The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1889-12-13
Tile Memorial Adopted.
Following is the memorial to congress
adopted by the alliance:

Tothe Honorable Members of tho Senate ana
Rouse OF Representatives. of the United States
Gentieinen: We. tillers of the coil of the state
OF south Dakota. laving takon up orr abode
upon nor widespread prairics. having accepted
tho generous gift of the general government
have built homes hero for our wives and little
ones; upon on land given ,s as FREQ citizens of q
ransmitting these homes as lieritagcs to our
children, DO respectfully represent to yonr hon
That. in spite of all our hearty efforts to pro.
serve our homes; in spite of the unrGmitting
anu mnstintca help afforded us by our heroic
would lain shcltor and make happy i'll homes
owned ny Ourselves in spite Of tho fertility of
our virgin soil, the indebtedness upon these
homesteads 10 constantly growing heavier, the
hope and possibility of paying it waxing fainter
year by year, and We feel the titles to them
Slipping from our hands.
Tho causes for this doplorablo condition are
TO be found in those facts: Giant inonopolies
are controlling tho commodities aud the very
necessities of life. Tho transportation limos
tnat take our products to tho seaboRrd and re-
turn to us needed merchandise, are compelling
rs TO pay rates OF freight far in excess Of what
will Yield them reasonable interost on ali
money actually invested in such enterprises.
A mere handful of men control tho live stock
MARKET OF the nation, running n heretofore val
uapie branch OF hns,andry. BY depressing the
prices OF live stock on one hand, and enhancing
the price to the consumers of the east to q point
where consumption is actually hindorcd where
ne laDorers tako from the earth the fuel with
which TO Keep us VAIN. and those who make
our clothing and build our machinery, are I'M
able to purchase and properly feed those de-
pendingon them.
Tho cost of all our farm machinery is en-.
hanced by reason of high duties on iron and
steel, VIII. the price Of the products of our
wheat fields is fixed in a market where it must
compete with the products of tho cheapest la
Dor IN India and Europe.
But, above all these, the condition that ia
nearing hardest upon us il the fact that tho
government of which we, and you, aro PARTS,
has reduced the amount Of currency in circula.
ton to . lowcr figure per capita th,n it has ever
before been, and TO IL point where it is totally
inadequate for legitimate business purposes.
and rutnous to the laboring classcs, mnkig pos.
etble and profitable the nefarious business Of
the usurcr. and snpping the very life principles
OF our free institutions, by first taking from the
common people the ability to own and possess
~ their own nnnos tho homes in which they
live ana second by making these people SO de-
pendent on the possession of money, that tho
spirit OF liberty is crushed i'll them to give place
TO sulien Indifference and despair.
We pray you, in the name OF our fellow farm
ers and the great mass Of common people, Us
hberty-loving psople of u great republic, to
provide radical relief from these great wrongs.
and especially in tho financial matter we de.
mRnd-
First. as an Immediate amelioration, the
amendment OF the law which now requires our
government to loan money to bankers on bonds
at l per cent, SO that loans can BIO made by
government agencies direct to owners Of small
landed estntes ut . very low rate of inherent,
and
Second, by increasing ut once the volume OF
circulating currency to M amount sufficient for
all the purposes OF trade and commerce.