The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1877-03-22
The -Anti-AIonopo1ist,

II
on this Mr.. Womacks said: / took
somewhat one-sided position. The re-
port of last meeting does not quite truly
my opinions. mean, the rulers
of foreign powers draw vastly heavier on
the people than ours but no inquiries is
made. 1t is only in the most civilized
lands that inquiries and objections are !
made. have lost four crops out of six.
and with most farmers the same is true,
and thence most of the hard times.
Mr.. Reinking- letters just read
are very important and show. great in>
terest. There are new faces here, too,
and am glad to see them. Our govern
ment consists Of executive, legislative
and judicial departments. When any OF
them are out Of order the body polite
cannot exist. Are these branches all pure
and all in order? No. far from it. There
is extravaganza. Who is to blame?
There is extravaganza and corruption
equal to that Of the later days of Rome.
What part of the government is sound
and healthy? can find ne place, even
with microscope. The executive de-
.partment, all, all are corrupt. They
worship the dollar more than God. In
R12dnOlC ClV4l wal CANAO 40 NAW Va
travagance and corruption. Where is
the remedy? 1t is right here with US.
The people are sovereing. Put the right
kind Of men in nomination-pure men,
disinterested men, patriotic mer, indie
pendent men. The politicians run the
primaries, the conventions, the elections,
the legislatures and the courts. We must
not be tied to party. What is money?
If this house was full of greenbacks,
gold and silver, could one live on 1t?
No. Money is only medium Of exchan-
&c, and gets its value from the legisla-
ture. We are to blame for the hard times,
because we have shifted responsibility
off our own shoulders on to somebody's
else There was never a better govern
ment than ours if its affairs are well man.
aged. This country is not bankrupt and
never can be. While the muscle and brain
are left the resources can never be ex-
hausted. Iowa itself could pay the
whole national debt, in time. Let lis be-
gin right, and push right ahead.
Mr. INSTRUMENTATION OF currency
| means the increase Of the value OF money
and decrease OF property reckoned in
money. But the debts don't shrink.
The property is reported in the census at
thirty billions, and the debts are, say
fifteen billions. Ii the value (price) Of
all this propertybe reduced one-half
that is, to fifteen billions, then the debt
equals the property, while it was hut
half as great before. Go step further
and contract still more, say till dollar
would buya small farm, tAen the debt
would be great deal larger than the
property. The increase Of the indebt.
edness is full nine billion dollars, by rea-
son Of the contraction of the currency and
consequent change of values. Can we
submit to this? And will we submit to
it? The cause seems pretty plain. In
1887 we had an initiation, then contrac-
ton; the banks burst, prices fell one
half, and there were terribly hard times.
But wnen we got over it there came
another imitation, and again in 1857 an
: other smash up. There was contraction
and ruin. Of course we had plenty Of
money, but at the same time the debts
were terribly heavy. Can we afford to
change the value OF our money in this
way?
Mr.. Greer-The theory just stated il
right If farm were worth $40 per acre
reduce the currency three-fourths and tn.
farm is worth but S1O per acre 1t is only
, fixing values OF money;a $1,000 deb
has practically become $4,000 debt
t Congess has the right to fix the value Of
| money; nobody denies or doubts it; Blu
! why can't they fix it in a sensible sor
: of way. There is party whose interes
| it is to increase the value Of debts, TO
) they are benefited thereby. The mon3l
2 should have affixed valuation that can
. slide up and down. If the government
owes three billion dollars and the peopl
want money. they can use this debt a
/ such money or currency. Practically
q takes away the debt. The hard time
}. originated from just two simple things
' one, the bad legislation; the other, ba'
: crops. But will the government d
b anything? We must organize and edu
a cate ourselves and the people organize
Y and make our demands. The leven
}. working in the minds of the people. LIZ
|. US organize and make ourselves felt.
d Mr.. Neutrality-suspicious. we get thrcug
o we shall unanimously agree that the n
J. sumption act must be repealed.
e DR.. Philbrick-To finish my argumer
IS OF last meeting: One Of the causes
d the heavy tax imposed for transport
o ton. Men must cooperate. Farmer
il must study the thing and work togethe
: We must see what we have to sell an
"a what we can get for it The subject
IS transportation is one OF the greatest COZ
o sequence. A road can be built troll
!. here to New York without cost, an
d. great saving can be made in freight
ID and added to the profits Of farmers. Sc
le the figures: In square mile IS o.
ia acres in strip twenty miles wide, ~
e. 800 xcres to the mile. Put halt OF 1t
ii corn, $4,000 acres; it should yield for
d bushels per acre, 256. 900 bushels. Th
D corn is worth. here. to~day. s64 900, az
8 in New FORK $l48, 48O, > difference of$Sa
=. 48O. This corn can be hauled for twel'
y cents per bushel. $3O,72O. We pay
ur above. s84, 48O, an overcharge, robber
"a of $53, 768, enough to build douo
40 track steel railroad and fully equip
OF and this very year. Here is one OF =
81 greatest causes of hard times. Let
n build ourselves up and make ourselves
N power in the land. We suffer the grea