Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1891-09-23
MIR. McNEAL AGAIN.

addressed solely to you, but my friend Judge
Mckay suddenly and Unexpectedly comes
| bounding upon the scene.
The Judge will pardon me for little digres-
sion right here, while say that his article dis
plays rolicking style and deep bubbling
spring of humor that had hardly supposed
he possessed. Some might say that this hard
ly COMFORTS with the stern dignity usually re-
quired of judge; but 1 rather admire the
versatility of a man who can lay aside for the
| time being, tn Q judicial functions, go into a
newspaper Office and fling jokes right and left,
regardless of their application to anything in
particular.
The Judge, after preliminary observation
that he cannot tell whether speak from the
standpoint of q republican or democrat, intro
| duces the body of his article with a metaphor
which is calculated to make the reader ponder
| and wonder. He says the republican party
had terrible case of t1uX last year and byrea-
son of this lost large portion of the votes of
| the industrial classes, who, of course, went to
form the peoples party. Now l have said
| some mean things about the peoples party,
some things perhaps should not have said,
but never dreamed of making as tough an
| insinuation about the peoples party as the in
situation in the Judges metaphor. In case
of fluX the body loses by thin watery dis :
charge, always with sickening odor and fire.
quently Streaked with blood, and the infer
ence of the Judges metaphor is that the peo-
pies party is largely made up of that kind of
material. Why, theJudge ought to be ashamed
of himself, that is carrying his joke too far
OF course will admit that the leading princi-
pies of the peple's paryare thin and watery. But
to talk that way about the men who left the
republican party and are now IN the peoples
party is not right, and want to frankly tell
the Judge so. Some of this industrial class
| are industriously holding office as alliance or
peoples party men, and pose with their neigh
bors as good, average citizens and yet Judge
Mckay intimates that they passed from the
republican body during an attack of the flux.
The Judge follows his metaphor with a
| thumb and toe joke about a quack DOCTOR
This seems to have no application to anything
| in particular, and am inclined to think is
| joke which some unprincipled person worked
| OF on the Judge and then refused to take it
back. II that is true, 1 shall always say the
Judge did right when he put it into his article
No man ought to be expected to carry joke
| like that around in his system when he has
| other business to attend to.
The Judge says the peoples party declare
that all other things being embarrassing the
| money in circulation increases the prices
Well have read all the peoples party plat
| forms could get hold of and this is the first
/ time ever heard that it declared anything of
| the kind. On the contrary have heard peo-
| pies party men without number declare that
the price of products depended entirely on the
volume of currency in circulation. The Judge
does not dispute the proposition that the price
ofour surplus grain product ia fixed in the
| gold market of Liverpool, and yet doesn't at
| tempt to answer my inquiry, as to how, that
| being the case, we could increase the price by
| issuing a vast volume of irredeemable paper
| currency in this country. If the figures that
| the Judge gives had any bearing on the case
| they would seem to prove that the more our
| currency is contracted the higher the price of
| products which is of course absurd. Instead
of answering any questions as to how an in
| tiated irredeemable currency would help our
producer, Judge strolls or into discussion of
the tariff question and gives me nut to crack.
| Now am in favor of discussing one thing at
a time, but will accommodate the Judge by
| cracking his nut. If our manufacturers sell
| goods in Europe cheaper than they sell at
home, which Ideny, it is precisely for the same
reason English manufacturers sell goods in
America, after deducting the tariff, at a less
price than they sell them at home. 1t is for
PIOCA5Cly INC odLuc E0nSOu lndV every nGr-
chant sells his suplus goods at less than cost if
necessary in order to get rid of them.
Wandering back to the question of money,
the Judge says it would be interesting to see
me attempt to prove that the only thing that
gives the silver dollar purchasing power of
over 20 per cent its bullion value is the fact
that it can be exchanged for a gold dollar. /
| think canNprove that very thing. Some Is or
20 years ago, the government issued what was
termed the trade dollar. 1t had bullion val
ue when first issued equal to the gold dollar
| and passed current. Il stood strictly upon its
| own merits, that is the government was not
pledged to redeem it in gold AS the price of
| silver bullion decreased the trade dollar fell
with it and passed for just exactly what it was
worth in gold Our standard dollar would
| share the same fate if it were not understood
that the government stands ready TO exchange
| a gold dollar for it if desired.
In 1854 the purchasing power of the green
| back was 40 cents on the dollar. Why? Be
cause the chance for ever exchanging it for
a gold dollar was considered by the financial
world as being in the ratio of 4 to 10. Some
howlers will tell you that it was the exception
clause on the greenback that caused the depre-
citation. The utter fallacy of that statementi is
| shown by the fact that the same exception is
on the greenback to-day that always was, and
yet the greenback is good to-day for its face
| the world over
| The Judge says the peoples party does not
claim that anything is legal tender that will
pay debts. And yet in the INDEX of Sept. End
find these words, Anything is money which
is a legal tender. A legal tender Is that which
will pay debts" If my statement is incorrect
please explain to me what the statement l
| have quoted means. But, however, that may
be, the Judge doesn't explain why the PEG.
pies party desire TO charge the farmers inter
est for the use of money that it can create by
simple edict of law. ! want some light on
\ the things talked about instead of stories of
quack doctors and metaphors about flux.
And now MIR. Editor l see that some of your
readers complain because occupy SO much of
your space. Ordinarily know that [ would
be trespasser, but as you stated you were
having great fun at my expense, supposed
was welcome diversion, and was doing you a
good turn, for much as love you as a friend
and neighbor, realize that you are growing
1 old. You are humping along toward the
shadow OF evening, and in few years the
grasshopper will become q burden. 1 know
| that you no longer feel the gladness of youth
and at this particular time Owing TO a little in
advertance ana forgetfulness on your mart.
you have some $500 less in your inside pocket
than you should have; that you are man of
sorrow and acquainted with grief. Under
these circumstances, If becomesa living sacri-
nee for your amusement why should your
readers complaint If. as you travel toward
! the sunset, can cause wave of hilarious
mirth to wash like the oil of gladness over your
troubled soul, shall feel that my life has no,
been in vain.
| Twill say also that the editor of the Creszat
has agreed to publish any reply that may be
made TO my article. Respectfully,
4. :. MoNE4L.
Balmaceda committed suicide at Val