The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-09-17
A Question for Mr. watson.

The demegogical character Of the speeches
Mr.. Watson is making is shown by his
answer when Maj. Black, in their Thomson
debate on Thursday, asked him how much
money the government would have to issue
to put in operation the railroad, telegraph
and other paternAl planks Of the third
party platform. Mr.. Watson's reply was
''as much as the government can safely
issueH
But how much could the government
safely issuel That Is the vital question.
Could 1t safely issue a hundredth part Of
the amount required TO do what the third
party demands shall be donel Mr.. Watson
admits by his answer that there Is point
beyond which the government could not
safely go. 1t would not require a very
great addition 10 the amount Of silver GER
tifcates now in circulation TO cause them to
fall below par. A point could be reached
pretty quickly in the issuing Of treasury
notes at which the public would lose
confidence in them, and they would become
comparatively valueless.
In bis speech at Atlanta Speaker Crisp,
commenting on the third psrty's demands
for government ownership Of the telegraph
lines and railroads, said: I'm the third
party platform the railroad plank proVid~
ing for the government ownership OF rail-
roads is absurd. 1t would COST the govern
ment 81, 900, 900, 900 to buy them. Where is
that money to come froml There is not
enough money in the country. 1t Is more
than the money Of all nations. But sup
pose that we had them. It would take
| l 800, 900 people to operate them. We have
now loo, 900 Office holders II We had $780,
900 federal office holders when would the
people nominate anybody againl"
II seems that all the money of all the
nations would not be sufficient to pay for
the railroads Of this country, and yet MIR.
Tom Watson and other third partyites 20
about the country telling the people what
good thing 10 would be for them il the gov
eminent should buy all the railroads and
pay for them In treasury notes. Before
half the treasury notes we're printed they
would not be worth so cents on the dollar,
and by the time they were all printed they
would be about as cheap as confederate
money was at the close OF the war. Their
power would be so little that
farmers with their pockets stuffed full of
them would not be any better off than they
are now. And the value of the notes would
depreciate so rapidly that 1t would take a
vast deal more than 80, 900, 0OO, 900 of them
to buy the railroads.
AS the government would owe this money
the people would have to pay It. How
would they pay itl Let Mr.. Tom Watson
answer.
The fact Is there never was a more nonA
proposition than this of the third
party that the government shall buy the
and telegraph lines, unless it is the
proposition. The one is as i'm
practicable as the other. Neither Mr.. Tom
Watson nor any other third party man has
over undertaken to show that either is
feasible. They have contented themselves
with assertions, depending upon the ina
bility Of the great majority of the people to
zee the impossibility Of the governments
doing what the third party pro-
poses. II Mr.. Watson and Gen.
Weaver are as sincere as they pretend to
be let them 60 into facts and figures with
regard to the sub-treasury scheme and the
to purchase all the railroads and
telegraph lines. Let them state how large
an amount OF treasury notes the govern
ment can issue with safety. Unless they
are willing to do this they ought to
admit they are not dealing frankly with
the people and retire from the campaign.