Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-09-01

".
mulated, and at their request bills have
been presented in the house and in the
senate which many of them think will
afford the necessary n assure of relief.
1 need not undertake to state all the de-
tails of these plans, for whatever the
particular provisions of The bill may be,
the whole scheme i'll its general form and
design is vicious in principle and If
adopted would prove in practice ruinous
| to every interest il is intended to uene-
fit. The plan to which you alluda in
your letter is to establish what are to be
denommated sub-treasuries, and erect
public warehouses in every county in the
United States which produces and sells
annually more than $500 200 worth of
wheat, corn, oats, cotton and tobacco,
aud permit the owners of these products,
whether farmers or not, to deposit them
In these warehouses and receive from the
government, in treasury notes, TO be
issued expressly for that purpose, 80 per
cent. of the market value OF the prod
ucts. or course there must be officers
aud employees to take charge of these
warehouses aud their contents, receive
and re eipt for the products deposited,
ceive the money when the products are
redeemed, sell unredeemed property,
and generally TO exercise the combined
functions of warehOusemen, bankers,
auctiOneers and executive officials,
''All these officers and employees must
he compensated for their services either
by fees charged to the depositors OF prod
ucts, or by payments out of the public
"a
partisRns of the administration in power,
because under the constitution they can
not be chosen by the people, but must
be appointed by the president or the head
of department, or the judges of the
United States court.
SIT is proposed to appropriate the sum
of $50 900, 200 at once, to begin the
cree lou of these warehouses, aud while
we have no accurate data upon the sub
ject, 1t is perfectly safe to say that they
would cost altogether many times that
amount, all which must be raised by
taxation on the people, tine farmers
themselves, under our system, paying
much more than their equal share. There
are more than 2400 counties in the United
States, but not more than one-third of
them, II that many, produce and sell an
nually more than $500, 900 worth of
wheat, corn, oats, cotton and tobacco
and, therefore, not more than one third
OF them could possibly avail themselves
OF this plan if it were adopted. It will be
seen, therefore, at the very outset that
1t is plan to compel the government to
issue aud distribute money for, the benefit
OF the psopls living in the rich and pro-
ductsve counties at the expense of the
people living in the poor and less pro-
duotive ones.
WILL AID THE SPECTATORS.
"Moreover, it is plan TO enable I'M
scrupulous spectators to take advantage
of the farmers pscuuiary necessities and
extort exhorbitant prices for food from
people who reside in cities and towns aud
villages, and from people who reside in
the country, but do not own these par
ticulGr agricultural products. Ii is evil
dent that no farmer will subject himself
to the labor and expense of Transporting
his products to the public warehouses
and TO all other charges which must
pay for storage, for handling and for
taking care OF them while there, when he
has barns and granRries at home, unless
he is in debt and absolutely needs the
money, which the government is to ad-
vance, and il he is In that unfortunate
condition, from what source is he after
ward TO acquire the means to redeem the
products by returning the money and in
terest and paying the warehouse chargesi
In great majority of cases be will never
be able to redeem them, but will be
forced to lose the remaining 20 per cent.
of the value OF his products, or sell his
warehouse receipt for whatever he can
get for 1t, which will be very little, for it
must be remembered that after he gets
his warehouse receipt he has q remaining
interest of only 20 per cent. in the prod
uct, less charges for interest, storage,
etc. , aud this is all he can dispose of. He
Will find the time rapidly approaching
when he must have money TO redeem his
products or sell bis small remaining inter-
est i'll them, or allow them to be sold at
public auction by the government land this
Will be the golden opportunity of the spec
ulators, whose agents will swarm all over
the country ready 10 take the warehouse
receipts from the embarrassed owners for
mere nominal sum.
The receipt Is simply q privilege of
redemption like pawubroker's ticket,
anu The farmer, being himself unable to
redeem, VIII be forced ultimately TO dis
pose or IL any at price offered. l do not
thlnk mat any considerable number of
Intelligent people in this country will
unite IN asking the government 10 estab-
lish system which will compel them. IN
large unmber of cases, to sacrifice the
product OF their labors.
'But suppose the farmers are able To