Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1892-06-23

party, and but Tor the little band OF
ten IN Congress great evils would be
visited upon the peOpie. quote him.
NOlhlhS would please ine better than
" meet with you, that We might clasp
hahds and exchange words OF encouT-
aRement In the great struggle that is
now going on between the people and
those who live and fatten from our toll
through class laws and violations of
law" When 1t is remembered that
his party has less than one.thirtieth of
the membership OF the lower house,
and but two OF the eighty-sight sena-
tors, and these gained from the vote in
lS0O, and when 1t Is further remem.
bered that the vote OF his party fell off
everywhere in the year 1891, and when
IL IS further remembered that only in
the state Of Kansas does his party have
any substantial standing as to numbers
IN "a state organization, and when il is
further remembered that there are mil.
lions OF Republicans and Democrats to
thousands Of his party, 1t might be re-
spectfully asked, who does the distin-
gulshed gentleman mean by the peOpleP
But quote him further: "Hardly a
day passes but our little band of ten do
something useful or prevent the doing
OF something that is harmful. There
are many ways of doing this. Some
times we get the floor and make good
points against our enemies" Well, Mr..
Davis is at work IN a Democratic house,
house with very large Democratic
majority, so that the heroic little
band of ten" just now is engaged in
nghting their enemies, the Democrats,
the enemies Of the people, those "whO
live and fatten on or toll through class
laws" If Gov. Click and Mr.. Davis
can splice the platforms of their
respective parties, the opposition will
be found in one camp, but the camp,
imagine, will be very much smaller
than some people think. Whereas, on
the other hand, If each party stands on
its own platform and fails to fuse, we
will meet the enemy by sections.
l Iquote Mr.. Davis again: ave are
now pressing for fuller discussion of
the sub-treasury plan" | call atten-
tion to this statement for the purpose
of emphasizing the real principle of the
Peoples Party. The money question is
the all-absorbing question with that
organization. AS Senator PETER said
in the joint debates. "Our present
financial methods are all wrong. We
propose to reyolutionize them, we pro-
pose to destroy the interest bearinG
functions of money and use money
alone as a medium of exchange. We
propose that the government shall
furnish money-paper money to the
nnnTNIn en- n.Na A lal -
hire his money. lie may hire his horse,
his lands, or his house, but he shall not
hire his money, Money, as | have said,
shall be used only MS a medium uf
exchange The senator overlooked
the plain fact that money is property
and that uni, IS you can hire IL for use
nobody wOnld want It, especially would
this be true providing you could hire
all other property for It's use. Hoffman,
Vincent aud DO5ter are more Logical
they say mo property should be hired.
Rents as well as interest should be
abolished" But IL is only fair to say
that the party, as party, has not yet
taken this advanced position, although
It Is the real belief OF its leaders, so far
as | have been able to gather it. The
average peoples party man Will not 60
this far. lie believes that interest on
money is right tut that usury is wrong
and lie has been led to believe that !he |
present rate of interest is too high and |
The reason is there is not enough money |
in the country, and that the only way |
OUT Is for the Government to emit |
paper money and to loan 1t to the peo.
pie directly at a very low rate OF &n.
lereSt through the agency of the sub |
treasury plan and the "land and loan |
system" lie sees that the govern. |
nent can borrow money at per cent.
)r less and fails to see that the govern
nent borrowing money and lOaning |
money is quite different thing |
Waving the question that the govern
nent should not issue any paper money
unless based upon coin, the government
cannot afford to 90 into the loan busi-
ness. In the first place, there aIe but
.ew men who can loan money at any
rate per cent. and on any kind of
security aud not lind it n losing busi-
les5. Give every man in this audience
.en thousand dollars; require him 10
Oan II mt per cent. per annum and
Keep 1t loaned on security passed upon
)y himself and in ten years not one
nan In twenty would have dollar of
he principal or interest left. Add to
his inherent difficulty, which every
business man recognizes, the govern
nent loaniDg money through agents
'olitical agents-federal olllce-holders,
ither elected or appointed, and how
Ong would it be until the government
would accumulate lands, wheat, corn
md other farm products? For instance
ad so per cent. been loaned on the
wheat lase September, how much
would have been redeemed by the
'orrowerY Then, these products not
edeemed must be preserved and sold
nd the cultivated lands farmCd or
esold, taxes on the same paid and
djusted, requiring still more Office {
olders. The office holder, if appointed,
you'd naturally favor the party in
over; If elected, the fellow who has
he best local pull would stand the best
hance to have his No. wheat graded
10. /, his poorly cultivated farm ap-
raised at value in excess of another {
hat is carefully and prldently farmed.
premium would be put upon shift
,ssness and an embargo laid upon
lrift The vastly increased number {
{ office holders added to the present |
nmber, supplemented by all the |
Ulcers necessary to manage and control I
he railroads of the United States {
'ould make party so formidable that
would be utterly impossible to ever {
islocate II when once intTenched in q
over and a complete despotism would I
9 the result. Political corrnption