The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-02-06
SIMPSON ON CURRENCY.

From the Globe Democrat.
The views of Hon. Jerry Simpson, the
| sOckleSS statesman of Kansas, upon the
currency problem have the merit of SIM
plicity. to say the least He does
not find the subject at all intricate or be-
wildering. 1t is plain as day to him, and
/ he discusses it with refreshing ease and
self-cOntidence. The &c logists have
! ''got things down so fine" he puts it in
/ his barefoOUed and familiar style. that
/ they can readily estimate the quantities
/ of gold and silver in the mountains; and
/ the government should issue currency
certificates equal in amount to such e5ti-
mate. The metal need not be mined, in
/ other words; it can be made to count for
/ Just as much while remaining in the bow
/ els of the earth. Besides, "a Mr.. Simp-
/ son points out, it would be far safer there.
as in case of war foreign enemy might
capture the coin in the treasury vaults at
| Washington, but it could not re-
move the mountains, 'cven by
all the faith it could muster ="
The amount of currency thus indi-
Gated would not satisfy the present
order of inHationists, TO be sure; but the
/ logic of Mr.. Simpsons theory is nothing
| if not expansive, and SO could be con-
veniently applied to other sources of
value. For instance, certificates could
be issued to cover the estimated pro-
ductive capacity of all the farm lands of
the cOu try, in which event it would he
unnecessary to raise the crops: and if
still more currency should be desired,
another volume of certificates could be
printed to represent the es mated num-
Der of days work that might be per-
formed by all the people, and then
nobody would need TO labor in any
capacity.
This is all very absurd, but it does not
differ materially from other plans pro-
posed by other sockless statesmen for the
solution of the currency question. Mr..
Simpson carries a prevailing form of
reasoning to its legitimate conclusion,
that is all; or, in other words, he highly
puts aside all confusing calculations and
plants himself squarely upon the funda-
mental facts. II it be true, as we are
told, that the only thing required to cure
all our disorders and insure general pros
perity is an abundance of currency, re-
gardles, of its intrinsic value, then
Mr.. Simpsons proposition is manifestly
sound and practical. Why should the
when the good of increased currency can
be secured just as well without all the
trouble of mining and coming: And
why should the Alliance people hesitate
TO demand circulating medium equal
TO the estimated bushels or pounds OF
grain that their farms ought To yield:
Mr.. Simps n shows them the folly of
doing things by piecemeal and IN
roundabout wav. when there IS a more
thorough and direct method of reaching
the result that they have in view. They
may say that he is an extremist, but
they cannot DENY that he argues from
the same premises that they do, and that
his plan would provide more currency,
and on easier terms than any other that
mas vet been promulgated 1t viii not
do for them TO deride him merely because
he so presents the case as 10 strip 1t of AL
doubt and perplexity; but II Is to be
hoped that his bold and fantastic deliver
auce VIII cause them TO see whittier they
are tending. and TO mo lerate their en-
thusIasm in favor Of practically unhm-
tied initiation.