Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1891-05-13
APPLY THE TEST.

Old Party Politicians Should BE Asked to
Define Their Position Upon the Ooala
Demands.
just at present the politicians are
making determined fight against the
su6-treasury plan, and thereby convey
ing the idea by implication that it is
the only feature in the demands made
by the alliance that there is any real
objection to. Such conclusions are en-
tlrely erroneous, as there is not sim
gle demand of the order that either old
party viii honestly take up and assist
In enacting into law. This vicious at
tack on the sub-treasury plan is made
for the purpose of covering up their
objections to the balance of the de-
ma ls and nothing else. Here are the
OcaIa demands. Let each member of
the alliance read them carefully and
the truth of the above statement will
be perfectly apparent:
We demand the abolition of national
banks; we demand that the government
shall establish sub-treasuries, or deposit
tories in the several states, which shall loan
money direct to the people at q low rate of
interest, not to exceed per cent. per
annum. on non -perishable farm products;
and also upon real estate with proper limi-
tations upon the quantity of land and
amount of money. We demand that the
amount of the circulating medium be
speedily increased to not less than $50 per
capita.
We demand that congress shall pass
such laws shall effectually prevent the
dealing in futures on all agricultural and
mechanical products, preserving a stringent
system of procedure in trials, such as shall
secure prompt conviction and the i'm
position of such penalt es as shall secure the
most perfect compliance with the law.
We condemn the silver bill recently
passed by congress and demand In lieu
thereof the free and unlimited coinage of
silver.
l. We demand the passage OF laws prohib-
iting alien ownership of land, and that con
gress take prompt action to devise some
plan to obtain all lands owned by aliens and
foreign syndicateS and that all lands now
held by railroads and other corporations in
excess OF such as Is actually used and need
ed by them be reclaimed by the government
and held for actual settlers only.
.. Believing In the doctrine of equal rights
TO all and special privileges to none we de-
mand that our national legislation shall be
so framed in the. future as not to build up
one industry at the expense of another We
further demand a removal of the existing
heavy tariff tax from the necessaries of life
that the poor of our land must have We
further demand a just and equitable system
of graduated tax on incomes. We believe
that the money of the country should be
kept, as much as possible, in the nands of
the people, and hence we demand that all
national and state revenues shall be limited
to the necessary expenses of the govern
ment, economically and honestly admins
tel ed.
g. We 'emaDd the most rigid, honest and
just state and national government control
and supervision of the mears of public
communication and transportation and II
this control and supervision do not remove
QhnGaQ
government ownership of such means of
communication and transportation
Will either party work for the aboli-
ton OF national banks? No; their past
record proves that Will they vote for
government loans on land? Certainly
not; the bill was reported adversely.
Would they vote to increase the volume
of currency to $50 per capita? No,
most emphatically. Would they vote
to stop gambling in futures? No, or
the Butterworth bill would have been.
passed viii they vote for free coin
age of silver? No; that idea has
been abandoned by both parties.
Would they vote against alien owner
ship of land? No; they both voted in
favor Of it during the last session.
Will they vote to reclaim the land now
held by syndicates and railroads, as de-
manded? No; they vote continually
the other way. viii they vote to take
the tariff from the necessaries of life?
No; they have been quarreling for a
hundred years over that point and are
no nearer settlement now than when
it was first agitated. VIII they vote
for a graduated income tax? Certainly
not; they would vote against it every
time. Would they vote to limit the
expenses of the government to an
economical basis9 No; they both talk
one way and vote for all manner of ex-
penditures. Will either party vote for
the ownership or control of railroadsp
No; or for ownership or control of tele-
graphs? No; they would vote con-
tinually in the opposite direction.
Where, then, is the single demand
made at Ocala that either the demo-
cratic or republican parties will take
up and enact into law? There is ab-
solutely not one. Let the alliance
papers and speakers throughout the
country turn the tables and demand of
the politicians definitely just what
portion of the Ocala demands they will
support; follow this up closely and en-
ergetically, and the truth will soon be
disclosed that not single demand
among them all will be or can be hon.
estly considered and adopted by either
of the old parties. They may point
with pride to the platforms adopted in
the past, but the congressional records
prove that platforms are simply made
to deceive the people and catch votes.
and do not in any sense represent the
realmotives Of the parties or politicians
National Economist.