, 1891-05-16
JERRY AS A PROPHET.
The Sockless Statesman Inter
viewed in New York.
Ninety Per Cent of the Farms
Of That State Mortgaged.
Says Protection Must be Up
rooted as Slavery was.

WASHINGTON, May l5.-Mr. Jerry
Simpson, the sockless statesman of Medi-
cine Lodge, who is again in Washington,
expresses the opinion that a third party
movement will not be ~inaugurated at the
convention of the Farmers Alliance at
Cincinnati on the 18th inst He is Of
the opinion, however, that such a move
ment, and a very formidable one, too,
will be started at the convention which
will meet here in February, 1892. The
Star this evening prints a more or less in
teresting interview with Farmer Jerry:
Mr.. Simpson says that he learned a
good deal of interest TO him during his
Eastern trip. He found that in New
York state perhaps 80 per cent OF the
farms were mortgaged for more than they
would actually bring If sold now. They
we're mortgaged when farm lands were
high, and many Of them are now worth
half what they were then. In New
England, he says, the people are rapidly
becoming free traders. lie predicts that
the manufacturers will discover that pro-
lection is as much a mistake for them as
was slavery for the South. The Demo
cratic party, he says, Is not a free trade
party: it is and will be the conservative
party, and a new patty will accomplish
the reforms that are necessary. Tariff Tor
revenue, he says, is not free trade. The
free trade party will have no use whatever
for the custom houses. Protection will
have to be uprooted as slavery was by a
bold, radical action, not little BY little.
Speaking of the organization of the
next house he said that he supposed that
the Democrats might elect Crisp speaker.
as he was n strong, we'll balanced. brainy
and conservative man. As to the Farmers
Alliance members, they would, he said,
act together. Their number was not
definitely known, but there would be
thirty-five of forty of them he thought.
They would demand some concessions
from the candidate they supported, and
if they could not get these concessions
they would bolt the Democratic caucus.
He thought probably it would be easier to
get concessions from Mr.. Springer than
from either Mills or Crisp.
In response to a question about the
sub-treasury plan he said that he was
opposed 10 class legislation of any sort,
but that this plan he believed to be
necessary, under present conditions. to
adjust things. Thus far there had beer
much class legislation, aud it had all been
in favor of other classes to the detriment
of the farmers. OF course what he would
prefer to see would be the abolition of all
class legislation. but the farmers had
quite as much right to legislation ex-
pressly for their benefit as had anv other
class OF citizens. There must he some
thing done, he said, to place the farmers
matter. He thought that the discussion
OF the sub-treasury plan was a good thing,
and it might be necessary to ADOPT it
under the present condition of things. In
arguing against it, he said the m~onopolists
had exposed some OF the weaknesses of
their own position; for the argument
against the class legislation proposed on
one hand was just as strong against that
in operation on the other.