The advocate., 1890-04-30

tive board Of the National Farmers
Alliance and Industrial Union, TO tho
senate committee on agriculture, April
22, 1880, furnished from advance
sheets Of the National Economist,
published at Washington, ID. O., as
organ Of the order:
Gentlemen NJ me Committee on Agriculture fine
Senate NJ Inc United States;
1 address you In behalf of senate bill No
2eO6, This bill was introduced by Senator
Vance, OF North Carolina, by request. 10
Dmanated from the National Farmers ALI
Nnoo and Industrial Union, an organization
of farmers now extending over twenty-eight
utatos, and which have the honor 10 repre-
sent as chairman OF los national committee
on legislation.
The president Of our organization, L. l..
Polk, has already addressed you In behalf
OF this bill, and has / think, shown conclu-
giVely that depressed condition OF agricul-
tilre does exist. / SHALL therefore, consider
this fact established, and briefly review one
OF tho principal causes of the depressed con-
ditiOn OF agriculture, for the purpose Of
showing the necessity that makes the adOp-
tion Of the measure proposed by the bill In
question imperative at this time.
Much has Of late been said and written as
70 the cause Of the depressed condition OF
agriculture, and many efforts been made 10
trace this deplorable condition 30 a single
cause. Some Of the arguments have been
very ingenious and some absurd, but no
effort to 80 simplify the question that all the
ills could be attributed TO one cause, and,
therefore, relieved by single remedy, have
contained merit enough 10 gain anything
like universal acceptation by the masses OF
the people. Reports from other nations
show that the farmers OF America are not an
exception, because the depressed condition
OF agriculture prevails In all thickly popu-
lated agricultural countries; in high tariff
and low tariff countries; In mOnarchies, en-
piEes and republics; in countries having a
single gold standard, silver standard or a
double standard; in those of high taxes or
low taxes: In those with large standing
armies or small Ones large navies and mer-
chant marine or the reverse. All alike must
acknowledge depressed condition of agri-
culture IN proportion as they are properly
claesed thickly settled agricultural countries.
This great fact is commonly cited by writer's
on this subject az a premise for the con-
cluGion that since ii prevails everywhere the
CAUSES are general and must be attributedto
d combination of the general conditions OF
material progress Such conclusions, though
common, do no credit TO modern research
and discrimination. They show tendency
% only accept such conclusions as DOint To
tho remedies most in accord with precon-
csivod ideas. The true conclusion TO be
drawn from the admission chat general
depressed condition Of agriculture prevails
"a above stated is that since II prevails every
whore in all thickly settled agricultural
aANta In ,sAs 4
properly Classed as such, IL must depend In
al countries upon like causes, and that those
causes are probably of two kinds, one uni
form conditions that prevail in all such
countries alike, and the other local cOndi-
tiOns chat tend TO augment the force Of this
general condition as population increases
and agricultural pursuits predominant. The
Yaluo and force of this conclusion is aug
mented by an examination of history, which
viii reveal the fact that this condition has
always prevailed in all civilized countries
during the past two or three hundred years,
striking proofs of which may be found in
tho conditions Of France, Poland and Russia
during that period.
A proper conception of such conditions as
prevail with certainty in all thicl5ly populat- |
ed agricultural countries no all times would, |
no doubt, go far toward furnishing key TO |
proper solution Of the problem. There |
may be several, but il s only necessary at
this time TO refer 10 one, and that ia a uni |
form custom of having either a medium cir |
culnting as money composed of material |
having an intrinsic value practically equal |
20 its exchangeable value, or redeemable |
representative of intrinsic value used as a |
circulating medium. The basis for both |
has, with only few exceptions, been gold |
and silver. IL is not now necessary TO Ques.
tion the wisdom OF making money from
gold and silver or of issuing paper money
redeemable in gold and silver. Such has |
be0n the custom, and it is certainly safe and |
conservative, The point of interest i'm this |
connection is, that the gross production OF |
these metals is limited, and taken for a