Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1895-09-11
MEDICINELoDGE. KANSAS. WEDNEsDAY, SEPT H. 1895
SOUND AND LOGICAL.
NUGENT BLAzES THE WAY FOR
POPULISTS.
The Peoples Party Is Now the Only
Party With Consistent Declarations
and Principles ON the Money Cues
tion.

T. L. Nugent.-There are some good
meaning populists who believe that by
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 it to the
front; but this, as / have endeavored
before 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
hle 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
relief 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 a sufficient volume of circulation,
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.
1t 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 a 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 IL 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.
1 for one can see only disaster as the
outcome of such a 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 cas-
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 straight honest declaration IL
| favor of the free and unlimited coinage
| of silver and gold at the ratio of 16 II
1. And now after all these years o.
juggling and lodging, during which
not single honest declaration in favol
of the white metal ever crept into tn,
old party platforms, these silver leader
step to the front, and with suavity ant
cheek characteristic of the traine,
politician, invite us to enter the demo
cratic party, meekly take back seat
and listen to the old-time eloquenc
with which we have been for so man,
years regaled.
These periodic howls In favor of tn,
white metal have hitherto led to no re
suit. for the reason that after the elec
ton they always sink into the usua
democratic monotone-stand by tn,
party. / wonder that any number o
populists can now be moved by the oil,
hypocritical dodge that has broken III
and destroyed every reform part,
movement in this country for thirt,
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 foldw Yet. som
of the very men who tell us this sa
they will vote the ticket even IL tn
platform declares for the gold standard
Indeed, did not Judge Reagan, to whor
we are in the habit Of attributing high
patriotic purposes, after declaring tina
he could not honestly run for govern q
on the last democratic platform. sun
port the entire state ticket nominate
on that platform? Did he not justif
his action by virtually saying that any
thing was preferable to populism
How, then, can we consistently suppor
people who thus prefer even gold mono
.uetallism to the policies advocated b
he peoples party?
VIII Higher Prices Benefit Labor
Advocates for gold standard clair
that higher prices for products will nc