The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-17
VAN CLEAVE SENDS ANSWER ID BRYAN Manufacturer Attacks Platform
 of Democrats AN ANSWER Is DEMANDED Mir. Van cleave lntimates That Bryan and the Democratic Platform Are
 Wrong on Labor Question
 and Bank Guarantee.
AN ANSWER IS DEMANDED

St. Louis, August 16.-James w. Van Cleave, president of the National Asso- cation of Manufacturers, today issued an answer to recent reply by William J. Bryan to an article by MT. Van Cleave a few weeks ago, which pointed out cer- tain reasons why, according to MT. Van Cleave, business men should vote against Mir Bryan. Speaking today, also, he says for business men, MT. Van Cleave says, that the injunction, tariff and bank ing blanks of the Denver platform as- sail the interests of every man in the country who is engaged in any sort of trade.
 '"rhe falsity of the insinuation In the Denver platform that labor unions are outlawed," MT. Van Cleave says, "is shown by the fact that their members continue in their regular employments on every working day in the year in every town in the United States. Every member of the Lincoln Typographical union, at whose banquet he was a guest on the evening of his formal notification of nomination, could have told MT. Bry- an that there is not a vestige of truth in the pretenoe that any act of Congress or any ruling of any federal court ever forbade any labor union to organize to ask such wages from employers as the union saw fit to ask, or to make any terms to employers which would be agreeable to both parties"
 He then asks: "Does not MT. Bryan as a lawyer and public. man, know that his platform charge Is false?"
 He tells MT. Bryan that the National Association of Manufacturers, like tho courts, have always recognized the rights of the unions to get any terms from employers which in amicable agreement could be gained, but the association al- ways opposed the intimidation and vio- lence which he says has sometimes been practiced by some of the unions. Docs he personally favor the legislation of the boycott?" MT. Van Cleave asks, and he adds that the country Is interested in getting a plain, direct answer from Mir Bryan on this point. and in getting 1t just as quickly as he can give it.
 Speaking of the guarantee fund which the Denver platform urges for the pay ment of depositors of insolvent national or state banks, Mr. Van Cleave asks:
 Does not MT. Bryan know that this vicious provision would penalze the hon. est and careful banker for the benefit of the banker who is dishonest and reck- less? Can he not see that this scheme would remove all the safeguards which our present laws have raised against such plungers and grafters as have worked their way into the control of many of our banks; that 1t would immediately and immensely increase the number of such bankers and that it would pre- cipitate an era of extravaganza, wild speculation and corruption. which would wreck our whole financial system? Is not MT. Bryan aware that his wildcat banking scheme of 1908 would bring chaos and ruin to the country even quicker and in larger measure than his silver debasement of the currency of 1896 arr 1900 would have brought?'
 Accepting MT. Bryans definition that every man who is engaged in work which is useful to society Is a business man; every man who contributes by brain or muscle to the nations wealth or to the nations progress is business man, and that every man who is en- gagged in any honorable or helpful work, is also business man. Mir Van Cleave rejoins: Let me tell Mir Bryan that have everyone of those men in mind when pointing out the reasons why believe all of them should vote against him."