Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1891-09-16
4 Wick ArMR. McNEAL.

columns of the INDEX that the Hon. T.
A. McNeal is attempting to pay his
respects to the Peoples party, though.
whether Mr.. McNeal speaks from the
position of democrat or a republican
it is impossible for me to determine by
a careful reading of his articles.
1 do not know just how much of the
truth Mr.. McNeal means to speak, for
1 believe he has laid down the rule that
it Is the better way not to speak the
whole truth in reference to the finan-
cial condition of the people. Mr.. Nc
Neal expresses the fear that the ALI.
ance leaders may be troubled with collie.
AS Mr.. McNeal is somewhat of a lopi.
clan, suppose he associates cause and
effect, and judging by the terrible iux
that afflicted the republican party last
fall, whereby it lost the votes of the
larger portion of the industrial classes,
he has concluded that somewhere and
in somebody there must be awful
spasms. In this respect the gentleman
reminds one of the quack doctor, who,
after examining his patient, decided to
doctor the poor fellows thumb, when
in fact it was the patients big toe that
was alling.
The Peoples party declare that other
things being equal, increasing the mon
ey in circulation increases prices, and
decreasing the money in circulation de-
creases prices.
If Mr.. McNeal or other parties de-
sire to deny this proposition, he or they
can be accommodated either in the COL
ums of the INDEX or upon the stump.
The Peoples party has at no time de-
clared that the price of products was
necessarily contracted or regulated by
the volume of currency" hence, it was
necessary tor the gentleman to travel
out of the way to discuss the PROPOSE
ton. AS to whether or not corn sold in
Chicago during the months of August
and September, 1889, for 26 cents per
bushel, and in this year ranging from
81 to IS cents, is immaterial to the is
sue, unless the gentleman can show
that the worlds per capita supply of
corn and money was the same at the
dates named.
Mr.. Editor, am not at all sure that
L know to whom the gentleman refers
when he uses the term ''apostles of des-
pair" He may refer to Senator Plumb,
for has not the honorable senator de.
clared that the circulating medium is
being contracted year by year; or he
may refer to the editor of the Chicago
lnter-Ocean, who has also asserted and
proven that such is the case; or, which
is more likely, he may refer to the To-
peka Capital, for it no longer ago than
last year proved, by conclusive evidence,
that our money supply had been con-
tracted from over $50 per capita to our
present low standard, estimated all the
way form SIS to $40 per capita. If Mr..
McNeal will make his meaning clear
in this matter, will gladly assist him
in investigating this cry of despair; af-
ter discovering the origin of the wall
we can determine its cause and perhaps
agree upon remedy.
And now, MIR. Editor, come to that
part of Mr.. McNeal's article which
leaves me in total darkness as to his
political affiliations. He says ''again,
it has been the constant claim of the
opponents of protection that the pro-
tectiye tariff is no benefit to the farmer,
for the reason that the price of his pro-
ducts was fixed by the markets of Liv-
erpool, and that argument has been
the most plausible and the hardest to
meet from the protective standpoint, so
far as the farmers were concerned"
The question arises now whether Mr..
McNeal speaks as a free-trader, a Nc
Kinley protectionIst or as a-tariT-for-
revenue man. Judging by his state
ment that the Liverpool market con-
trolled the price of the farmers produce
in this country, l would say that he
was free trader, or, at any rate, that
he did not believe that high tariff up
on manufactured goods increased the
price of agricultural products in the
home market; but when 1 find him de-
claring that this argument was the
most plausible and hardest to meet
from the protective standpoint, am
inclined to believe him In sympathy with
McKInleyism, for, it he has found this
argument so hard to meet, he must have
been attempting to refute it. The Peo-
ple's party is not claiming the tariff to
q nf
people, but if Mr.. McNeal feels like
cracking any hard nuts. let HIM explain
how 1t happens that some of our pro-
tected industries are able to export
their surplus goods and sell them for
from Is to so per cent. below what the
same grade of goods is sold for in the
home market.
Again, he says, ''you might take one
quart of milk and pour 1t into vessel
with two quarts of water. The mixture
would still look somewhat like milk,
but the individual who saw the milk
and water before they were commin-
gled would hardly be fool enough to
suppose there was any more milk in the
three quarts than in the one."
Mr.. Editor, the republican party is
the only party on earth that is fool sh
enough to declare that Mr.. McNeal's
mixture is all milk.
1t would be interesting to see Mr.
McNeal attempt to prove that the only
thing that gives our present silver dol
lar purchasing power of over 20 per
cent. above its bullion value, is the fact
that it can be exchanged for a gold dol
lar. The gentleman talks about the
school of finance to which you now be-
long, Mr.. Editor. and l would accept
that statement as great compliment
if were you. for the republican party
has no school of finance. Schools re-