New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-07-31
NEVER TOUCHED 1T?

The casual statement made by a perndlous
press that Mr.. Bryan on his recent trip 10
Maine discussed the monetary question, Is
branded by Senator Carmack. of Tennessee, as
monstrous departure from the truth L heard
every speech that Mr.. Bryan made in Maine
saws Mr.. Carmack, land he did not menuon 10
TO | at any time He did not advocate the Tree
coinage of silver. nor did he denounce the gold
STANDARD" There can be no question that the
Senator who cherishes the laudable purpose OF
assisting the truth TO prevail at all hazards, IS
fully convinced that he knows what he is Talk
ing about: nor can ii be denied that he mas
strong claims 10 be regarded as a competent
witness Them is of course. a possibility that
the Senator dropped asleep under the hypnotic
spell of the coloners oratory. but the presump-
ton is that he sat up and presented an appear
ance of the most solicitous interest. 1t is also
conceivable that Mr. Carmack who as manager
of the literary bureau of the Democratic Con
gressional Committee firmly refuses TO put out
so much as a single document bearing on any
issue except Imperialism, was buried in his own
profound cogitations while other questions were
being elucdated, and accidentally missed few
brief illusions TO the financial topic. But such
hypothesis are purely speculative, and we are
disposed to think that the newspapers are
guilty.
But IL So what has become of that particular
one of the eternal verities which Colonel Bryan
has declared TO be far more important than all
the rest? We should hate TO think that he had
lost his grip on it and let it go glimmering off
into the ewigkeit without so much as snatch
ing at its coat tails. He is on record as an
nouncing that "the gold standard is made up
''of more misery for the human race than wars
''or pestilence or famine-more misery than
941,
tell If this is fact, the people Of Maine are
entitled to be reminded of it. Shall the leader
of his party set it aside If it were in the same
class with the question whether a woman's hat
is on straight? In our opinion the thunder OF
the breaking waves that dashed high on a stern
and rockbound coast while he was speaking
ought to have sounded like the purring OF a
kitten in comparison with the stentorian tones
of Colonel Bryan denouncing the worst of all
crimes against humanity. Never mentioned Is
TO at any time while he was in Maine? So
says Senator Carmack, and we have just con-
coded the probability that he is right. But we
take it back He must be wrong.
1t is true that two years ago in this city, where
he discovered that '"Tammany is great and
Croker is its prophet" Colonel Bryan did not
allude TO the silver question. But that as we
have always understood, was because Croker
told him it was not worth while-that nobody
would believe him. not even If he took his oath
that the people here were suffering hideous tor
ments 1t is a very different case in Maine,
hundreds Of miles from Wall Street and the
Bowery. The Democrats up there may have
forgotten that the gold standard is infinitely
worse than wa, pestilence and famine but
| Colonel Bryan assumed fearful responsibility
If he neglected to refresh their memories We
confidently expect TO hear that he has asked
the Senator from Tennessee for an explana-
tion and that it will appear in the next num-
Der of THE Commoner." unless that negligent
clerk is still mislaying important letters