Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1893-09-06
STAND FOR THE RIGHT.
A Vote for Principle Is Never Lost
Fight for the Right Is ALWAYS Won.

Fight for the Right Is Always Won.
The May Forum contains an article
entitled: ''Menacing Socialism in the
Western States" written by Mr.. Frank
Basil Tracy. While his article is
senseless, vindictive and mendacious
TRADE against the west, he makes one
good point He says:
Nothing can SO clearly illustrate the
part played by the government in prop
agating the seeds of socialism as the
free silver lunacy in the west. No
stranger can comprehend its extent
Every populist, nine-tenths of the DEM
ocrats and one-half of the republicans
are devoted to this heresy.
The only difference between the free
silver populists and honest free silver
men OF the other parties, is that the
latter are deficient in logic, for they
are really and finally believers in fat
money"
This statement of his now receives a
remarkable confirmation. Says the
Topeka Advocate:
"A personal canvass of the delegates
at the Topeka silver convention proved
that so per cent of them were really
no-metallists instead of bimetallists.
That is, they are heartily in favor of
the treasury note system of money, vet
they are advocating free coinage of sill
yer in order to keep the gold men from
putting the United States in their pock-
cts and taking us across to Europe be-
fore we can teach the people what
money means;"
Does 1T not seem illogical and incon-
sistent for a convention of no-metallists
to meet and clamor for metallism? l
am at loss to know just the meaning
of this declared fear of the prospective
evils attendant upon the United States
at some future time adopting gold
standard of value. AS a matter of fact,
this nation has been upon gold basis
for twenty years, and our present prices
are the result of the adoption by the
United States, in 1S73 of the gold dol
lar as the unit of value. By the act of
February -, 1S73-17th statutes at
large, section IA, it is provided:
The gold coins of the United States
the standard weight of twenty-five and
eight-tenths grains shall be the unit of
value" etc.
Here the reader will see that the unit
is changed from the silver dollar of the
act of 1892 to the gold dollar by the act
of 1878. That law has never been re-
pealed, or changed, and the gold dollar
has been the unit of value ever since
its passage, and is now. Prices are now
upon gold standard basis. The farm
er, for some time, has had no interest
in the price of silver bullion, except as
such price had bearing upon the In
ia-cotton-wheat-silve problem, and
since 1ndia's recent action even that
interest does not exist.
Again: In reference to the education
of the people in the true principles of
monetary science or, the delay until
I'VE can teach the people what money
means"
Speaking of that identical bimetallic
convention, the Kansas Farmer says:
IA convention of Kansans who favor
the free and unlimited coinage of silver
on a ratio of sixteen to one was held in
Representative hall at Topeka on July
20. This body had the appearance of
being representative one, composed
of members of the three political parties
of Kansas. The offices and the posi-
tions on committees were bestowed in
manner to give all parties fair rep
resentation, although majority of one
committee, that on resolutions, was
found to be republican"
Here, then, we have a delegate con-
vention said to fairly represent all
three of the political parties. Such
convention was called as a metallic con-
4 4 i l. II
suppose that the metallists would be
there, while the no-metallists would
hold aloof But there were not suf-
fcient number of metallists in Kansas
to hold a purely metallic convention,
as is proved by the fact that eight out
of every ten delegates were no-metal-
lists.
Why wait longer? Is it intended to
teach and educate until the thing can
be made unanimous? Prices are now
at gold basis, bed rock. Eighty per
cent. of the voters in Kansas, and l
verify believe more than half the voters
in the central, western and southern
states are no-metallists. Why should
the peoples party continue this process
of decentralization and advocate that
which it does not believe in?
Leave silver to its fate. Fight for
the scientific numeral monetary system
and full legal tender paper money. If
silver wins this fight the peoples party
must fight both gold and silver in 1896
But if silver loses this fight all silver
men will be populists thereafter.
Awake, old guard! awake! The
time is ripe; the crisis is here. Stand
up for principle. Give us men-not
politicians GEORGE c. WARD.