The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-03-20
A Problsr :or Congress-.

] Congressman do 4 great deal Of talking
I about the race problem, ami the Repabh
/ can party, on the pretense Of settling that
/ problem. Is suggesting measures to secure
/ political adventage1 The race problem,
however, is one that time alone can settle
The Temps Ct the politicians 70 settle it
only hinder its settlement.
There is a problem, however. that con-
gress can help 20 settle. and it was stated in
an open letter to tie Kansas congressional
delegation, q day OF two ago, by the farm
ers' alliance Of that state. The problem is,
How can the material condition of the
farmers be improved! In their lstter the
Kansas alliancemen say that the farmers
are losing their homes because they cannot
make a living and pay the interest
on the mortgages on their farms. One
law firm in Southern Kansas has a contract
to foreclose 1900 mortgages 1t is alleged
that the holders Of the mortgages want to
get possession of the mortgaged farms and
people them with tensntry from Europe
This last assertion may not be true, but
there is no doubt that ths farmers of Kansas
and other western states are not prosperous.
The members Of the Kansas delegation
have nothing to suggest except to cheaper
sugar, make the coinage of silver free and
increase the pension burden. They particu-
larry advise the payment of a larger
amount in pensions. There are over 100, 900
ex-union soldiers in Kansas alone, and if they
we're all given pension, Kansas farmers,
so the Kansas congfe smen think, would be
more prosperous. The idea is not to limit
pensions to disabled veterans who can
not earn living, but for the government
to support all ex-union soldiers Just as if
they were paupe-s 1t is probable that ex-
union soldiers would object to anything of
that sort. and, besides, the greater the
amounts which is paid out in pensions the
less will the amount be which those receiv-
ing pensions will earn themselves The ex-
confederate soldiers are much better off
to-day than the ex-union soldiers. and the
reason is that they have learned to depend
upon their own exertions
1t is doubtful il free sugar would be
agreeable to Kansas farmers because a very
large number of them are engaged in grow
ing sorghum and beets for sugar, and there
is widespread belief among Kansas peo-
pie that their state is going to produce, in
the near future, enough sugar to supply the
home market. They therefore want sugar
protected. And it is not clear how tine free
coinage of silver would help the farmers.
By increasing the silver currency the prices
of farm products might be increased, but
the purchasing power of the debased cur
rency would decline in proportion TO the
increased volume of that currency.
The difficulty under which the farmers
labor is that the policy Of high protection
robs them of;all the profits of their farms
They have to sell their cotton, wheat, corn,
bacon, cheese, &c, at prices fixed by free
trade England, because their surplus is
marketed there and the prices obtained for
their surplus fixes the prices for their entire
crops, and for everything they buy they
have to pay protection prices-thas is,
prices which those who are protected by an
almost prohibitive tariff demand. Is it to
be wondered at, therefore, that ths manu-
featuring class is prosperous and the farmer
class is poverty -strickenl 1t is time that
congress was attending to this problem
which the Kansas farmers have presented
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