The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1890-04-22
THE sUB-TREAsURY BILL.

cases to correctly decipher my quill
tracks. I wrote the article hastily,
hardly expecting it would be pub
lished. 1 will try to write palmer this
time, though l am not yet rested
from my three weeks lecturing tour.
cold Fogy," in the Washington
Post, cites some straw objections to
the ~sub-treasury bill, which he says
have been raised, and he then very
valiantly demolishes these straws, but
he is very careful not to butt his old
fogy head against the real, solid boul
der objections which are lying around
loose quite n~umerously. And notice
that the National Economist is IN the
same boat, and still more wonderful
the sharp editors of the capitaLlstlc
press don't seem to make any serious
effort in this direction. Do they treat
this poor, weak child so tenderly be
u they know it car never be fully
born &? Or do they think 1t will set
the farmers on a wild goose chase
and thus divide their armies and pre-
vent their doing what they should do
to gain a glorious victory for truth
and Justice? The scheme is a taking
one to the mind and imagination OF
the masses who do not read and
think over much. Especially so when
only presented to them with its alIur-
inc fancies and fantasies. 1t is not
at all strange that the farmers have
but little knowledge of business or OF
business principles, but they have a
large fund of common sense, and
when any question is fairly and truth
fully put before them they can see 1t
sometimes better even than the LII.
DIS.
Some of the objections I raised in
my first article against the sub-treas-
ury bill could be easily cured by
amendment or a new bill, but there
are other objections to the plan itself
which cannot be cured which [ have
not yet mentioned, but will in the
future, if sufficient space can be
given me in The PROGRESSIVE
FARMER.
Let me say here that I am totally
opposed to allowing a few delegates
in a convention to make laws or
adopt policies as fnalities, to bind 8,
900, 900 members. It is the spirit of
old King Caucus, and should be
throttled now before it corrupts and
destroys our order.
All measures, laws and policies
which are formulated in conventions
should be submitted to a popular vote
of all the Unions, and I would also
require a 3-4 vote to adopt them.
Then the ga could reasonably say to
the IA, "You may be right, but you
should be willing to give the judg-
ment of the "a a fair chance to prove
who is right" Large minorities are
very dangerous to unity, to say the
least.
One strong, sharp and shrewd mind
in a convention a often magnetic
and control it, in fact a few minds do
control and direct tina action of most
all kinds of meetings. But the mil.
lions in their homes cannot be so
easily controlled; consequently l say,
give us the common-sense home
thoughts of the millions before we
bind ourselves or them to any policy
And another thing, when we put be-
fore them any question let us be fair
and honest and give all the pros and
cons we can for their thoughtful at.
tention.
[ will now briefly point out how
the idea of the sub.treasury warehouse
plan might be materialized without
so many serious objections, though
this n has very serious objection
which the radically different plan will
not have, L propose to give hereafter.
l. Let every county or a number
of them build just such warehouses
and cold storage buildings as their
wants and products demand, and if
they cannot raise the money to pay
for them, issue bonds drawing l or 2
per cent. interest or even without in
terest and then let the United States
advance the money on them.
2. Let them elect their
and make their own rules and regula-
tions about storing any and all prod
ucts of farms or factories, and then
let the county be responsible directly
to the government for advances made
upon the things put in store.
3. The same amount of greenbacks
advanced by the United States on
products in store to be DESTROYED
when the same is paid.
This arrangement would bring the
question of risk and responsibility
before the tax payers and leave them
to decide whether it would be safe
and wise for them to take the many
risks of loss which they would have
to incur if they adopt the plan of stor,
ing perishable products. "They pay
their money and they take their
choice"
Ac monU narsOOe mill -. oot;4;ou