Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1894-08-04
SOME TARIFF TRUTHS.
Republican Farmers Dupcd by Mckinley
Bunoo-Steerers.

Republican Farmers Dupcd by McKinle
Bunoo-Steerers
Tho republican farmer has not sufi
Gent intelligence to protect himsel
from the green-goods swindler ant
bunco-steerer. No matter how care
fully the game is explained to him, nj
matter how plain the swindle may b.
made, as soon rs the steerer offers hin
a share in the plumber he believe
everything the thief says and nothing
an honest man may say to dlssuad'
him from buying. Unable to judge o
motives, he believes only those who
fatter him. The man who tells hin
bluntly that he is a fool to part with
his money, the man who by no pos
sibility can benefit by the advice hi
gives. is regarded as IN enemy, as .
swindler, as a man employed by some
body to keep the farmer from enjoying
the benefits Of the green-goods game
The only way the republican farmer
can be protected from loss is the illega,
one of Furnishing the bunco men. The
latter are working in the interests o,
morality and good government, as well
as their own. To benefit themselves
they are engaged in finding out what
men have saved up money, with the OBJ
iect of ~swindling their neighbors by
purchasing counterfeit bills, They steal
from him this money to be used In
crime, sending him q package Of saw
dust or green wallpaper in place OF
the expected counterfeit money. The
republican farmer would use this
money paid to the bunco man In buy
ing tools for a burglar in backing any
other safe-criminal operation as quick
ly as he would invest it in counter
feits, and to deprive him of this money
for criminal purposes Is a merltorious
act, a public service on the part OF the
green-goods men. So far from closing
the mails to the green-goods men, the
government would be on the side OF
morality il it encouraged them in
every possible way, and it would not
go far afeld II 1t should even pay
them for their work. 1t aids in every
other branch of the government to de-
tect and punish criminals except in
this matter OF finding out the men
who wish to purchase counterfeit
money. But there are so many Of
these republican farmers hat it as
sumes all are willing to cheat their
neighbors, and 1t prefers to save them
from loss by arresting those who
would prevent their crime by stealing
their money. The federal courts pro-
tect them from being swindled out of
the money they have saved for crime
by prosecuting thoss who would de-
prive them of it.
The only way to protect" the re-
publican farmers from the protection
bunco steerers is to prosecute the lat
ter. 1t cannot be done by any appeal
to their own intelligence or common
sense. II they had the faintest spark
OF intelligence to appeal to they would
know that they were lied to when they
were offered protection on wool, corr
or potatoes in exchange for protection
on iron, steel and cloth. But even
when they find out that they have been
lied to, it makes not the slightest dif-
ference to them, provided the lie is
something they want to believe. As
one republican farmer said not long
ago in the World: II prefer to be lied
to BY a republican than to listen to the
truth from a democrat" That is the
kind of a man a republican is, and the
democrats should not expect results
from CONVEX sion. 1t is not enough to
show him the truth. He dp.s not care
for that. If he did, he would not
swallow the contradictions OF the re.
publican newspapers, in which there
is neither honor nor decencs. The only
way he can be protected from the pro-
lection bunco-steerers Is by furnishing
them for false pretenses. Tariff Mule,
in y. Y. World.