Show A BAD BILL It is said that Senator STANFORD is in deep earnest regarding his bill for loaning government money to farmers at an annual an-nual interest of 2 per cent and that he will use all his influence to secure thepas sago of the measure If some men were to introduce such a bill they would at once be charged with harboring a motive not consistent con-sistent with uprightness and strict integrity integ-rity but no such nccusatio will ever be made against Senator STANFORD whose record places him above criticism Out of the goodness of his heart thehumanitarian i has evolved this scheme to help and benefit a class of his countrymen who are in need of assistance The Senator finds the farmers farm-ers are poor that they workhard early and late for small compensation that toil as they will their progress towards prosperity is slow he sees that they need money to improve their land to purchase better machinery and implo meats and to make the most from their possessions he knows how heavily the farmers ore mortgaged and how hard it is for them to meet the iaterest payments Ho would go to the relief of the struggling toiling agriculturists who form the strength of the nation and believe that he was within the boundsof law and equity I and was employing the treasure of the country in the best manner possible It is safe to say however that the scheme will never be adopted It should not be adopted and one dislikes to seea man as prominent as Senator STANFORD is permit his good intentions to destroy his judgment When Jibe United States government gov-ernment shall have any money to loan it will be when the financial affairs of the nation are criminally mismanaged when taxes aro cruelly oppressive and the central cen-tral authority bears heavily upon the people peo-ple The nation has no right to collect more money than is required for its legitimate legiti-mate uses and it has no right to set itself up in business as banker and moneylender But suppose the government had tho money how could it make distinctions between citizens and loan to one tjlass while denying deny-ing others How could it lend to the farmer on his land and refuse the carpenter on his tools the merchant on his goods the ehipman on his ship the mineowner on his mine the railway company on its grade and rolling stock In this country citizens are presumed to bo equal before the law and they must be given equal rights and privi legcsor else the go vernment f ails in its duty The Senator would not think of turning the federal treasury into a great banking and loan institution driving all other bank and trust companies out of business and yet that would be the effect of the bill A better way to help the farmers would be to repeal the protective laws which are ruining the industries of tho country and compelling the poor farmer to pay two prices for everything required by him that I he does not raise |