Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1892-05-25
AN OPEN DOOR.
NO. 4.

Among the greatest difficulties beset-
ting the way and most serious obsta-
cles impeding the triumphant progress
of the reform movement are the vim
dictive hostility of the several press as
sociations and the attitude and policy |
OF the metropolitan press The press
associations seem to have entered into |
conspiracy of silence and studiously ig- |
more all important news concerning the
great political revolution that is rapidly
taking place; while the newspapers, In
handling what news concerning the
reform movement they receive by wire,
mendaciously misrepresent such news,
even to the extent Of making the head
lines give the lie to the subject matter
of the item itself.
But worse than all this, the columns
OF the daily papers are, as 8 rule, de-
MED to economic reformers, while their
editorial writer's combat reform in each
and every issue. This state of affairs
makes it well nigh impossible to reach,
with the gospel of reform, the thousands,
nay, millions of readers who never see
reform newspaper, although there are
thousand, more or less, of such papers,
having a circulation in every state OF
the union. Within the past few months.
however, one of the best metropolitan
dailies, the Chicago Inter Ocean has in
augurated a new policy, and has opened
its columns to presentation OF the
prominent living issues of the day, and
has invited and solicited communities
tions from alliance and peoples party
writer's Mr.. Nixon, the editor-in-chief
of the paper, is broad-gauged man,
who is q tnth-seeker and his ideas are
that if the republican party cannot
meet and refute the arguments Of the
peoples party, the republican party
must be wrong and the peoples party
must be right, end that the quicker it is
found out the better it will be fer all
concerned. Mr.. r. M. Easley, editor OF
the economic department, Is in favor OF
giving the advocates Of reform fair
show and opening the columns OF his
department to a full, free and fair dis
cussion of the questions involved.
OF course the Inter Ocean is q radical
republican paper and in all probability
will not be converted from the error Of
its ways, but will continue, editorially,
to ridicule and oppose reform measures
and belittle and misrepresent the peo-
ple's movement. But this matters not,
and is neither here nor there Truth Ii
mighty and will prevail Not all of the
Inter Oceans thousands of readers are
bigoted fools or intolerant partisans;
indeed, it may reasonably be presumed
that the great majority Of them are as
| intelligent and honest as the thousands
of peoples party voters in Kansas, Ne
braska, Minnesota and the Dakotas,
who only three years ago were radical,
uncompromising repuhi1s. These
individuals, because q ,.ae fair and gen
erous policy of the Inter Ocean, will see
both Sides ,ahd having learned the
truth; VIII by such truth be made free
/ from blind and intolerant partisan ties.
Let these alliance and peoples party
writer's send to r. M. Easley, economic
editor, articles treating of the sub-treas-
ury plan, the land-currency plan, the
graded income tax, governmental bank.
ing and ownership of railroads, but
make no mistakes and be sure you are
right before you sor1tA
GEORGE C. WARD.
In the Inter Ocean Of April 21st the
following communications appeared on
banks and banking:
Senator PETERS Plan.
| UNITED STATES SENATE, I
! WASHINGTON, D. c. March 10.
]. Replying to your request under date Of the
| of national bank circulation, have to say tha
| in my own Judgment the best substitute Is what
| the people OF Kansas favored fourteen year,
| ago, namely United States notes, commonly
called greenbacks; for, as you know, nationa
| bank notes are redeemable in United States
| notes. think 1t would be well to abolish the
whole system of bank note issues. No banking
institution should be permitted TO issue any
| thing which Is TO be used as legal tender money
unless the issue is supported by the power and
the credit Of the government and the materia
| used, whatever 1t may be, should not be redeem
able in anything. 1t ought TO go out to the peo
! pie as money, full-fedged, ready for duty, with
out any weight or tmpediment or condition,
| of any sort, whatever. What we use as money
should be absolutely free from all conditions
in time of stringency, and no panics be
cause debtors are unable to obtail
legal tender money. believe that tn
time has come TO natonalize our money w,
took one long step IN that direction when VI
adopted our national banking system. We take,
state bank notes out Of existence, Instituted
national currency for Q purely local currency
and 1t was only short time after embarking Ii
this new enterprise until we discovered that tn
bankers Of the country were masters OF tn
financial situation We find that instead O
serving the people they served themselves. i
1882 there were 1858 900 900 of bank note circula
ton. Since that time about s240 Oo0, 600 OF it ha
been retired not because the people did nc
need the money, but because the banks realize
q profit from the sale of their bonds at q prt
mium-the bonds that they had deposited a
security for circulation. Our experience an
| that Of other nations has been that bankin
corporations are private schemes for profit 3
| individual persons, and our observation ha
taught US that there is only one safe way I
avoid the dangers to which that sort of financis
management subject us; that is for the natio
itself to prepare its own money, every dollar G
II: issue it TO the people directly throup
government agencies, wholly without the us
and intervention of banking corporations I
other private agencies
You understand from the foregoing that
would not only substitute United States note,
or treasury notes, IL you choose, for nation,
bank notes as they are being retired but
would substitute that sort Of money for a
bank issues; and would do even more tha
that; Iwould not make money out of promis
TO pay; that is to say, would not write out
promise TO pay money and call that pFomi.
money; but would use piece Of paper Just 8
are now using piece OF gold or piece Of 81
yer, and make that money, providing in the Ia
what its functions shall be. That puts the 1
fuence, the credit and the power OF all Il
people behind the money. Then we will hA,
gold and silver and paper at par one with Il
other; and that, IL we viii reduce rates OF inte
est down to the level Of profit on labor, 50 thi
men can make ss much money farming
. blacksmithing or caypentering as they can I
lending money, will give us . safe currency.
| sound financial system, and no more none
panicS Yours truly, W. A PETFER
George @. Wards Views.
KANSAS CITY, Mo-, March r.
am in receipt Of your favor of the 9TH inst
in which you ask me TO give my views upon Il
| following question: 'In view OF the fact tn
the present bonds, upon which rests the natio
al bank circulation, are being retired, what (
? | you recommend as a substitute thereforr'
/ am deeply sensible Of the honor you do n
| in thus asking for INV views but should fe