The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1888-03-17

estimate by the annual tribute Of $500, 000,-
900 exacted for quarter of century
from the other States under the false pre-
tense Of building up home manufactures,
own all Western railroads, telegraph lines,
and bridges, and hold mortgages on nearly
all farms, their cities, and towns
Mr.. Bland. Mr.. Chairman, that is
showing which it seems to me ought to call
the attention of this House, and especially
the attention of the gentlemen who are
representing agricultural constituencies. 1t
so happens that people engaged in agricul-
ture, scattered on farms, are not able to
meet and organize, as those living in the
larger cities and manufacturing districts
can, for the purpose of urging legislation
here for their relief They must bear these
burdens in patience, and they have borne
them for the last quarter CT century
While VIC are here passing without chal-
lenge bills in every form, exacting from
them an excessive tribute in the way OF
taxation, we are denounced. by the monop-
olists and the benefciaries of this system OF
taxation whenever any move is made in
this House for the purpose of reducing
these taxes and these burdens or to call
halt in these extravagant appropriations of
public money.
Mr.. Chairman, am not opposed to the
erection of public buildings where they are
required and necessary, if there were some
general law upon this subject; and | am
sorry my friend from South Carolina and
his committee have not reported some gen
eral bill by which the Departments can de-
signate and inform Congress as to the par
ticular points and places where public
buildings are needed. We are going
on erecting public buildings in towns
of ten, fifteen, or twenty-five thousand
inhabitants, where the rentals are not
more than four or FIVE hundred dollars
per annum, mainly for the purposeof or
nament and for adjoining the abodes of
those living in ease and leisure at the
expense of the farmers, who, as all who live
in agricultural districts are aware, are
ground between the upper and neither
millstones Of taxation.
We find that mortgages cover not only
the great Northwestern States, the newly
settled States, but even the older States of
Ohio Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri pay
every year on mortgages on Their farms and
on investments in railroads amounts running
up to half billion of dollars annually.
And how have these mortgages accrued?
Loan associations of the industrial States
have their agents all over our Western
country who loan there their money at 9 or
10 per cent. and sometimes II or 10 per
cent; and so far as my personal experience
goes, these mortgages are required to be
paid. not in the lawful currency Of this
country as provided by law, but they always
contain clause, inserted at the instance of
these Shylocks, that the money shall be
paid in gold, and gold only. So that the
attempt is made to cause the debts of this
country, not only farm mortgages amount
ing to billions of dollars, but railway mort
cages and national and State debts to be
paid on gold basis by the limitation Of the
issue of money in any other form than that
of gold. And by the protective-tariff scheme
that we have, the duties on imports are
enhanced in value and made more onerous
and burdensome from the fact that they are
to be paid in gold, or at the gold valuation.
Thus it is that we go on here, sir, session
after session refusing to reduce taxes, re-
fusing to give better facilities for currency
that may be adequate for the business of
this country, until the agricultural people,
as is known to every gentleman who repre-
sents an agricultural district, are over
whelmed with debt and dependency and
they look to Congress for some relief, and
this is the character of the relief we are
giving them.