THE ADVOCATE,
11
' A Good Explanation.
Editos Advocatk: Thinking men
and women often wonder and ask why
our country is growing from bad to
worse every day, with no prospect of
any better times in the future. I will
say to such people: Read the republi
can platform of this state carefully and
thoughtfully. To me there are only five
words in the whole platform that are
worthy of the slightest consideration.
These are found in the first line of the
third resolution. They go on to say
what they have been saying for the last
twenty-five years. "The republican party
demands the use of both gold and silver
aa standard money with such restric
tions and under such provisions to be
determined by legislation as will secure
the maintenance of the parity of values
of the two metals," etc.
No one is talking about honest money
or the parity of these two precious
metals except those who have first
issued the discredited money and have
afterward discounted it in the hands of
the producers. Now they have the con
summate gall to talk about parity. The
legerdemain of the republican party and
its democratic ally in what they are
pleased to call legislation for the last
thirty years is on a parity with' h 1. Is
it possible to make any stronger declar
ations for bi-metallism than were made
at Minneapolis and Chicago two years
ago by the two old parties? And what
did that avail us? When they got to
Washington they turned into Cleveland
republicans and McEinley democrats
for a bond issue and a gold standard,
ruined the West and South and filled
the country with marching armies of
idle men; and now our Western repub
lican friends propose to put another
dose of this damnable hog wash down
our throats to give these piratea at
Washington a new lease of power. Bear
with me, Mr. Editor, while I try to show
you the reason why "the poor we have
always with us." After the last gun
was fired in the war of the rebellion and
Lee surrendered at Appomattox the
bankers' told us that the government
was in debt over 2 billion dollars. To
whom did the government owe the 2
billion dollars? Was it the sjldier who
received bis $13 per month from the pay
master? Certainly not. He signed a
receipt for payment in fall and consid
ered himself paid. Was it the men who
clothed, armed and fed the armies of
the nation? They received their, pay
daring the war and all at the close of the
war, and none who received their pay
considered that the government was
under any further obligations to them
except the soldier in the way of a pen
sion he richly deserved. Did the gov
ernment borrow this vast sum of money
from the bankers? Not that anybody
knows of.
Then I ask again, to whom did the
government owe this 2 billions of dol
lars? Echo answers no one. Then how
waa this vast debt the people are paying
interest and principal on created? When
the government was in sore need of
money to prosecute the war, she asked
money from those bankers, but was re
fused; then the government issued 60
million dollars of demand notes that
stood at par (as these gentlemen term it)
with gold during the war. Then those
gentlemen who make their money by
stealth saw that there was no money in
the war for them unless they could con
trol congress and get all government is
sues of paper money converted into
promises to pay something that the gov
ernment did not have, with an excep
tional clause on the back of them, so as
to create a demand for their wares aa
thy dealt only in gold. Thtn hsj
bought this paper in that they succeeded
in depreciating at from 46 to 57 cents on
the dollar, and walked up to Uncle Sam
with a cheek that would put Beelzebub
to shame, and said: MWe have I your
promisee to pay; we know that you have
paid with this money the army and
navy and everybody that has raised a
hand for you to put down the rebellion,
and that you owe no debt for services,
but we are bankers, and understand all
about finance; therefore, we want interest-bearing
bonds for those greenback
promises to pay on their face value, no
matter what we took them in at, or how
we come by them. That is no concern
of the government, and for this great
benefit extended to the government we
ask to ba exempt from all taxes on the
debt we have oreated for our own spe
cial benefit; and, furthermore, we want
to establish the best banking system the
world ever saw (for the banker) that we
may draw interest on $90,000 on a $100,
000 investment. You sae the people do
not understand finance; they are accum
ulating altogether too much property
with these promises to pay, v and you
moat sustain the banks by a credit
strengthening act for the public (as it
were); we must have an honest dollar;
the credit of the government is at stake,
and in order to make it good, we must
be paid in coin. Therefore, Uncle Sam,
you must call in those premises to pay
that the people are ualig , money and
resume specie payment January 1, 1879,
for your debt is a sacred pledge to us,
and we must be paid in honest money.
Bat later on we perceive that silver, the
cheap white trash, after being demone
tized and partially restored under re
strictions, of course, still paasea for 100
cents on the dollar over every counter in
the country. This will never do; we
must bring it on a parity with gold, you
know. We must repeal the Sherman
law and get Sherman to do all he can to
help giover and give pie to only those
who will assist in the job. You see the
people's ideas about silver and finance
are visionary and impracticable. They
are paternalistic, anarchistic socialistic,
and mysticistio or mologistio."
Now, Mr. Editor, you can see the rea
sons why we enjoy such great prosperity
under republican and democratic rule.
The reasons are as clear as mud. Of
course, "the poor we have always with
us." That is only an incident that oc
curs in the line of our progress and pros
perity and is not worthy of mention
when you consider how little money it
takes to become a millionaire it you
only know how to get to congress and
legislate in the interests of the dear
people. Ton Evans.
Diabolism or Heroism. Which T
Editor Advocate: In making no
recognition whatever of those who waged
the war at the last legislature, the re
publicans have virtually cast a verdict
against their proceedings, which no
amount of "Standing up for Kansas," or
stump oratory can set adds or explain.
There was a gross assumption of au
thority, and one of two things is appar
ent: The actors in this drama were
prompted by a knowledge and belief in
what waa just, legal and legislative pro
ceedings, or from a determination, that
even in a minority, and in the wrong, they
would urge their claims at the point of
the bayonet, and set at defiance the ex
pressed will of the people. If the first
of there propositions be true, there waa
a heroism manifested that ought to have
been recognized and elicited from the
party an enthusiastic and determined
support; if the latter, thsir conduct
should recsive the ignominious rebuke it
has given them, and no newspaper or
f crensio effort can outweigh the logic of
their action. Douglass, Hoch, Hughes
and Welch, the prominent actors in this
war, though all presenting themselves
for recognition, have been ignominioualj
set aside; no justification or rational in
terpretation could be put upon their ao
actions, and all the party could do waa
to extend to them the charity of silence.
The republican party will thus com
mence their campaign with a virtual re
pudiation of an act that would have
ended in a bloody internecine war but
for our peaceable governor, and the
abiding fit.h in the PaopKe party that,
"Truth crushed to earth will rise again,
The eternal years of God are hen ;
But error wounded writhes In pain,
And dies amid her worshippers."
..: S. L. RUGGLES.
Emporia, Kas.
Agricultural College Allumnl.
Editor Advocatk: The resolutions
of the alumni of the Kansas State Agri
cultural college published in the Advo
cate laat week would esem to indicate
that they were not being recognizad by
the public aa much as their qualifica
tions deserved. While it is true that
none of the alumni have been appointed
on the board of regents it is also true
that from 1873 down to the present tims
the graduates have been very liberally
dealt with by the regents aa no less than
fifteen of them are now on the pay roll
of the college enjoying the moreorles3
emoluments, honors and perquisites of
Eublio cflioe. Five of them are mem
ers of the faculty with whom the board
of regents council on all matters of busi
ness and educational interests of the in
stitution. The status of the alumni as given in
the catalogue is as follow:
Total 85S
Female..... ISO
Died. B
Removed from the state 9i
218
Leaving male graduates 140
(There is no law preventing the ap
pointment of female?, but as it has net
been the custom I count only the males.)
A large proportion of thsae have no in
terests in the et&to, which coulii not
readily be abandoned, if duty or money
called them hence. A great many hava
acquired an education and are still mik
ing their living by the sweat of thazr ,
father's and mother's brow. And while
there are many of them no doubt thst
would fill anyplaoo of honor to which
they might be called with credit to them
eslves and their alumni, still la it any
wonder that with only six places to fill
and 825,000 voters to chocsa from that
the college alumni should get laft? The
second resolution implisa dangor
educational positions of trust being
made a reward for political sarvicea and
that "they will fight for the msnbo.it
adapted, etc.," and the alumni to bo tha
judges of course, and they have already
decided in favor of tha!preaent faculty.
I have con vers 3d with soma of the pres
ent body of regents and they have told
me that in making appointments politics
would not be a bar to any position in
their gift and that only capability and
fitcssa for positions asked for would be
required. That there waa no intention
on the part of the board of ragentato
make any changes or removals of the
present faculty except some slight shift
ing of duties to make the school more
efficient. I should not have taken any
exception to these resolutions only that
they seemed to imply that the present
Populist board waa making changsa or
threatened to make changes tor political
reasons, whioh is not true, and should
not be allowed to stand unanswered.
C. E. Qoodtbar.
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