Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1895-09-12
SOUND AND LOGICAL.
NUoENT BLAzEs THE WAY FOR
POPULISTS.
Tho Peoples Party Is Now the Only
Party With Consistent Declarations
and Principles on the Money CUES
tion.

@AS"hAh6 pOpulloLS WIN D6llSN6 IudI Ny
scaling down our platform and confin-
Ing the campaign of next year to the
financial issue, our chances Of success
will be greatly increased.
Practically the campaign will turn
upon the money question, since the
logic OF events has forced 1t to the
'front.'; but this, as 1 have endeavored
Derore to show, does not Justify the
pruning process advocated by the par
Ties referred to. Indeed, the money
question as understood by the rank and
ME OF the peoples party, is quite dis
tinct from that advocated by the So
called silver or bi-metallic party. With
the latter, the free and unlimited coin
age OF silver is the sole, vital issue be-
FORE the country; while populists, not
undertaking the silver question, have
always contended that full monetary
relier can only come to the country from
a comprehensive financial scheme in
VolVing, first, the abolition of banks of
Issue altogether and their total divorce
ment from the general government;
second, the practical recognition and
enforcement of the doctrine, that the
money coming and issuing function
belongs exclusively to the government;
and that government should upon some
proper plan emit and keep in circula-
ton sufficient volume of circulation,
a sufficient volume of metallic and
paper money, to supply the demands of
trade; third, that all the forms Of money
so Issued should be of equal legal ten
der quality, and that no part Of It
should consist of convertible treasury
notes. In other words, we insist upon
system of true scientific money,
maintained permanently by the govern
ment, without dependence upon inter
mediary agencies Of any kind what
ever.
It will be seen that this system neces-
sarily includes the free and unlimited
coinage of silver and gold, the ratio Of
which our platform declares shall be
sixteen to one. The silver people do
Indeed propose that the government
shall issue legal tender paper cur
renCy, but only in the form Of credit
money, promises Of the government to
pay the bearer in primary money-that
Is in coin. They will not concede our
demand for inconvertible notes, and If
we go to them we must do so not upon
any demand for comprehensive sys-
tenn Of money which we believe can
alone bring our people permanent relief
from vicious financial legislation, but
upon a demand virtually for free coin
age alone, which if obtained will leave
the essential money question unsolVed.
View the suggestion as you may, 1t
amounts to this and only this. If car
ried out, we might enable the silver
leaders to hold their places, but would |
there be much outcome for the peo-
pies party, or the cause Of reform?
We might afford to support Reagan, or
Bryan, or Stewart, or Jones, or any |
other one Of the silver leaders, If by |
so doing the work Of real, lasting re-
form could be advanced; but when by |
doing so we must close our eyes to
every issue except the single one Of |
silver rehabilitation.
for one can see only disaster as the
outcome of such policy. Populists
have advocated free coinage for years. |
While the old parties were lodging the |
silver issue, trying to get on both sides |
Of it, making platforms construed to
favor gold monometalism in the east |
and anything or nothing in the south
or west, according to the standpoint
from which they were regarded, the
peoples party in convention assembled
made a straight honest declaration in
favor Of the free and unlimited coinage
Of silver and gold at the ratio Of 16 to
1. And now after all these years of |
Juggling and lodging, during which
not a single honest declaration in favor
Of the white metal ever crept into the
Did party platforms, these silver leaders
step to the front, and with suavity and
cheek characteristic of the trained
politician, invite us to enter the demo-
cratic party, meekly take back seats
and listen to the old-time eloquence
with which we have been for so many
years regaled.
These periodic bowls in favor of the
white metal have hitherto led to no re-
suit. for the reason that after the cleo
ion they always sink into the usual
democratic monotone-stand by the
party. 1 wonder that any number of
oopulists can now be moved by the old
1ypocritical dodge that has broken up
and destroyed every reform party
in this country for thirty
years past. "Stay in the old party!
We believe as you do on this question!
We are for free silver or greenbacks!
Come back into the foldP' Yet, some
IF the very men who tell US this say
thew will vote the ticket even If the
platform declares for the gold standard
indeed, did not Judge Reagan, to whom
we are in the habit Of attributing high.
patriotic purposes, after declaring that
he could not honestly run for governor
IN the last democratic platform, sup
mort the entire state ticket nominated
IN that platform? Did he not Justify
his action by virtually saying that any
hing was preferable to populism?
rIo1y fban can we consistently sunnort