The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-11-24
ANoTHFR 80 sTaRTED.

The story that Kansas is gOings to Ie-
galize the Mexican dollar within her
borders by act Of the legislature was
Invented here ia Topeka by correspond
ents OF eastern papers who live here
and now it is On its destructive course,
and adding its share to the damage al
ready done this state by lying state
ments.
Now this sort Of thing must stop.
There is legitimate news enough to
send out Of Kansas without inventing
fakes. As an instance of how the out
side press look On this new fabrication
we publish clippings. The following is
from the Chicago Times Herald:
The threat Of the Populist legislature
Of Kansas to make Mexican dollars a
legal tender in that state will astonfsh
no one. Nothing which the Kansas leg
islature can do VIII surprise anyone
who has the slightest knowledge of the
history Of bucohc legislation in the
grasshopper state.
There may have been a time when the
threats of the Kansas legislature to
change the laws Of hydraulics so that
water would not find its level would
have excited the apprehensi0ns Of every
one-even those VINO never used it-but
that WAS many years ago, before Sena-
tor PETER and Congressman Simpson
began to institute reforms in nature
and before Nr. Bryan began to talk
value into silver.
IL the Populist legislature Of Kansas
makes up its mind to pass a law making
Mexican dollars worth 100 cents ia kan
sas it is hopeless to oppose it, If it
chooses to pass a law declaring that a
fire. tailed humming bird is a purple
heron it would be folly to quote Alfred
Newton or ThOreau against them.
In Kansas the fiat Of the P0pulist leg
islature is law Mr.. Agassiz may have
regarded himself as pretty good author
ity on glaciers, but the famous Swiss
ge0lOgist might have avoided a great
many lamentable errors in his arrange
ment of the strata of certain portions
Of the earth if he had consulted the
Kansas legislature.
The constitution OF the United States
does not prohibit the legislature Of
Kansas from iegalizing' Mexican dollars.
lit does not prohibit the Kansas legis1a-
ture from making monumental ass 0f
itself. IF it did it would make no differ
erence to the legislature of Kansas.
That august body does not sit up at
or the laws OF nature. 1t defes them
both.
The following is from the Chicago
Post:
The majority Of the voters Of the
United States have decided that the
country is not powerful enough indus
tr1ally to violate commercial law with
impnnity They have declared that free
coinage by the United States would not
establish bImetallism. but reduce it to a
single silver basis. But it appears that
the voters have recSoned without kan
sas. The verdict of the country does
not bind the genius and craftsmanship
OF Kansas. Kansas has no use for in
ternati0n91 agreements. She scornfully
rejects what the silver agitat0rs call the
aid and consent OF European nations
and pruclaims her sovereign independ-
erce even of her sister states in this
American union.
one Of the first laws which the new
PopuHst legislature expects 10 pass is
one making Mexican silver dollars a
legal tender ia Kansas. This brilliant
idea is the offspring OF the brain of
candidate for the national senate and
great constitutional lawyer. He argues
that the federal constitution does not
stand in his way, since its sole pr0hibi-
ton with reference to the subject re
lates to the making legal tender OF any
thing other than gold and silver Con
gress has repeatedly made foreign coins
legal tender, and if congress, why not
Kansas?
We are not prepared to rule Off hand
upon this great constitutional issue, but
1T may Wei occur to many that there
are other besides legal difficulties to be
considered. lit is not to be assumed that
even Kansas statesmen believe that
their m0netiza ton" of Mexican dollars
Will ralse the intrinsic value of these
discs of silver They are worth only
ABOUT ~ cents, and in the absence of le-
gal tender laws would certainly not be
accepted even by the most fanaticaI sill
Yer Worshiper in lieu of a 100-cent dol
lat Let Kansas Try 20 pay wages and
purchase commodities and settle debts
in Mexican dollars under present condf-
tions, and watch the reception accorded
the plan by the people at large What
an outcry there would be. what vail
ing and gnashing OF teeth what curses
both loud and deepl And how. pray.
win a legal tender law change this spir-
it and attitude of Workmen, merchants.
farmers and creditors2 IL may compel
ali these classes to accept Mexican dol
lars, but it cannot compel them to give
in return the same amount of value in
ab0r or merchandise as American dol
lars command. Tt may unsettle bust
ness, abolish credit and reduce all com
mercial transactions to chaos for a
time, but how long would this condition
zeal effect of this marvellous strolze7
Many are wondering what will re-
deem Kansas. Let this great scheme
be carried out and the question Of re-
demptiOn viii be solved