Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1890-12-04
The Schemes Of the Alliance.

Colonel Polk. president of the Farmers
National Alliance, does not please the Free
Traders. Though himself Democrat and
Free Trader. he declares that the tariff
had comparatively little to do with the
campaign, and that 1.-THE National Alliance
has never made demands on Congress in
| reference to the tariff. In Kansas and
other Western States the people refuse to
go out and hear the tariff orators. They
| demanded currency-not tarih or more
taxation" According to him, the thing
| first and chiefly demanded was the free
| coinage of silver.
| This accordS somewhat closely with
| other information, though perhaps Colonel
| Polk does not deem it advisable at
| this time to tell the whole story. The
| passionate desire for more money at the
| West Is not by any means limited now,
| though 1t may have been in the past. to
the demand for silver coinage. He who
reads any of the official publications of the
| Alliance will see that there Is an intense
desire, not merely for money in general.
| but tor money TO he supplied at time and
| in way to give especial benefit to farmers.
| There appear TO be two great factions in
this partially orga nized force. One thinks
most of mortgages, and the other of
the number Of farm mortgages outstand-
ing and the high rate of interest paid, and
urges that Government ought TO carry the
debts of farmers by its credit and its
currency-i>suing power. If it would en-
able the tillers of the soil to take up the
| mortgages outstanding by means of new
mortgages to Government at one per cent.
| a year interest and would issue currency
enough TO make these enormous advances,
the increase of circulation would not only
be large enough TO satisfy the most eNtrava-
giant expectation. but the additional circu-
laton would go directly to the people who
consider that they most need it. In some
of the Western States this Is the prcdomi-
mating idea.
But in most of the Southern States the
Sub-Treasury scheme. so called. has been
found the more attractive. The farmers
OF this class consider thst they are ueces-
sarily and always wronged, to an extent far
beyond computation, by inelastcity in the
currency-lts inability TO expand al a time
when the movement of the crops creates a
sudden demand for enormous sums. About
the same time every year, they say, farm
products worth thousand millions or
more are ready for market All the money
in the country is just then utterly made
quate TO meet the demand Stringency
follows in all the great money markets, and
holders of farm products are forced to sell.
and thus prices are greatly depressed.
/ This occurs again and again, the farmers
complain, Just when millions Of them are
| forced to sell because they must have
| money to paw wages and debts and ex-
! penses In consequence a great share OF
| the real value of their products is regular.
! lv taken from the farmers every fall. they
! argue. and divided among middlemen and
spectators But IL Government would
/ issue in the fall thousand millions o,
more at the rate of SO per cent. of the
! market value of products deposited in pub.
/ lie warehouses. the farmers would not BE-
obliged 10 sacrihe the crop In order Il
raise the money they need while the issue
of currency TO that amount al the very
time a great EXPANSION il required woult