Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1906-01-03
AMONG THE uNFAIrHfuL STEWARDS.

In its Issue of Nov. 23rd, the Chicago
Inter- Ocean, republican, printed an
editorial in which it arraigned Senator
Platt of NewYork because he accepted
policyhOlders' funds for use in the
state campaign. After conyicting Sen
ator Platt of corruption" the Inter.
Ocean in that same editorial SAID:
The case was not the same as were the
gift in aid of the national campaign
against free silver and population. The
success of Mr.. Bryan would have en-
dangered the property of the policy
holders. Those gifts met a real danger
although in an irregular and morally
unjustifiable way.
w. B. Clarkson of Albert Lea, Mimi,
has written to the editor of the Inter.
Ocean the following letter:
l have read with some interest a re-.
cent editorial in the Inter Ocean emit.
tied The Unfaithful Stewards" You
ask the pertinent question, Now what
legislation really hostile to the policy
holders could bo enacted?" and then
you proceed to answer your question,
and to my mind you make most COM
pletesanswer. Your reasoning is SPLEEN
did, and is an unanswerable argument.
A little further along IN your editorial
you say: The case was not the same
as with the gifts IN aid of the national
campaign against silver and repudia-
ton. The success of Mr.. Bryan would
have endangered the po:icyholders.
Those gifts met real danger, though
in an irregular and morally unjustitia
BILE way.'
1t would be of considerable interest
to one of your readers, at least, if you
would explain fully, by what process of
reasoning you arrive at two conclusions
that are so much opposed to each other?
Do you assume that the policyhoIders
in question are all republicans? Or to
put 1T better, do you assume that all
the policyholders are of the same mind
in regard to the proper solution Of the
silver issue? Did it occur to you that
Senator Platt and his kind could take
the view, and that honestly too, that
they had perfect right to do the
thinking for the policy hOlders, and that
they were justified In putting money
into the hands of one political party,
and help elect its candidates to Office in
the state, and thereby shut off any hos
tile legislation? I repeat, could not
Thomas e. Plat have determined his
course in this regard by the same pro
cess of reasoning that you assume to
speak for the policyholders in their
supposed desires about the results of
the national campaign of 1896?
IT you choose to explain yourself in
answer to this question, L should be
pleased to be enlightened on the sub.
ject.
If any one has observed that the In.
ter Ocean editor has replied to Mr..
Clarkson, The Commoner would be
pleased to be informed OH this point.
Bad as Platt's practices were, repub.
lican editors who are not prepared to
condemn the acceptance by the repub-
llcan national committee of funds stol
en- just as Platt's campaign funds were
stolen, will do we'll to "let we'll enough
alone" Thievery is thievery. When
Platt said 1.-THE use of these contribu
tiOns In the election puts the candi-
dates under Obligations not to attack
the interests supporting them" he ad
mltted the obligations he assumed for
himself and his associates in accepting
these contributions. At the same time
he gave an accurate description of the
expectations entertained by the men
who contributed several hundred thou
sand dollars of stolen funds to the re-
publican national committee.
Every one knows that the men who
contributed to Cortelyou were no more
interested In national honor than were
the men who contributed to Platt in
terested in the honor of the Empire
state. All these men contributed liber-
ally to the republican national commit.
tee and to the state committee money
stolen from the trust funds committed
to their care; and as the Inter Ocean
says of the men responsible for the mis-
appropriation in the New York state
campaign affair, so it may be said of
all the Dlen concerned in the contribu
tions, to the republican national com.
mittee ''for them there can be nothing
but the condemnation given to the TN.
faithful steward. '-Commoner.