The Forrest City times., 1888-03-03
The Surplus.

There being a surplus of over $l00,- e91.G0O iH the |. :. treasury. there are at this time being devised many plans for reducing il. Those plans are for l large contracts for navy improve meuts. river Improvements, and for fOTtifying our sea coast cities. Let us look at the iirst-navy Improvements. Millions are annually spent on them, and to what benefit to the pubiicy Aiiuus spent OH Ti5eIs, with the Sauc benefit t0 the public. HOWY The contractors get the peoples money, and it is ended As to fortifyIng cur cities it is presumption on the part of any one to advocate such expenditure of money. Any reading person knows that Warships could anchor seven miles at sea and destroy any city with its hundred forts, so you see millions and millions uselessly expended, and to no general benefit to tue people.
 Statistics show that the revenue of the United States is over S24T 900 GOO per annum, and after eItrayagant expenditures there is left in the treasury over $l0a, GOO GOO surplus. If one hundred thousand settlers per an- nun went on the public domain backed by a loan of $500 each, 1t would amount to $50 eco ,000 per annum. and ill live years, at the same rate of settling, there would be five hundred thousand settlers and a loan of xl50.0o0 900. Now, to estimate five persons to each settler, we would have twenty-five hundred thousand people with homes and producers, too-on eighty millions of acres of public lands, which by right belong to the American people. Would C hi 4F fstf h labor question of this countryl l certainly think that 1t would relieve our cities of the surplus population, and instead of making thieves of thousands it would establish families that in the future ages of this country would bring honor upon the nation. 1t is an established fact that in this coun- try 1t takes 392 lbs. Of grain, l20 lbs. meat. Is pounds butter and q pounds of sugar per capita, on which 10 live per aunum, and 1t is also fact that If men cannot get money enough for honest labor to buy what it takes to support life for himself and his family that most men will have it by other means too numerous to mention. IAls brings us down to what legislation is responsible for the welfare of the peu- pie; and while our national legislation makes laws solely fer manufacturers, mon9polists, bankers and Wall street gamblers. 1 do not see how the masses are to become improved, either in condition or in morals. We have to-day S332,000 900 in national bank notes in circulation and our govern ment grant loans to the banks of the country, which enables money tO de- press the people. as may be seen in the strides the banking interest has made beyond the agricultural and manufac- turing interest of the country.
 Again, there are represented in this country in manufacturing g ,5A0 coo, coo more than in agriculture. and yet the great cry is for laws to protect the great manufacturing interests of the country. The national interest of this country now demands legislation ill favor of agriculture, encouraging set tiers on the public lands, reduction of the surplus in the treasury and q reduction of the surplus population in our cities. How is it to be done? The labor disturbances will cost more money to the government than it would to settle the public lands and make honest people of her sons,
 SAM