The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-09-04
SEATTLE. SUNDAY. SEP. 4.


THEvICTIMs OF POLITICAL QUACKs
The platform of the Peoples party is
instinct with ignorance and bad logic, and
in spots it violates not only business COM
mon sense, but Is not consistent with
sound moral sense.
Free silver is a fraud, for it proposes that
the government give every seller Of silver
bullion dollar that is legal tender for 100
cents in payment for about g. cents worth
Of silver bullion. II the proposition was
every holder Of potatoes SO cents
bushel more than the market price
few persons would fail to see that it was
picking the pockets Of the whole people
for the government to pay potato growers.
a small part of the people, SO cents above
the market for their crop and thus rob the
whole people for the enrichment Of a
small class of the people. A man of clear
moral sense knows that it is none the less
fraud on the whole people to enact free
silver coinage under which the govern
ment pays 100 cents for 81 cents
man digs potatoes or digs silver the
whole people are swindled by a law which
forces the government to take his crop on
demand and pay him SO cents above the
market price for it. Nevertheless good
many people who are square and upright
in private dealings do not seem to know
or care that free silver is fraud; that the
sub-treasury scheme is rank injustice to
the whole people for the benefit of class;
that tho purchase and operation Of the
railroads by the government, If it did not
bankrupt the nation, would corrupt the
people and swamp the state.
Whence comes this ready disposition to
swallow fraud, inequity and folly with
out winking. The plausible explanation
of the popular currency of social. political
and financial nonsense is found by re-
ferring it to the same weakness of human
nature that makes quacks in all callings
not seldom brilliantly successful in sell.
ing their worthless nostrums to the peo-
pie. The political quacks Of the Peoples
party practice upon the same principle
that ell quacks do. whether in literature,
law or medicine; they see clearly that the
public love the sensational. the incredi-
bile, the absurd, provided it is pressed upon
their attention with skill and attractive
suburban scenery.
1gnatius Donnelly was . literary quack
and Snowman when he wrote his book to
prove that Lord Bacon wrote the plays at
tyihutad N Cha and ha uac a
political quack when he wrote CAESARS
Column" Donnelly knew that fluent,
facile writer can make plausible, hstori-
cal presentation of what is an incredible
and absurd theory to an accurate, critical
and candid historical scholar; he knows
that the vast mass of the American read
ing public do not know enough of history
to contradict him. much less authorita-
lively correct his errors of fact, or expose
his methods Of Misrepresentation; he
knows that wonder book always sells;
he knows that the plausible quack who
promises the impossible in medicine always
has plenty of patients, and makes money
rapidly; he knows that fortunes are made
every day by the invention and extrava-
CANT advertisement of consumption cures
and kidneyworts; he knows that the
smart charlatan in law, medicine, the pull
pit, trade or politics never lacks clients or
customers; he knows that the most sen.
sational. Incredible and impossible thing
needs only large and energetic ADVERTISE
ment TO give it considerable popular cur
rency aud acceptance.
Every inaccurate, ignorant, imaginative
person, who desrly loves the sensational.
the incredible, the exceptional: the AFRO
gantly assumptive TO the point of alb
surdity, finds more comfort in fairy books
and ghost stories than III the cold conclu-
sions of science and impartial history.
The average man doesn't care Ia be in
xtructed beyond the knowledge that helps
him TO make one dollar two; the avera ge
man would rather swallow a miracle, read
a wonder hook, be amused or astonlshed
than anything else in tho world except 10
make money and eat good dinner every
day at somebody else's expense. The
incredible, the absurd, the extrayagant
''goes easily" il il only tie presented with
tact. skill and cunning for consideration.
ponneliy knows that the Baconian theory
OF the authorship Of Shskspearc's plays is
unmitigated historical and literary non
sense 70 AL honest scholar, Just as Barnum
knew that Ioics Heth was not I'D years
old and that the ''wooliy horse" Was \
humbug, but he also knows that any
theory or assertion, radically absurd and
incredible. IS sure of attracting porula ar
attention, If not acceptance. if smartly
presented and skillfully advertised.
nonnelly and Bellamy in literature and
politics are only the street fakir with 8
worthless old razor, which on the strength
OF It's gistierinc absurd promise he expects
10 sell, anu not seldom does sell 90 people
who don't know that the razor IS very
cid blade, and that when new it would moi
shave, and was only made 10 sell. Don.
nelly and Rellamy both marketed soo1
dividend from the transient popularity o
their absurd books, and doubtless hoih
have laughed over their successful Gun
ming in quitting dead folly into {
new dress and selling It 10 tire 9ea,
American puelic as an or:rina
discovery as ne@ and authentic IS New
tons discoveries IN mathematics An.