The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-07-03
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Letters to The Editor.
A BIT OF HISTORY.
Showing Mr. Bryan's Charges to Be
 Uufounded.

UufOunQeu.
 Editor The Advertiser:
 quite agree with you that MT. Bryan abuse of MT. Cleveland is unjust Nor only is 1t unjust, but much of what he said is untrue. His statement that he picked his last cabinet with hired cor poration agents is absolutely false. have heretofore regarded Mir. Bryan as truthful, but in view of this statement from him and his knowledge or those men, l am led to believe he made 1t with out due regard fo the truth. We all know that Judge Walter c. Gresham was corporation hater, was lampooned by corporation agents. Hon. Hoke smith made his money fighting corporations. Secretarys Carlisle and Herbert had been in the public service for so many years that it could not be said of them that they had any occupations other than that. Certain 1t Is that their constituents had enough confidence In their integrity to keep them in their service for long period. It IS quite likely the brainy Olney was on many occasions retained by corporations, as they usually seek the best talent of every city. MT. Bissell the Presidents former law partner, has never been an agent of corporations. His sue cessor. Hon. w. l.. Wilson, the author of the tariff bill which, after being doctored by the representatives of the sugar trust in the Senate, MT. Cleveland refused to sign, was ever faithful to his trust That sterling Democrat Of Ne braska. Hon. J. s; Morton. was a
  obscure citizen when Mir. Cleveland made him his private secretary in 1885. don't know what he did during the next four years But suppose he was in the employ of one of MT. Bryans hated cor porations Is that any discredit to him? Its quite likely that he, during his four years service of the government demon- strated a capacity for business that at- tracted the attention of the representa- tives of that corporation.
 MT. Bryan makes the charge that MT. Cleveland fraudulently sold bonds at $l.6 when they were selling at H.17 That value was $1.17 I admit But Mir. Bryan failed to state every thing embraced in that trade, and it's well enough he did for he was then a member of the House and was one of the foremost to cause the defeat of that trade whereby the people of the United States lost s16,000000.
 The circumstances of that trade were these: President Cleveland had called an extra session of Congress to relieve the then depleted condition of the treas ury caused by the extravegance of the Republican administration and its failure to issue bonds to replenish the deficite. Congress was in session. MT. Cleveland called fnanciers to the capitol to con- suit over the terrible situation. Mark the distressing times. Banks were break ing in all sections of our fair land. Three fourths of the remttances were made through express companies. thus keep ing large sums of money out of circula- tion. All for a lack of confidence in all financial institutions and especially in the ability Of the government to redeem at par the vast amount of silver and other fiat money then outstanding. After several consultations with the principal bankers and financiers of New York and other large cities MT. Morgan made a proposition like this that he and the other financiers would take S62, 100000 of this governments bonds at much tower rate than they had ever sold before the T.sNk vnCAn f ,..sN 1N,Nf n1N saving of $16,000,0 900 over what the Sec retary of thes Treasurer realized); pro- vided Congress would authorize Score tary Carlisle to insert the word gold instead of "con." Under the trade Con- gross was given thirty days in which, to act It failed to act and thus caused that part of the trade to fall through and the government to lose the $l6,00O000. If Congress failed to act in thirty days they were to have the bonds at $1.05 per cent MT. Cleveland's idea at that time was to relieve the situation by restoring con fidence. He knew that many of the Southern and Western members were free silverites, but he never for a moment thought they would reject a business proposition Nike that This trade" ac- cOmpanied by the Presidents special mes- sage to Congress had nothing in common with the bill then before the House 10 repeal the purchasing clause of the Sher- man act. It did not bind any member of either House to vote for the latter bill,
 
 the Congress was told in no uncertain terms that they could save our govern ment the immense sum of 16,00O,WO by simply changing the wording of the bonds which the Secretary of te Treasu- ry had ample authority to issue ad libitum The Congress refused to take advantage of this 'trade;" the government lost Messrs Cleveland and Carlisle were cuss- ed.
 Just after this trade many members of Congress charged fraud. but 1t was then made to save their own scalps. In other words, they covered Cleveland and Carlisle with mud to draw attention from their own omissions. But many of them have repented of their folly. Its for MT Bryan to keep up that most unjust charge against two honest and capable public servants who saved this country from financial ruin at a most critical time. Respectfully, R. C. Mlliken.
 Tallapoosa, Ga. June 2S. 1902.