Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1890-05-14
FARMERS AND WAGE-EARNERS.

FARMERS AND WAGE-EARNERS
How "A High Protective Tariff fs Eating
TIP the Farmers.
SPEECH
OF
HON. DANIEL w. VOORHEES,,
| eff End:ana.
In thesSenate of the United States,
Wednesday,, March 10, 1890.
The resolution submitted by Mr.. VooHe
HEEs o. the 17th OF March was read, as fol.
fcws:-
whereas the deep and widespresd depression
and decay of the agricultural interests oi
the American people, the enormous and
appalling amount of mortgage indebted.
ness on agricultural lands, the total
nerative prices for farm products. the
palpable scarcity and insufficiency of mon ey
In circulation in the hands of the people with
which to transact the business of the country
and effect exchanges of property and labor al
fair rates. are circumstances of the most over
wel-being of the Government: Therefore,
Be it resolved, That 1t Is the highest duty Of
Congress in the present crisis to lay aside all
discussion and consideration of mere party Is
sues and to give prompt and immediate atten
fion to the preparation and adoption of such
measures are required for the relief OF the
farmers and other overtaXed and underpaid
laborers of the United States.
Following ID the fourth part and con.
clusion of Senator Voorhees's speech, the
publication of which was commenced in the
SPECTATOR of the 23rd of April j
And now, sir, having pointed out, to
some extent at least, the condition of the
farmers of the United States at the present
time and the widespread and crushing evils
which have befallen them through the
criminal policy of their Government, it re-
mains as part Of my duty to suggest such
remedies as would adopt had l the power
to enact and enforce them.
First. Tariff reform should be SO
thorough, complete, and unsparing that,
| after providing sufficient revenue for the
Government, not one dollar would be
| further required of the farmer as protection
to high-priced goods, wares, and mer-
ohandise, because of their being manu-
factured and sold by American monopolists.
taxation should be mere incident to a
| tariff laid for nothing else but Government
revenue, and even that, when it enhances
| the cost of the Decessaries of life, should be
wholly eliminated if possible.
| A tariff enacted for the sake of protection,
design I'D as law whereby one class of our
citizsns is protected against competition in
| the manufacture and sale of articles at iu-
creased prices over their real value, is not
only violation of the Constitution, but a
legalized crime, more distinctly at war with
principles of liberty and equality than the
stamp tax which caused the American
Revolution. Such is the system now il ex-
istel CO. Its reform and revision Oh the
basis of q tariff for revenue only would re-
lieve the farming class of the payment of
not less than $780, GOO, 900 annually extorted
from them for the protection, aggrandizs.
ment, and enrichment of manufacturing
monopolies, trusts, and all the kindred
brood OF ugly moneyed monsters which
now infest the land and prey upon the
people.
By the tariff reform which I indicate it
would become the farmers turn to enjoy
protection; protection against high priced
markets in which to buy, and w-priced
markets in which to sell; protection to the
lection against the condition of slave for
two days out of every six, with monopoly
as his owner and overseer; protection
against class robbery, spoliation, and
plunder; protection in the secure possession
and enjoyment of his own earnings without
being compelled to divide with legalizsd
looters or pay ransom to financial brigands.
I am for this kind of protection, and it
would afford Unreasonable relief where re-
lief is most needed and most deserved.
Second. A full supply of legal-tender
money in the hands of the people, proper
toned in amount to the population and
business of the country is as essential to the
prosperity of the farmer as sufficient
quantity of blood is TO human lifes 1t is
nowhere denied that there is at this time
mesger and stinted volume of currency in
circulation amongst tho producing and
business classes This fact is owing largely
to the absorption of money by the monopo-
lies at the money centers, and to great
extent also to the growth of population and
the expansion of business without any cor
responding increase in tbs amount of our
circulating medium.
The figures of the census and tho statistics
of finance show that while our population
has increased 25, 1000, 600 in the last twenty
FIVE years, and the requirements Of bust
1ess for the use Of money have increased in
the same proportion, yet there is in fact
less money in actual circulation in the
hands of the people or atSainable by them
for daily use than there was quarter of a
century ago. 1t is the constitutional power
and the constitutional duty of the Govern
ment to authorize and enact by it's stamp,
on either gold, silver, or paper, a sufficient
amount of money, full legal tender in
quality, to meet the sound and healthy de-
mands Of the people in their trade, their
commerce, and their development of the
physical resources of the country.
Thus the Supreme Court of the United
States has decided, and thus, in despite of
| those interested in the scarcity of money,
in low-priced property, and in cheap labor,
the law stards settled. With the power in
! Congr to declare what shall be money
and how much shall be issued, what neces-
sity can there ba for the farmer to offer his
| lands to the Government as security for a
small loan in his sore distress2 He has q
higher right than this to much ampler
and more enduring relief. | fully agree
with the Senator from California Mr..
Stanford in his statement that "an abun-
dance of money means universal activity,
bringing in its train all the blessings that
belong to a constantly-smployed, industri-
ous, and intelligent people."
| do not, however, agree with him that
the land owners OF the United States, the
sovereign people who own and support the
Government, should be left to become bor-
rowers at the door of the Treasury on their
mortgagsd homes at one half or one quarter
of their assessed value, or at any other ap-
praisement. do not agree with him that
u,on Sugter, vzOu1d in the lonr RIM hriuc-
any relief at all. TIE owners Of the soil
stand on higher, safer, and more dignified
ground. The Constitution of the United
States confers the power on Congress to
create and issue ell the money needed for
the relief of the people; and for the value,
the integrity, the good faith, and the final
redemption of this money all the lands be-
tween the two oceans, all the homes on the
farms or in the cities, all the wealth of
monopoly and of corporations, all the
credit, resources, and honor of the Govern