The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1891-05-09
Gov Stone Speaks Azainsr The subj.

Being requested by Alliance mem.
Oers in Webster county to give nj.
views and reasons therefor upon n.
ouo- Treasury, Gov. Stone responds in
'he following plain and foreible letter
In inll sympathy with The toiling
masses, aware of all their dIffienlties
anu axious to do anything within the
aange oi governmental action for fbejr
reiiei' | am opposed to what is known
ss Tue oub-Treasury scheme because 7
TO them. ''''e VI 'enen'
Inc proper function of government.
as l understand it, Is to protect All IN
'ne iull enjoyment of their rights bv
administering equal and exact Justice
- an ana Imposing as few burdens as
possible, equally distributed, and then
leaving every individual 10 his own
el shor.s lor success and happiness. The
dressings OF government are 10 he
rsalizea by governing as little as pos
siOie, consistent with lis true objects
Government has no wealth 10 bestow
ana when it undertakes to dispense
iaVors 1t always has favorites' and
siVes to them at the expense of those
not favored. 1t must be so from the
very nature of things, for it has to
axe from some to give to Others. We
OF the South, chiefly agricultural, have
ieit this evil with crushing force: for
lhe high protective system of the Re.
publican party for the benefit of man.
uIaeturlng interests, mainly of the
North, has operated in twofold man.
hef 10 inJure us by depressing the
price OF our cotton, and greatly in
creasing the cost OF the many articles
we are compelled to buy with the
proceeds.
The cause of our depression is the
protective system maintained for pro-
lection and the enormous burdens of
government which fall heavily upon us
while we get little to compensate for
these grievous impositions. The ex-
tensive manufacturing interests of the
North, reaping the rich harvest of the
protective system and diffusing its
returns among the multitudes there,
and the millions disbursed directly
from the treasury for pensions, little
OF which comes to the South. lessen
greatly the burden among the people
OF the Northern States, and tend to
reconcile them, in great measure, 10
what otherwise would be an almost
insupportable burden. think these.
and not scarcity of money, are the
chief causes of our depression.
l am not opposed to All increase of
money, and earnestly desire au ample
supply, but | cannot see any good
results to come from q mere increase
of money. That must inevitably bring
an Increase of the price of everything,
and no gain will result to the toihng
masses therefrom. OF what avail will
1t be to add fourth or half to the
values of the country? How is the
laborer or farmer to be benefited by
thatI lfa bale of cotton or load of
corn or hay shall advance in price one
fourth, and the seller of it has to pay
one-fourth or one-half more for what
he must buy with the proceeds, he
gains nothing. If it were possible
that what we raise for sale could be ad-
yanced in price without a correspond
ing advance in the price of what he
must buy, we would, of course, be
gamers but all must admit that this
cannot be, and that AN amount of
money that would cause increase in
the price of our products, will have
like effect on the products of others,
and probably we would be sufferers
because of the fact that agricultural
products are later in feeling the impul-
sion of imitation than manufactured
articles.