The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1916-08-24
Gardner Land Bank Fallacy


uagp. The loopholrS do not have to
he looked for. They thrust themscl-
yes on the reader Of the bill in almos,
every sentence. The language is
chi hv notable for its ambiguity, and
col hct Of meaning possible from dif-
fareni points Of view. There is moth
ing especially surprising in the fact
that the measure is thus faulty when il
is considered that the author Of the
lil' is neither a farmer nor a banker,
yet he has undcrtaken to provide a
banking law Of especial importance to,
and for the especial benefit OF, the far
mers. The one thing that is in evi'
dence in every line OF the bill is that
it is, and was especially designed to be,
a bait for gudgeons." II is legislation
especially formulated and promulgated
10 catch the farmer vote. In this it is
Of piece with much oI the same sort
Of legislation that has been proposed,
prof 'cted and sometimes actually writ
ten into the law by men or co'eres of
men who play politics on the
basic idea that all men-and especially
the farmers are fools, or can be made
fools Of by little sop in the shape OF
a proposed money remedy for their ills,
idncied or actual.
The very best service that cou.d be
rendered any number of farmers who,
through party afii iation or for any other
reason, are disposed to cast their votes
for the author Of the bill, would be 10
familiarize them with the weakness,
idiosyncrasies, and nonsensical provis-
ions Of the measure. The land Bank
is weak and futile in itself, but it might
be allowed to 60 at that and be de-
pended upon to defeat itself through
nonfruition. When it is forced, or
tried 10 be forced, into the shape Of an
amendment Of the state constitution,
as is proposed, it becomes bad and
dangerous in so many respects that it
thould be clubhed to death by that
complete exposure that can come only
through making the particular class at
whom i. is chiefly directed, as fully ac-
quainted as possible with its bad iea
lures, 1t is different only in detail
from hall hundred other propositions
which demagogues or uniformed per
sons have inflicted or tried to inhict on |
the country-such, for instance, as the |
idea Of issuing bonds or securities, un.
der one name or another, on farmers
crops, either in the barns or still grow.
ing in the fields; on mechanics tools |
or materials; on live stock on the range
or in the pasture. 1t is simply another
phase, and worse one, Of the so-cal-
led greenback nonsense It is almost
as bad as the idea I once heard advan-
ced by Sam Carey, Of Ohio, that the gov
ment issue irredeemable or fiat money
and have that money made OF leather,
so it wouldn't wear out.
OF course there is room for unlimit- |
ed argument in contravention OF what / |
have just said, but when all argument
is exhausted on details, the basic false
idea still remains that the Gardner
Land Bank Bill is fsllacious in its every |
principle; and it is nonsensical in its
provisions. 1t is merely tub tossed |
to a whale. The measure as passed |
BY the Forty-eighth General Assembly
in fact is a little better than a dead |
letter, since by its very provisions it |
renders itself imperative, and robs it.
oI its capacity for doing harm. The
harm lies in the effort and the threat to |
galvanize il into some semblance Of
lie by resort 10 the referendem system
for constitutional amendment. There
Is no danger Of any such amendment
being adopted il the voters in the
country and small towns are fully in.
formed as to the iniquities OF the
measure. II, however, the intorma
tion vouchsaied the farmers is allowed
to rest on misleading and false declar.
atoms put forth in in the shape Of ar.
gumeni-all couched in terms intend
ed TO make the larmer believe that un-