Arizona republican., 1898-03-08
GOLD IN KANSAS.

Those who have followed the articles written for Harper's Weekly by MT. Franklin Matthews have no doubt been surprised several times already, and the indications are that the acute observer and collector of facts hereto fore hidden from the public at large will spring still other surprises as he continues to tell of what he saw and heard in the west. His articles have been largely confined to Kansas, in asmuch as that is to be taken as the head center of populism and agricul- ture. MT. Matthews, in his last ar ticle, related these facts:
 I had occasion to visit the largest general store in Topeka to inquire as to the prosperity of the masses. One of the proprietors had just come in from making the first of the usual two daily deposits of receipts in the bank. The store does business of more than $250,000 year. He said:
 ''Oh yes, times are greatly improved. Where a year ago we took in one S20 gold piece a day we now get a dozen of them"
 "Gold!" I said in surprise.
 "Why, yes. gold.'
 Gold in Kansas? And in circula- tion among the people like that?''
 Why, certainly. I have just de- posted s150 in gold that we took in this morning. I wish you had dropped in a little earlier so that you might have seen it."
 That was on November g last
 This gentleman was one of the firm of Kemper & Paxton, owning the Model Supply Store of that city, and if mentioning the name gives them any advertisement they are welcome to it, for the story told by this mem Der of the firm was so extraordinary to me that I feel I must give my full authority for it. It was MT. Paxton who spoke. He said that the firm made a practice to cash the checks of the Santa Fe railroad employees in the general offices of the company situated in Topeka, and that frequently on pay day, which comes monthly, their bank would send down to the store as much as s1,20O in gold, which would be given out in one day in exchange for the checks. Of course that gold remained in circulation for several days about town. Other stores and other banks also in Topeka took in and gave out gold, and the result was that in that city of about 35, 1000 or 4O,- 900 inhabitants several thousands of dollars in gold was being used from day to day as a medium of exchange When the full extent of this informa- tion dawned upon me I could express my surprise only by saying:
 "Why, out in the east, if we had read or known that there was $5,00O in gold in actual circulation in any place in Kansas this state, which has seemed welded to silver-we should not have been surprised to have heard as the next thing that a mob had taken possession of the place. and that a dozen or more gold bugs-that is to say, persons having gold in their possession-had been hanged on the street corners, despite the strenuous efforts of the state militia to prevent it. Thas shows how little we req ly know about the actual condition of affairs beneath the surface in Kansas. !"
 The actual presence Of gold as a medium of exchange in Topeka is rath- CT surprising Tn view of the clamor set up in 1896 that gold was the rich mans money and that the poor never saw it, and all that sort of thing. How the sturdy populists of Kansas can reconcile themselves to the use of gold we do not know; but they no doubt use it and are glad to get it. Gold is not such bad thing to have, and we fancy that the average farmer would rather receive gold coin in payment for his wheat than be burdened with silver. As a. matter of more than temporary interest MT. Matthews story is worth passing along.