The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-09-24
DESTROYING THE FARMER.

nl' VI cdhicu anOIner cream, WHICH, ne gives
to his readers with due solemnity as if it
were truth. His message from the in
fernal regions this time was called forth
by the facts stated in Saturdays HERALD,
That IN 1850 the value of the total agricul-
tural wealth of this country was nearly
four billions of dollars; in 1860 it was nearly
eight billions an increase of 100 per cent
In 1870 the value was eleven billions-an
increase of 10 ger cent. in 1880 the value
was only twelve billions-an increase Of 0
per cent. We charged this decline of farm
ing to the tariff, and gave reasons for the
destruction of the farmer through having
to bear an unjust and intoerable proportion
of the burdens of taxation.
Thereat the Tribune genius received an
explanatory vision to account for this in
dustrial phenomenon, and wrote it down,
innocently supposing his assertion that it
was fact proved it so. Thus:
The decline in farms AMI farm products has
been due entirely to the characterization OF sill
yer. That proposition can be demons trated as
exactly as any proposition ia EUCLID; because
the prices OF farms and farm products have been
measured by silver. When silver has been at
the farms of the country and the products Of the
farms have been at exl ctly the same discount.
The immortal dreamer fastened to say
that he had no facts with which to prove
the truth of this novel fancy, that a decline
OF 30 per cent, in the price of silver caused
a retardatlon of 80 per cent, in the advanc-
ing value of farm wealth Indeed, it
would have stumped EUCLID himself, 10
show how decline of 20 per cent, in the
value of an article constituting far less
than the hundreith part of our wealth
could cause a decline of 80 per cent, in the
third part Of our wealth.
But the chief objection to this new theory
OF the Tribune is not, as the writer states,
that there are no facts in its favor, but that
ali known facts are against it.
That the decline Failure to advance) in
farm values has been caused by the demon
citation of silver, fails in fact because the
increase of agricultural wealth fell off 80
per cent. before the demonstration of sill
yer took place-from 1850 to 1870.
That the subsequent slow increase was
not due to the demonstration of silver is
shown by the fact that the advance in
values declined to per cent, as compared
with 20 per cent. from 1860 to 1870 and 100
per cent from 1850 to 1860, while the total
depreciation of silver at any time was but
80 per cent.
The demonstration is nothing like
THOSE OF EUCLIDE, aud is no demonstration at
all If farms and farm products have
been measured by silver,'' then ali other
/ hox
silver. and must have acted precisely like
farm products, advancing or falling with
them. But such has not been the case
neither farm values nor manufactures have
followed silver fluctuations. The greatest
appreciation in gold during the last ten
years under considerah ton has been so small
as to elude computation of its amount. and
gold, not silver, has measured prices dur
ing this time.
Manufacturing should also be depressed
If depression be due to the decentralization
| of silver; but the exports of manufactured
goods from this country have increased Is
per cent, in the last seven
years, while the exports of
farm products have decreased 81 per cent,
in the same time. There is no question as
to the general prosperity; but the farmer
does not share in it. Pennsylvania, for ex-
ample the mosb favored of all the states
under the system of protection, with her
myriad of highly protected Industries and
long roll of millionaires, increased her gen
eral wealth 40 per cent. in the decade from
| 1870 to 1850, while her agricultural wealth
diminished S99, 3S1, 529; and all this hap
pened in spite of more skillful cultivation
and larger crops than in the previous ten
years. Wealth had increased steadily
enough, but the farmer had got none of it.
This is probably argument enough on the
topic in hand; but We are constrained for
once to glance at the personal figure that
ceuches behind the Tribune's silver twaddle,
whose chief argument is name calling, and
who cannot even write an apostrophe to
silver without abusing his superiors
Mormon people.
For twenty years this worshiper of a
silver calf has read the Republican confes.
sions OF creed without effect. 1t makes not
the slightest difference to him that he
stands aloof from his entire party on the
utterly ridiculous theory that the demone.
tization OF silver permitted all occupations
except farming to flourish in this country.
Not ray of light from Republican party
teachings has ever entered his Uranium on
this subject. He has preferred to remain a
picturesque Ounce, who, contrary to the
teachings of historians, relates that the fall
of the Roman empire was due to the short
supply of silver; that the human family
are not clothed with wool, and cotton, fed
with wheat, meat and fruits, warmed with
coal and sheltered with wood and stone
but with silver; and that while it would be
readily possible to do without all these
other things, it would not be possible
to do without the metal silver. Even
though he must write at the dictation of
the silver mine owners who control his
paper, yet long suffering public often
feels that he should occasionally stop JUS,
short of recording himself visionary ass
twice per week on the silver question. He
is the real enemy of silver who makes these
grotesque and extravaganza claims for the
white metal His incoherent rawlings have
no respect for truth, moderation or com
mon sense. He has seldom enunciated O
single valid proposition in regard to gen.
uine accomplishment of bimetalism His
wild statements excite disgust in the mind.
of statesmen who may read them, ane
react directly to the positive detriment Of
the silver interest.
THE Liberal organ admits that the Lib
erals could do practically nothing without
first trebling the taxes, yet it walls that Sc
little WAS dime during tho ,,ar+ r.ax... q.