Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1896-10-09

| MckinleyS long-loOked-fCN letter OF
acceptance is disappointment to the
people. 1t is labored affair." and
plainly bears the marks of strained
mental effort. The Major evidently
could have accepted some other style
of platform with much better grace and
with far less sacrifice Of mental eass.
1t is impossible to account for some
portions of his letter, in manner con-
sistent with his acknowledged ability
and honesty, upon any other theory
than that his mental stress was so
severe as to cause him to lose sight of
the Just and worthy course which
otherwise he would certainly have
adopted.
When he says: Free silver would not
mean that the silver dollars were to
be freely had without cost or labor"
and ''It would not make labor easier
ct would not make farming less labor
fous"-he is thoughtlessly guilty of the
insulting assumption that the scale of
intelligence among our laborers and
farmers is so low that many of them
need to be disabused of the idea that
silver Is to be freely given them under
free coinage.
Under different mental conditions
Mr.. Mckinley would not have lost
sight of the notorious and indisputable
fact that 1t was the organized farmers
and laborers Of this country who have
forced this question beyond the control
Of partisan demagogues into world
wide prominence, and If he had not
lost sight of this fact he would certain
ly have understood that the force capa-
BILE of bringing about such results
could not have emanated from class
Of citizens whose understanding was OF
the puerile order in which his assump-
ton places it. 1t is charitable to be-
lieve that Mr.. Mckinley was not prop
erIy at himself when he made this in
situation, and it might be let go at
that IL this mistake of his, in the mere
contemplation of the policy forced upon
him by his party, did not compel
graver doubts as to what might happen
l.
ton to make that policy the rule of
the land. The laborers and farmers
comprise at least three-fourths of our
population, and if Mr. Mckinley really
believes that this large class of voters
are Influenced to such an extent by the
childish belief which his argument i'm
plies as to make it incumbent upon
him to set them right in that particu-
lar, then it follows perfectly naturally
that if chosen to the presidency he
would not stultify himself nor lower
the dignity Of his administration by
considering even for a moment any
suggestion which might come up from
them. And this In turn, means plain
ly that the same old crowd, whose
idea Of wit is embodied in scurrilous
tests at the expense of the "hayseed'
farmer and "mudsill" laborer, and
whose only conception of wisdom is
that 1t can alone be found in all its
purity beneath the silk hats of men
whose business ability" renders them
able to live without soiling their deli
cate hands, will control his administias
ton.
In his argument for the maintenance
of the existing gold standard he says;
ut is the recognized and sole standard
of the great commercial nations at the
world with which we trade more large
" than any other. Eighty-fonr per
cent of our foreign trade for the fiscal
year 1895 was with gold-standard coun-
tries, and our trade with other coun-
tries was settled on a gold basis"
In this he seems to imply that oul
"foreign trade" is a good thing and
ought to be catered to to the extent o.
making our standard OF payment ac'
ceptable to those with whom we deal
How he can make this argument con-
sistent with the other In which he de-
clares that protection is of supreme
! importance is for gold-standard pro
tectionist to explain. To an outsider il
would seem that II protective tariffs
are of supreme" Importance because
OF their tendency to discourage free
trade the free coinage of silver, since
! it opposes thu standard of paymen
adopted by all Of the great CONNER