Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1896-12-16
THE MESSAGE.

ure about President Clevel2nd's recent
message TO congress is that it is his
last one" IL is different from his
former messages in that 1t is circumloc-
utory without arriving at an inteillgi-
BILE conclusion. He writes a short es-
say on the Armenian question but has
nothing to recommend. On the Cuban
insurrection he is quite exhaustive but
it is difficult TO discover his position
on the question, if he has a position at
all.
The president speaks word of praise
for the tariff law which, upon former
occasions, he styled a personIfcation of
''perfdy and dishonor," and implies
that had there been no free silver agi-
tation the Wilson German Brice law
der which we now suffer. He virtually
admits that he was wrong when he did
not sign the bill and condemned 1t
in most bitter language, and, that be-
ing the case, he is much more wrong
now in commencing it for such
results which were never claimed
for it at the time of its passage by it's
most hearty supporters. AS Il huge
farce this treatise on the tariff ques-
ton is certainly superb.
Upon one thing, and upon only one, is
the president positive. He unequivocal-
ly recommends the retirement of the
greenbacks. lie is firm in the belief
that tie banks should be the supreme
money creating power and that the
government should in no wise be con-
nected with the banking business. In
connection with the proposed retire
ment of the paper currency the pres
ident says:
In considering projects for the retirement of
United States notes and treasury notes is ued
under the new law of 1890 am of the opinion
we have placed too much stress upon the dan
ger of contracting the currency and have cal
Gu ated too little upon the gold that would be
added to our circulation if invited to us by
better and safer financial methods.
No doubt, as the President bids his
last farewell to the White House and
the political world, it would afford him
much satisfaction to know that no
stress is placed udon the danger of
contracting the currency" But he
should not forget that the people of
this country realize that the contrac-
ton of thecOuntry' circulating medium
is as dangerous to a nation as the con-
traction of a circulating medium 1.-THE
Dlood) is to the body. When the Presi-
dent can arise in his dignity and salts
factOrily explain how the physical body
can be healthy when its quantity Of
blood is contracted, then Will the peo-
pie at large learn how the country's life
substance can be contracted and still
retain healthy condition, but not be-
fore that time. The supplementary
clause, land have calculated too little
upon the gold that would be added to
our circulation if invited to us by bet
ter and safer financial methods" is a
display of unreined audacIty never ex-
celled on the annals of time. So gold
would be added to our circulation if
invited by better and safer financial
methods" would it? Will the disciples
of gold monometallism please inform
us what more assurance and safe
guards the idOlatrOus worshippers of
the yellow metal want before they will
allow this most precious stuff to crawl
from It's hiding place? During the
campaign the republican politicians
told uS that as soon az MoKinlav,s oloo
ton and gold standard house were
assures all the gold in existence would
come to the fore and permeate the
whole nation to the most remote cor
ner of the United States; and in this
chorus Grover CleYeland and his gold
standard democratic followers Joined
with the utmost enthusiasm ard eXu-
berance. Yet this is no sooner done
than better and safer financial meth
DDS" are wanted. But where is this
volume of gold to come from. Stats
tics show that it is not in existence
and when it is proposed to command
something to circulate that is not on or
in the earth, even Grover Cleveland is
exceeding his power.
Altogether, the Presidents message
is very credItabIe annex to the repub-
lican platform and we doubt whether
Mckinley, himself, can advocate re-
publicanism more completely, especial.
ly on the financial question, than does
President Cleveland in this message.