Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1897-03-26
NOTES AND COMMENT.
Flashes of Thought Inspired by Passing
Evd,its.

Flashes of Thought Inspired by Passing
Evd,,ts.
There SeeLls to be contention
among some very prominent men In
the Peoples party as to whether we
will have all of the specie basis fraud
or none of it. The adherents of sci.
entific money need not fear the results
If we can have such money to circu-
late alongside of both gold and silver
or only one of them. 1t would prove
an object lesion that would soon de-
termine the people in favor of a sci
entific paper currency.
The Cleveland Citizen thinks there IL
something wrong with the reform leg
islature of Colorado, because the Popu
list papers of that state are saying
many mean things against it. Call
ing it Reform Legislature" reminds
us of the story of the boy who TOOK
a dogs hide to the tanners to SELL
This dog wasn't very fat, was he?'
asked the tanner. "Fattest dog ever
saw" replied the boy; "he was so fat
he went to get over the fence and
fell and broke his neck" "Oh, well,
said the tanner, "if he was that fat, the
hide is no account, and l don't want
it," "Look'ee here, mister" replied
the boy, that ere dog was not so dac
gummed fat as you might think
Uncle Russell Sage had a nightmare
in the daytime. He regrets the occa-
sion of the Bradley-Martin ball. He
says it and its like are doing much
to spread discomfort, which, II not
stopped, will break loose like an
avalanche which will destroy every
bulwark of our social systems Uncle
Russ. seems to have been reading the
history of the French revolution, for
he advises his millionaire friends that
ut was the same insolvent distress and
extravaganza of this kind that pro-
voked the French revolution. Thos-
who live for pleasure alone should heeG
the ominous warning" But we want
to inform Uncle Russ. that it's no use.
The rich can't get their mind on their
wealth and the pleasures it brings
long enough to see how near they are
verging on the precipice. "On with the
dance"
II the government permits the forced
sale of the Pacific railroads at a loss
to itself it will be fitting climax to
the most monumental fraud OF the age.
The history of the roads Is one long
story of stupendous fraud from the
beginning. The government has hunt
ed and prosecuted with relentless en-
ergy the petty violators of the revenue
law who sought to evade the tax on
whisky by conducting a moonshlne
distillery, yet the brigands who have
managed the Pacific railroads have
swindled the government out of ten
times more money than all the moon
sinners since the revenue laws were
first enacted. The government mas no
mercy on a counterfeiter, but 1t stoops
to compromise with band of brigands
who have robbed it of more than all
the counterfeiters since the adoption
of the constitution. If a postmaster
at some country crossroads appropri-
ates seventy-five cents worth OF post
age stamps the government se!zes him
with an iron hand and casts him in
prison, but it condescends to plead
with the rascals who have falsely GER
titled to millions of acres of land which
they have not earned under the terms
of the grant, and appropriated funds
which it agreed to turn in on what 1t
owed. What the government should
do is to proceed at once to take charge
of the whole system and bring crimi-
nal suits against the brigands who
have been guilty of fraud, and are now
seeking to swindle the government ON
of the greater part of its claim.
W. S. MORGAN.