The midland journal., 1890-08-29
Confused Ideas.

The Voice in its issue of August 2lst
tries its hand at platform building and
sketches such a one as it suggests for the
Prohibition party. The editors confusion
of ideas on economic questions which are
struggling for fair hearing, are remark
able for one who presumes to shape and
enlighten public opinion. Among the
glitering generalities grouped together
which all platforms endorse, In an evasive
kind of way, the following curious-curious
for reformer who sets out to analize polit.
ical truthes and separate the false from the
true:
"SiIver Kings moving en- mass on Congress
for laws that shall give them, at the ex-
pense of the nation, market for all their
wares at 20 and 25 per cent above the
market price. Farmers, we regret TO say,
misled into the demand that Congress shall
take money from the pockets Of all its citi-
zens in order to loan il TO them at their own
figure"
Nothing could be further from the truth
than all this rubbish, which is picked up
from the monopoly papers that mislead the
public by such false statements. How any
editor with average intelligence at this day
can claim that silver is to be given market
sat the expense of the nation,' 20 and 25
per cent above the market price is mys-
terry. The ''silver kings" do not get the
20 and 25 per cent, but it goes into the
treasury for the benefit all. The "Silver
Kings" an epithet invented by the English
money monopoly. get for their bullion sill
yer Is and so cents from the treasurer, and
the silver is coined into dollars which pass
for 100 cents, and the notes or certificates
issued on this cheap silver pass everywhere
in this country and England too. at par
with gold. In place of the so called silver
kings making 20 and 25 per cent 'above the
market price, they really have been receiv.
ing that much less than the government
makes out of the silver it has purchased
from them. The clause of the paragraph
which relates TO farmers is, if possible,
worse confused muddle. in charging that
farmers demand "that Congress shall take
money from the pockets of all its citizens
in order to loan it to them at their own
figures" This assertion is absolutely false
from end TO end, and is nothing more than
repetition of the falsehoods put out by the
money monopoly or gold ring organs for
the purpose to mslead the public. Even
the very impractical warehousing theory
did not propose TO take money from the
pockets of any body to loan to. farmers, but
proposed to deposit farm produce as security
for an issue of national currency. to the
amount of so per cent of the value of the
produce in warehouses. The other propo-
sition which was laid before Congress by
Senator Stanford, one of the most practical
and ablest business men in the Senate, was
real estate security for an issue OF govern
ment currency or "greenbacks," bearing 2
per cent interest the loan to run for 20 years,
the farmers to pay interest 10 The govern
ment or call of its citizens" as the editor of
the Voice puts it. And the object of al
these measures, the reconciliation of silver
anu tuc ldIiucT lOdLS, was ~ IUCTedSG Inc
circulating medium in order that ground
down industrial class might be relieved
from the grasp Of a gold ring money mo-
nopoly, which has invested As or more mil
lion dollars in breweries and distilleries.
In place Of taking sides with the people we
find this leading organ of the Prohibition
party engaged on the siue of monopoly and
making use of their state sophistries and
misrepresentation. If the leaders of the
Prohibition party expect .hope 10 make
headway in the West and gain adherents
from among the farmers, they had better
lose no time in stopping the Rev. Minister
Funk's mouth on finance, or whoever it is |
that dictates the editorial opinions of the
Voice. When the same authority's crude
notions of finance is questioned we are
seriously told that he goes 10 Clay and
Webster for information on the money
question. II would be difficult to imagine
anything more farscal than to find the editor
of a reform paper turning away from the
light of the present day and going back to
Clay and Webster when we were cropping
in the dark with wildcat State and indi-
vidual banks and "shlnplasters," issued ly
country store keepers; and when the very
highest standard of a sound currency was to
place one dollar in coin in bank vault and
issue on this basis three one dollar notes
with the promise on each to redeem them
with that one dollar of coin in the strong
box.
The crude notions of the Rev. editor of
the Voice are ludicrous and would he simply
laughable if it were not like trusting
child in place where it may do incalcu-
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