The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-12-10

bonds, by changing the unit of value
from silver to gold, by restricting the
coinage of silver and denying to the
people their constitutional right to free
coinage, by boarding an immense
amount in the Treasury, by taxing
State banks out of existence, and then
by trusting the business of furnishing
the "tools of trade" to sustain prices
and promote prosperity to national
banks, whose interest, it turns out to
be, to withdraw currency rather than
to increase it, though population has
doubled and business quadrupled;
this great and overshadowing money
trust, we believe, to be at the bottom,
the causa causaudi of all other trusts
that af1ict the people. Now, to take
an agricultural illustration, when there
is a corner on wheat, everybody
knows, the way to break it is to raise
another crop of wheat. Too, when
there is a corner on money, such as
there has been for the last Is years,
tenacious, unyielding, grasping, heart
less, the way to break it is to raise
another crop of money, to increase the
currency. This can be done by prop
erly guarded loans on real estate at a
lon rate of interest. If, in the wisdom
Of the representatives of labor and
farmer organizations in convention
assembled, the "tools of trade " of the
people should be increased to the end
that prices may be raised, and labor,
products and property may be released
from the grip of money-mongers. We
most respectfully and earnestly urge
upon the convention to adopt some
plan by which our weak or wicked
rulers at Washington, both Democrats
and Republicans, may be- induced to
relieve at once the great pressure
which bears down all producing and
Industrial classes. Unless something
is done, speedily, the whole property
of the people, both town and country,
will oon be absorbed by the money
kings and leave the masses in the con
dition of the British people where 3d.
600 men own the land on which 3d.
600, 900 people live.
We know very well the difficulty
of the undertaking. We know that
the interest of Office holders is the
same as the interest of money holders
in having money scarce. We know
that the interest of both these classes
is to double the purchasing power of
the dollar; the one, that every dollar
of his salary may buy two dollars
worth; the other, that every dollar of
his thousands and millions may buy
two dollars worth; and both, that
high rates of interest may be extorted
from oppressed people. We know
that salaried officials and honeymoon
gers are hand in glove in this matter.
We are sure Dthat our lawmakers
never could have found it in their
hearts 1--WE give them credit for this
much) to play into the hands OF the
money power to the great injury and
oppression. of their constituents, but
for the fact that the interest of these
two classes is Identical. The Office
holders doubled their salaries in flush
times, and then doubled them again
by contracting the currency from $50
per capita to So. In this secret, sly,
~clandestine, underhanded, surreptiti-
Gus, villianous manner they have
magnifed themselves at the expense
of the people, utterly regardless of
the fact that their wicked legislation
would transfer the property of the
rooD1o into tho bonds of +bo Ooonovy
mongers. This we believe to be the
secret of the outrageous financial leg
~islation with which we are cursed.
We know that we have got to sight
these two powerful and well organ
lied classes, but we know that we
outnumber them 100 to l, if we count
all whose interests in this matter are
identical with ours, the farmers and
laborers, the manufacturers and Oper-
atives, the miners and mechanics, the
teachers, preachers and doctors and
| al who are interested la the prosper
ity Of laboring and producing classes;
and we know that, with the ballot in
our hands, we can whip them out
completely, and restore to the people
the prosperity of which we have been
robbed, without resorting to bloody
revolution. In the mean time some
wise and energetic action ought to be
taken by this grandest convention of
representatives o. laborers and farm,
ers and other industrial classes that
has ever met, to persuade or to force
Congress to enact laws for the imme-
date relief of a trusting and confd-
ing people who once had faith in the
integrity and craftsmanship and patri-
otism of our lawmakers, but who have
of late years struggled on under ad-
verse laws and patiently borne unjust
burdens until they are about to be
swallowed up by the money-sharks,
and ~"forbearance ceases to be a
virtue"
With tho oroatost roznoct and nro.