The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-04-10

v
per cent. of the property in Georgia,
and the farmers of the United States
owned 6S per cent. of the entire Drop
crty of the country.
To-day only % per cent. of the peo-
pie own homes, and in Georgia only
"a per cent. of the property is held
by farmers
In 1842 Charles Dickens said a
tramp i'll this country would be us
strange Il sight as u flaming sword at
midday in the heavens. In 1868, not
tramp was to be found in this
country. In 1879 there were 3,O00,-
600 tramps III the United States.
The towns and cities of Georgia
have grown at the expense of the
country. In ten years the property
i'll towns and cities has increased
| S6O,O00,000, while in rural districts it
has decreased S5O,OOO,OOO.
The monetary system of this coun-
try is the child of the wal between
the States, enacted when the United
States were trembling in the face of
al advancing and injured foe. The
government wasthreatenedby by theCon-
fedate forces, with the ''rebel yell"
distinctly heard from the capitol Of
the notion.
AT the instance of Mr.. Lincoln
after his indignant visit to Wall street
for money, the government began the
issue of Greenbacks, Gully 1861, and
Feb. 1862, "the peoples money"
non-interest bearing To circumvcnt
this currency, that left gold tho
money of kings and autocrats) in the
hands of those that had boarded it for
the purpose of forcing from the pco-
pie and the government, their own
rates of interest and prices for the
necessities of war. The money kings
of that day, QS63,) induced Congress
to enact the national banking system.
Under this system they were after
wards enabled to force Congress- to
an Act, QSGG,) the contraction law.
"Ihe strength crcditing Act" THE
rcfmding Act" The dcmonetiza-
ton of silver and thercsumption Act"
all of which were in their interest and
against the people. Thus the GOV
crnment, as Il war measure, when they
could not call their souls their own,
were thrown into the hands of their
relentless and avaricious, money
kings, and there both government and
people remain to-day.
THE EVILS OF CONTRACTION"
In 1866 the Congress passed the
famous contraction Act. 1t was not
rigidly enforced, however, until 1868.
In 1866 the total circulation was
S1, 1,G73,379,753, amounting to S52 per
capita. In ten years the circulation
fell to S4GG, ,549, ,097, and the money in
circulation was reduced to S5.45 per
capita
In eleven years there was lost by
"cOntractoin" OF the currency total
of $40, 49, ,G87,4 shared by the
people as follows:
Lost by business men, S1,3O4, ,75l,-
H.
Lost by farmers, S3,O44, ,936.2G7.
Lost by laboring classes, $500,
0O0,0OD
HOW 1T HURT THE FARMER.
In 1868, II certain farmer in Gcor-
gla came to town with Il 500 pound
bale Of cotton he and his wife had
raised. He sold it for 30 cents Il
pound, getting $3.50 for the bale. He
paid his taxes $40; bought IL cooking
stove, $50; suit of clothes, Sl5: u
dress for his wife So; barrel of
flour for S12; 100 pounds of meat for
S18; and had $50 in clear cash left.
In 1877, nine years later, the same
farmer carried 500 pound bale to
the same market and sold it for
$42.34. He paid his taxes, $40, and
had $2.34 left. This so dcmoralized
him that he got dead drunk and dead
broke The price fer his cotton had
contracted, but taxes and other things
hadn't. Laughter.
The National Alliance at ST. Louis
adopted the sub-treasury plan as the
financial remedy for the "Pondorn
box" and the evils that flow from it,
that so burdens the producing and
laboring classes of this country. We
fling this system before the world.
to take it, examine it, adopt it, or give
us something better, this we will
force you to do, one or the other
Ridicule will not do, there is too
much involved; our people are too
much in earnest to be intimidntcd by
this child's play method of meeting
facts.
ENCOURAGING TRUSTS.
This plan has been ridiculcd by the
Columbus paper, which calls it "NEr
Livingston plan,' and says it is not
based on good business sense. 1t is
not my plan. That paper does me
too much honor. was one of the
committee of five that formulated the
plan at st. Louis at the meeting of
the National Alliance. I want to shy
that SO honorable aman as Zcb Vance
has introduced this plan in bill be-
fore Congress.
Our plan is this:
We do not ask u change in the gov
ernment plan. 1t is not revolution.
We merely want the piun enlarged.
| They allow me to deposit bonds as
evidence of indebtedness, and draw
| 90 per cent. of their face value, and
bank Oh these bonds. The govern
ment pays the holder interest on
these bonds, and taxes the people to
get money to pay this interest. And
the government, besides taxing the
people, discriminatcs against them
| by not allowing the banks to loan
| money on raO1 pstoto >ybilo u nn,,.