Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1894-07-25
Hackney's Letter to Blue.
LAW OFFICE OF w. p. HACKNEY, ri


WINFIELD, KAs., June 18, 1894. {
Hon. r. ". Blue, Pleasdnton, KaS.:
DEAR SIB-In a report of your speech
made at Kansas City, Kas., Saturday even
ing, as published i'll the Kansas City Jour
nal yesterday morning, you are made to
say that you like the national platform
on the money question"
In this | presume you refer to the ma
tional Minneapolis platform of the repub-
hcan party. Is this so, and do you still
adhere to that platform?
Inasmuoh as the Kansas City Journal is
your friend, presume you will answer in
the affirmative. If this is so, is there any
difference in your position now and that
of John Sherman and the other members
of the republican party of this Congress
who have gone off after Grover Cleveland
on the money question:
If this is so, then what have you to say
to the last paragraph of the money clause
of the platform upon which you were nom
mated, which provides for the opening of
the minis of this country to the coinage
of American silver? In other words, do
you construe that to mean, as it was in
tended las understand it), that the Amer
lean product should be coined at the ratio
of l6 to l, or do you mean it shall be coined
of the two metals?
An open and fair declaration on your
part In response to these interrogatories is
in order at this time, in view of your past
political declarations on this question, as
we'll as your declaration on last Saturday
evening, and, as an Old-time friend, who
has, when possible, testified the same per-
sonally, think am entitled to an answer
without any equivooatiOn or hesitancy
want to know, if you shall be elected to
Congress, what l may expect from you on
this question. l was not in favor of your
nomination at the late convention because
of your well known prior financial senti
ments, but l was led to believe by your
friends that the adoption of the platform
referred to would meet with your hearty
appreciation, and that you would enter into
the campaign in accordance with the spirit
of the coinage declaration therein CON
tanned.
l know that the republican party has
been wrong on this question, and seriously
and radically wrong and 30 years of dis
astrous and adverse experiences ought to
convince the most skeptioal of that fact.
But these disasters have been so terrific of
late that IL seemed to me that the leader
ship of the party must face from the
breakers In front OF which We are drift
ing, and steer for the broad and deep
ocean of the rehabilitation of silver, and,
as a step In that direction, thought the
Kansas plank would be bridge to tide ne
over from the mistakes of 1892 to the sue
cessful issues of 1896; from the single, gold
standard of 1892 to a broad, statesmanlike
bimetallism of 1896, as enacted into law
prior to the crimes of 1873 and those fol-
lowing whereby silver was stricken down.
But, If you are correctly reported in the
Journal, you are now where John Sherman,
Ben. Harrison and the other cuckoos in
the republican party, who do Grover
Oleveland's bidding on this money quee-
ton are, and you are not in accord with
the great mass Of Kansas republicans, and
ought to be defeated at the polls In No
vember next.
As much as it would grieve me to see q
confederate soldier defeat you this year,
there are worse political mistakes than
voting for OF confederate soldiers now,
and to vote for q man who was in the oon-
federate army 30 years ago, wrong though
1t may have been then, is far better for
the American people than to vote for q
man vhO va right 80 years ago and