People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1892-08-19
THE MONEY QUESTION.
According to the New York Tribune
James G. Clark in Iowa Farmers Tribune.

IIoune the benefit OF his dazzling
''headight."
In the issue of July 6 he assumed
to answer the following questions
which he claims have been pro-
pounded to him in Charge number
of letters:'
"ln country where the govern
ment Is managed by the people for
the benefit Of the people, why should
not the government furnish sufficient
money for all the people of the coun-
try?
"Why should not the government
loan money on farms to farmers at a
low rate of interest ?"
Mr. Horn is sufficiently thoughtful
to submit that this is the substance
OF the questions involved. His an
swers to these two questions fill two
columns Of fine type. When a man
starts out with settled purpose to
avoid telling the truth he always
multiplies words unnecessarily in or
der to escape detection. 1t always
requires more time and greater waste
of energy to side-t track Car than it
does to carry it along.
Hence Mr.. Horr's effort embodles
a series of lodges from beginning to
end.
Sometimes he hides his head leav-
ing the rest of his person exposed,
and sometimes he reverses the situa-
ton and peeks cautiously out of his
hole, winks at the question, and then
slips back into the hole asd out of
sight.
The first question, as originally
formulated and asked, had no refer
ence whatever to giving money to
call the people of the country" and
Mr.. Horn knows it. It related solely
to the amount of paper as well as
silver printed or stamped and put
into circulation by the government
through ordinary and legitimate
channels.
1t is a notorious fact that there is
not sufficient gold in circulation with
which to transact ten per cent. of the
business. Hence it is the duty of
government to supply its citizens
with means to this end.
The question as thus stated is be-
ing constantly asked, especially now
when the banks are cornering the
gold. But Mr.. Horr's dishonest
statement of it, and his still more
dishonest answer, both imply that ga
large number" of people are silly
enough to ask why government
should not measure and feed out
money to it's citizens as it does ra-
tons to its Indians. The minister
ing angels of mammon have done
their utmost to level currency to this
absurd notion, that the Peoples
party platform includes, or at least
implies, the demand that the govern
ment shall print money and furnish
it to the people, without equivalent,
so much per capita to every man,
woman and child.
There is not only no Charge num-
Der" of men but there is not a single
lunatic who has been discharged as
''cured" from the asylum capable OF
seriously contemplating the PROPOSE
ton.
The question as propounded in ga
great many letters" was, no doubt
innocent of all ambiguity until Mr.
Horn wound it several times around
his serpentine moral standard and
crooked 1t to meet the following re-
ply:
only answer to the first question
is this &: 1t is not the province of any
government to furnish money for it,
people. All kinds of nations depend
upon the people to supply them with
funds"
Then as if to add to the solemn
farce he repeats his profound answer
near the middle of his effort will
slight variations in the following sen
tence, "DO not forget this one point
it is not the business of the govern
ment to supply the wants of any elias.
of It's citizens. 1t is the business O.
the people to supply the wants of the
government"
But let US follow up this logic
Let us suppose that government
should prohibit the use of wheat
sacks not sufficiently stamped by
government officers. Then let III
suppose that the ''issue" of sack.
should be limited to 20 per cent. O
the number needed for marketing
grain and even this number should
through the mere fact of sbeing lin
tied, be subject to the control O
spectators who demanded a bis
"bonus" on them.
Then would it not be the "busi
ness of government to supply tn,
wants" of the farmers by stamping
more sacks? And if the govern
ment refused on the ground that al
"infatiOn in the sack issue would h,
r e.