Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1890-09-25
He Goes tho Whole iios."

a -aFT -#' SNNN
on Tuesday you asked me to civ,
you my views upon the "Sub-Trea
curry plan," and to suggest such mea
sures as l thought would give needed
relief and protection to the agricul
tural interests of tho country. This
l now proceed to do, although / cal
only do so imporfcctly in tho limits
of a lotter. Any discussion or vim
dication of tho views herein OK.
pressed would DO impracticablc in
the space at my command.
When a people clamor, there must
always be cause for such complaint
Tho masses do not murmur without
ground for quarrel. Agrioulturists
everywhere arc aroused and arc dc.
handing relief from their burdens.
Farms III tho Eastern States arc
deserted, because their owners can-
not, with tho most rigid economy
and tho most untiring energy, make
q moagcr support from tho tillagc OF
tho soil.
Farms in tho rich Western ond
Southwestern States arc 80 heavily
mortgagcd to Eastern capitalists
that they cannot be redeemed by
their owners. Loan Association
agents in Topeka, Kan, and Kansas
City report, according to a writer in
the March Forum, that they have
$90,ooo,o0o of mortgages outstand-
ing in 4 dozen Western States.
Agriculture in the South Ian
cuisines, and large-landcd proprictors
arc what we term land-poor. With
energy and economy unparalleled
Southern planters exc out a misera-
bic existence, and enjoy few of tho
comforts and none Of the luxuries of
life.
In consequence of this, mcn arc
fleeing from their farms to the towns
and cities, to engage in other pur-
suits, which arc rcmunerativc and
profitable.
1t is admitted on all hands that
agriculture is badly depressed.
1t behoovcs all patriots, all lovers
of their country, to earnestly inquire
what is the II of this depression,
and what is the remedy?
No remedy "a be successfully APP
piled till the cause of the present
agricultural distress is fully asccr-
tanned.
Many causes have been assigned
among others, these:
1. Ovcrproduction.
2. Ignorance of the art and science
OF agriculture by those engaged in
farming.
3. Extravaganza Of the farming
classes.
4. The tariff.
S. Contraction of the currency
since the war.
6. The fiscal operations of the
government.
While most, if not all, of these
causes may operate to dcprcss agri-
culture and distress agriculturists, l
think the fiscal policy of the govern
mcnt furnishes the chief cause. 1t
is evident to any unprecedented mind
that The fiscal Legislation of this
country has been enacted in favor of
the moncycd power. It's tendency
has been to enrich the few and i'm
povcrish the masses, to swell the
wealth of the protected and to in
crease the poverty of the unprotected,
and to fill the Golfers of great corpo-
rations and to empty the pockets of
the people. The greatest need of
the people of this country is the
complete divorce Of the government
from the money power.
TO remedy this state of things |
am in favor of these measures:
l. A tariff for revenue only. A
protective tariff is a great iniquity.
don't believe in the doctrine of tax
ing the many to enable the manu-
facturcr to make his particular bust
ness profitable. TO forcibly illustrate
this, it is wrong to make consumers
of quininc, throughout the United
States, pay from 81 to Sc per ounce
for that drug because of an import
tax Oil it, imposed in order to enable
a few firms in Philadelphia to reap a
handsome profit from quininc making,
when, without such tariff tax, it can
now be bought for 81 per ounce.
This is a fair sample Of the opera
ton and iniquity of a tariff for pro-
lection.
2. The unlimited coinage of sill.
yer.
3. Expansion of e currency
There has been constant contrac.