The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-08-27
CARLISLE ON THE sus.rREAsuRy,

Elsewhere III HE HINES u1ir h""'"'"e N
repubished the letter Of Senator John G'
Carlisle expressing his views about the sub
treasury plan which has been advocated ny
some members Of the Farmers Alliance
He states clearly the objects OF the plan ana
points ont distinctly what would be the
logical results Of its operations. HIS ie,ter
should be read by every farmer ana espe-
cially those who antagonize such sterling
Democrats as Vance because OF their oppo-
sition TO the plan.
TO starving man the principles OF any
party are often an abstraction. What ne
wants. and wants Immediately, is bread,
no matter whence il comes, so that IL Is
bread. The farmers of this country have
been particularly oppressed by the national
legislation Of the past thirty years, begin
ming with the Morrill, Tariff bill. The ef-
lects of the tariff were not felt keenly so
long as the war pricesprevailed. But Nhen
the war was over the tariff began to plnch
the farmer and has been pinching him syste-
matically ever since. In looking for some
method of relief the farmers. as any other
class of citizens, are attracted sometimes
by a plan which would apparently give inn
mediate relief. Even though they may be
Democrats they forget that the Demo
cratic doctrine is opposed to paternalism
when they know that the mortgage is cat
ing away the principal and interest OF
their farms and that they are hardly able TO
make both ends meet at the close ofthe year.
Hence the reference Of Mr.. Carlisle to the
Democratic doctrine will not be needed
by some. But his clear statement OF the
evils Of the paternal system should impress
all. He writes: 1.-The prevailing theory is
that the individual citizen must not rely on
his own efforts in the transaction OF his
individual business, but that he has a
right tc appeal and ought to appeal to
Government for financial assistance in
every emergency, forgetting that the Gov
ernment has not and never can have any
money except what is realized by taxation
in some form from the people of the United
states. 1t not only demoralizes the
people, but if persisted in will convert the
Government itself into n patriarchal
despotism with absolute control over
all the financial, industrial, and
personal interests Of its citizens.
The farmers of this country have been
taxed so long for the benefit of other classes
and have seen so much legislation for the
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of corporations and syn
dictates that their patience is exhausted,
and finding it impossible for the time being
at least to abolish the system which has
oppressed and despoiled the greatest i'll
dustrial interest Of the country, they are
now demanding that the very policy which
they have heretofore denounced as unjust
and ruinous shall be applied to them, or a
part of them, for no scheme has yet been
suggested that would operate alike upon
all farmers"
Explaining the scheme Mr.. Carlisle then
points out that it could be applied only to a
! smallproportiOn ofthe farmers; would
put tremendous centralized power in the
hands Of Government; that it would in.
crease the burdens OF taxation for all
which burdens would fall most heavily
upon the farmer, as they do now; that il
would aid the gamblers in the necessaries
of life, and that two changes would have tC
he made annually in the volume of the
currency. This would result in business
confusion, which would be felt most i'm.
mediately by the farmers, both those who
could have ayailed themselves of the sub.
treasury scheme and those who could not.
The whole subject il treated candidly by
a Democrat as a Democrat and friend Of
the farmers. 1t is a warning against the
effort to right wrong by wrong, the
principle which has for such term con-
trolled the Radical party to the ruin OF
| thousands of farmers and other men who
toll for living. 1t is on a par with the
| position taken by Democracy against the
ship.subsidy bill, which is but an effort to
counteract the shipping laws of the sixties
| instead of doing away with them. While
features which attract for the moment the
| farmer, it should be studied from all points
Thinking farmers and other students of the
plan seem to believe that the temporary re
| lief afforded by it would result in shor
time only in greater distress for the farmer
I'm view Of this sentiment the Farmers
Alliance of Virginia are to he con
graduated upon the fact that in The
platform adopted at the Lynchbure
Convention they pointed out that relief wa:
to be had, not in the sub-treasury scheme
but in electing men to Congress who would
cause such legislation as the Mckinley bill
TO be an impossibility, and would so adjus
the tariff that its burdens should fall equally
upon all, by which the burdens Of the farm
ers and others would he relieved.