Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1891-05-19

writer's and speakers to reap a harvest
out of the misfortunes OF their fellow
men. That is written with special re-
ference to men who are clamoring about
the financial condition of tho people of
Kansas. They insist, in season and out
of season, telling it wherever they 60.
and wherever they have tho means of
sending their denunciations, that tho
farmers alliance and kindered organi-
cations in Kansas are doing ali that is
their power to repudiate their debts
and to bring odium upon the state and
the people. These fellows know that
what they say in this respect is not on
ly false in itself and utterly without
foundation, but that it is spoken or
ceive the people in other parts of the
country in order that a fortune may be
made out of the deception. The mem
bers OF the political organization known
as the peoples party in Kansas cast
about ] Is, 900 votes at the last election.
more than one-third the entire vote OF
the state, and yet it is perfectly safe to
say that not one person in every one
hundred of those who voted the peoples
party ticket ever, either publicly or
privately, orally or in writing, expressed
desire to repudiate any honest debt.
There was nothing in the peoples party
platform, there was nothing in the
speeches of the recognized leaders OF
the Peoples party, which even
intimated anything Of the kind.
Our papers have repeatedly, time
and time again, given notice to the
world that they arc not regulators.
Our people utterly despise reputation
in all it's forms. We do not belong to
that class of men and women, and yet
many men who cry us down as dema-
gogues and cranks and say all manner
of evil things about u.s. circulate among
the eastern people and capitalists gener-
ally, reports that we are trying to get
rid of the payment Of our debts. Some
thing, surely, would have cropped out
In the legislature last winter looking
in that directions if there had been any
intention upon the part of our people to
get rid of paying any debt that they
honestly owe; yet only one bill was in
upon the subject, and that was propo-
sition to give to the judgment debtors
an equity OF redemption for two years,
law which was once in force in this
state, and is now in force in many
other states, and ought to be in force
everywhere. There was nothing said
about repudiating debts then or at an
other time by the members of that leg
islature, What they asked for, and
what the people have perfect right to
ask for, is time to pay their debts.
Nothing is more common in business
matters than for debtors to ask an ex-
tension of time when they find it diff
cult to meet their obligations at ma
turity.
II is we'll known here and everywhere
that the condition of the farmers in all
the west has been of extreme embarass-
ment, and is growing worse rather
than better:but instead of their propos-
ing to repudiate, they simply ask a lit
tie longer time. No reasonable man
objects to this; no reasonable man ever
did object to debtor asking time to
pay his debt, 1t is only matter OF
business between the debtor and the
creditor. We understand very well
that there is no such thing as morality
or sympathy in business. 1t is purely
and coldly dollars and cents. All this
talk and noise about reputation in
Kansas comes, as this paper has repeat
edly charged, from class of men who
want to make money out of the misfor-
tunes of their fellows. One gentlemen
in this city took occasion to brand the
movement in favor of an equity of re-
demption as reputation of the con-
tract. He is engaged in the business Of
lending money; he knows as well as
anybody else does that the people of
Kansas have no intention of repudiat-
ing their debts; he knows as we'll as the
rest of us do that what we want is SIM
ply little time that we may save our
homes while we are paying our debts.