaker Henderson branch in direct op-
position thereto, it is very hard to place
you.
Next you assert you are even willing
to discuss free silver, or anything / may
propose as being involved in the cam
paign. In. the Jersey City Evening
Journal Of the 18th instant, you are
quoted as saying sny father was a