Mexico weekly ledger., 1900-11-22

VI 1RAA bnRCA AGAuF01Ak a14uAG10-
ment No. 8 to the constitution,
passed at the recent election. ]
have read the editorial with much
interest aud permit me to say II is
one Of the best articles against the
amendment l have yet seen. In
view Of the fact thst you call upon
the Representatives. and Senator Of
this district to oppose this amend.
ment at the coming session of the
legislature, l take this method
of publicly stating my views in re-
gard thereto. In your editorial you
assume that this amendment is
not self-enforcing but that in order
for it to be effective an act of the
general assembly lie necessary. 1t
will therefore be needless for the
purposes of this article to discuss
the truth on falsity Of that assump-
ton.
At the very outset, in order that
l may not be misunderstood, let me
say that l voted for the amend
ment, believing it to be right and
just, and now | know of no reason
why l should be of a different
opinion. l have heard the reasons
so adroitly urged in your editorial,
in opposition to the amendment,
on many occasions, bat SO far from
changing my views in regard there
to they have only tended to
strengthen and confirm them.
1t would be impossible in the
brief space of this article to discuss
thoroughly this question, and with
out therefore going into a detailed
discussion l only desire, with your
permission, to call your attention to
a few facts which could scarcely
have escaped your observation.
In the first place. Mr.. Editor, l
woulc ask why it is that you oppose
this amendment where, pray, is
this crying demand that it not be-
come a lawi Is it from the debtor
classes and the people in generali
If so, ! have failed to hear or see it.
No. this demand % comes from the
money-lending classes and their
agencies. Did we not but last week
read in the metropolitan press that
the real estate men of this state had
decided TO fight this law through
the courts of last resort and for that
purpose had raised an enormous
fund that the bankers of Kansas
City had been informed by their
attorneys that there was a proba.
bility that the amendment was lille
gal and that they (the bankers) were
much elated at the discovery; that
they were prepared in both q mon
etary and legal way TO hght the law
and that they would try to precenf
tue legislature from making it oper-
ative.H
Are you not aware that the asso-
cisted banks Of tins state sent to
every bank and every town, city
and village In this state circulars to
be distributed about the voting pre-
cincts on election day, for no other
purpose than to deceive the voters
into voting against this amendment;
that these vicious anti election
circulars, anonymous In character,
though by inference purporting to
emanate from and TO have at heart
the interest of the debtor, were so
willfully false and the method en-
ployed to influence voters so notori-
ously dishonest that not one Of the
banks in this city or any of their
oficers-and let it be said to their
credit had either the inclination or
the hardihood to distribute a single
circular. Are you not aware that
there is already in existence in this
state a large fund, the sole use of
which will be to deceive the people
and prevent their legislators from
putting into operation this lawf
May | ask, therefore, is THE ISTEL-
LIGENcER going to lend its aid and
influence to such q scheme and advo-
cate such a opposition as il did on
Saturday evening, and shis, too, in
the face Of its contrary position a
fortnight ago7 As stated in your
editorial, MANY points are coming
up by which those inclined to fight
ii in the coming legislature r en-
eOuraging themselves as 10 the
prospect of a contest, and does it
now remain for The ETELLI0ENcER
to augment that encouragement by
not only advocating their PROPOSE
ton, q proposition marked by un-
fairness and injustice, but also to
lend assistance thereto by q request
that the representatives OF this
county join therein? Is there not
already u sufficient lobby at our
state capital to prevent legislators
from doing their duty without the
newspapers Of the country encour-
aging others to go thereF And yet
that will be the inevitable result of
your course in this matter IL pur.
sued.
Mr.. Editor, this effort TO defeat
the law ONE not from the friends
of the debtor class 1t bad its incep-
ti0n aud Is being propagated in the
interest Of the creditor class, the
money lender. The statement that
the law will be in the interest OF tue
creditor and to the injury of the
debtor IL as ridiculous as 1t is untrue.
Whenever l bear Ut see the creditor
constituting themselves the
guardians and protectors Of the
debtor class | Immediately oopclude
that there is 8 niger In the wood
pile somewhere" These arguments
50 assiduously advanced by the op-
p0Dents of this measure, namely.
that they oppose il not because II
will fail TO help the lender, but
because il will be TO the detriment
Of the borrower are as old as they
are ~fallacious. IL Is the same old
story over and ove again. We op-
pose the bill, said the lender in 1889
when the 8 per cent interest law was
before the legislature, not because
ue aannof loan onr rnonov huf