The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-02-14
THE LOYAL TWO.
Curtis and Broderick Alone Rise
to True Craftsmanship.
Do Not Hide Themselves Behind
a Shifty
PLATFORM OF PARTY.
But Stand Up for Kansas and
the West
Against the Vaccinations of
Eastern GOldbugs.
OUR OLDEST MEMBERS
OUR OLDEST MEMBERS
Better Understand the Wants of
the People
Than the New Crowd Sent to
Congress Last Year.

FROM the state Journals Special Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Feb. IA. - Congress
meu Broderick and Curtis stood alone
among the Kansas Republicans in the
house in favor of free silver and the
senate silver substitute. They voted for
the American product amendment, but
when that was voted down they voted to
they were deserted by tie other Kansas
Republicans.
Mr.. Broderick get forth his position
with reference to silver in a carefully
prepared but brief speech delivered
during tho debate on the bill. he de-
clared that there was no Disgusting the
issue, it was bimetalism or gold mono
metalism. There was not enough gold
to do the business of the country, and if
we had gold monometalism the country
would be at the mercy of the money
gam blers.
Congressman Curtis made no speech
but in his votes he took the same ground
that Mr.. Broderick did This, in con-
nection with the fact that Broderick and
Curtis are close confidential friends
makes the conclusion reasonable that
Mr.. Broderick's views as expressed in
his speech are fair expression of the
sentiments entertained by Mr.. Curtis
also.
Ia his remarks Mr.. Broderick said:
ga few years ago we were told that the
high protective tariff was the one great
menace to prosperity and that it must be
com bated and put down. In 1890 the
campaign of education was waged for
tariff reform. No one knew just what
this meant, but it was talked of and writ
ten of until everyone was perfectly
familiar with the declaration. II became
a household expression and every man
was expected to inform himself on this
question. From early in 1890 until after
the election in 1892 the daily mails were
burdened with tariff reform literature in
culcating the doctrine that the tariff was
a tax aud that taxation was an evil. This
declaration had the sem blance of phiIoso-
ply, but was in fact misleading. Taxa
ton is burdensome, but it is a
public necessity, and when proper
ly adjusted and applied to pub
evil. But in 1892 the people decided in
favor of reforming the tariff and for
nearly two years business was threat
ened and prostrated while the alleged
reformation was being accomplished.
up to the time of the passage of the
Wilson -Gorman bill we had theory and
prophecy to guide US, but since that
time we have had the practical results of
a low tariff. The great body of the peo-
pie has not pros pered. Business, except
in a few lines, has been and is every
where stagnant. Laborers have not re-
munerative employment. Capital has
avoided enterprise of every kind aud
has gravitated to the commercial centers
The prices of products of the soil do
not now exceed the cost of production
Money seeks investment only in stocks
and bonds.
"While the new tariff law is responsi-
BILE for many of the misfortunes, l can
not believe that it is the cause of all our
trouble. From the time of the enact
ment of the silver legislation of 1878 we
were gradu ally increasing the currency
by the purchase and coinage of silver
bullion and the Issuing of treasury notes.
But in 1898 the eastern banking assooia-
tions and some of the commercial bod
les organized for the purpose of over
throwing that policy and placing the
country on the gold standard. The
special session of congress called for the
purpose of repeating the purchasing
clause of the Sherman law, and VIII ich
effected this result, provided no way for
increasing the currency to meet the de-
mands of an increased business.
MS may nave Do0Q on the theory
that business would not increase durin g
the time of the present administration
and that no increase of circulation weuld
be required. The repeal of the silver
Legislation was urged on the ground of
public necessity. but it has proved bar
req of the results claimed for it. 1t did
not stay the outflow of gold, though we
have issued bonds to purchase more than
a quarter of billion of sound money in
order to support the administration poll
cy. This has been an expensive expert
ment. More expensive than war We
can approximate the direct cost, but we
can not estimate the cost resulting from
shrinkage of values and loss 20 labor.
II believe the American people want
the money function restored to the silver
dollar, that it may be again useful as
money of final payment The one con-
tention made by the gold-standard advo-
Gates against giving the silver the place
in our currency it formerly occupied, and
the one argument urged and emphasiz-
ed, is that the restoration of the silver
dollar would drive the gold out, and yet il
is true that since congress repealed the
law directing the purchase of silver bull
lion, and by that announced to the
world that the United States had Joined