The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-08-04
LSGRuRz SUPPER
OF AL TON B. PARKER
AN LETTER TO MR.. scHURz
FROM CONGRESSMAN BAR
THOLDT.

s5Sss0Isgl4OSIS,a - Y 81 11Sn'ats S1iA
sehurz. Lake George, N. Y, Dear
our letters to Judge Parker
have been published to the country.
81 For Obvious reasons they We're writ
ten for utilization. Therefore you
Will concede the propriety,I am sure,
Of a public expression regarding them.
Ss our support of Mr.. Parker is, of
course, no surprise to those who re-
member that in 1900, standing almost
alone among the unbiased and
though tfuI OF your German-American
countrymen you supported Bryan
But surely the reasons you assign
for your present attitude viii astound
those who are conversant with the po-
Z liticai situation. You take it for
granted thar Mr.. Parker's telegram
I to- the Louis convention has elm
mated the money question as an IS
sue, and go so far as to say amy at
tempt to continue this agitation must
q be cond little less than
criminal ~ Evidently you feel that
Democratic success is impossible I'M
less the American people forget,
hence you want them to forget. But
this, seems to me, is the attitude of
3 the partisan Democrat, rather than
that Of an Independent, as which you
StEIe yourself in your last letter. A
real Independent who places country
above party will not fail to appre-
;aciate the fact that the Parker view
y was notSonIy not Incorporated IN the
Democratic platform, but was express
voted out of it by the committee on
sion. his proves conclusively that
4 the actual disagreement between Mr..
Parker and the Democratic party is
Ii FULL as radfca1#as the discrepancy be-
tween the platform, as finally adopt
led and the telegram of the nominee.
In otherwo rds. and this is. the simple
5trut Mr.. Parker does not control his
party on this question, and, if elected,
neither he nortyou nor all of the gold
Democrats put together could influ
ence, or even predict, the conse-
quences to the country Certainly no
one could guarantee that Mr.. Bryan
whose prestige has been heightened
rather than lessened by the ST. Louis
convention, will desist from agitating
{ his hobby, and what if the House of
Representatives should have a Demo-
cratic nlajority2 Success at the polls
would put not only Mr. Parker in pow
( err but the@D Democracy, too, and no in
ste1ligent observer will deny that such
3asrssult would be the surest means to
continue the unhealthy agitation and
dangerous uncertainty of which you
speak, because the agitation emanates
from the Democratic, and not the Re
publican, side of the house. On the
other hand, there is one point upon
which al Republicans, all independ-
ents and all fair-m1nded Democrats
agree. and that is that Mr.. Roosevelt's
healthy certainly, and, with the vim
sdication of the. gold standard, will |
::Touchsafe its positive and irrevoce-
bIecontinuance as an integral princi-
pie of government policy.
our admiration of Mr.. sParker's al !
legged courage in sending that tele-
gram is being bestowed in total dis
regard of the fact that the message
was sent after the nomination had |
been made, and at a time when it was
Epractically impossible to reconsider it.
Measured by the amount OF risk the |
Z : s
degree of courage displayed was sure
ly558n not such as to justify any one in
going into ecstacies.
You are aware, of course, that the
Democratic nominee voted for free |
silver in 1886 and 1900. This he has
himself admitted. But since he has
now declared for the gold standard
the question which every thoughtful |
citizen viii ask himself is this:
When Mr. Parker voted for free Sill |
were, did he believe in it? If he be-
lieyed in it, you will agree with me,
she4ought not to be President of the |
United States; and if he voted for it
without believing in it, you will also |
agree, he is still less worthy of the
Presidency. These conclusions are |
mot dictated by partisanship, but by
memorable logic and plain patriotism
Yours truly,
RICHARD BARTHOLDT.
BALTIMORE G. OHIO RAILROAD.