The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1891-06-18
AFARMER,S VIEWS.

an agricultural paper printed in New
York, is a clear-headed and well-worded
/ exposition ofthe subject, which the HER.
AID commends toits agricultural readers
We hail with joy any and all arrange
ments which can benefit the agricultural
interests of our country. But close
watching the Alliance movement and
noting it's enunciations at its various
massive gatherings during the years OF
1889, 1890 and 1891, and its recent one
in Cincinnati, the grave question has
arisen in our mind whether the organiza-
ton leaders are sufficiently imbued with
| the principles of true craftsmanship so
as to guide new party, if successful in
its movement, in such a manner as will
inure to our country's good.
| The demands Of the principles and plat
| forms put forth at each of these gather
ings, need the closest scrutiny and exami-
nation by all and every class of our citi-
zens before they are adopted and suffered
to become the organic law of the land.
The wide departure demanded from the
acts and wisdom of the statesman of the
past and present generation of our ma
ton, including both the leading parties,
is so great that its demand cannot fail
| to strike the mind of the student Of the
history of the past, and the acts Of every
civilized nation of the present time, for
its boldness in it's demands and the great
and radical political changes demanded
by its fully finished platform.
We have unbounded confideece in the
honesty and ability of American farmers
as class, and also in their ability as
statesmen. 1t is from their ranks that
the wise, conservative and patriotic lead
ers in our country during all its years of
| the past have sprung. We have no
reason to believe that the present gener.
alton will in any way prove to be an ex-
| ception in its wisdom to those already
past. That the unrenumerative condi-
ton of agriculture demands an improv-
ing change, no sane man will for a mo-
ment contend. But that the application
and putting in force the platform adop-
ted at Cincinnati two weeks ago, seems
to us to be so great and so foreign to the
ends Sought, that its demands should be
fully and fairly canvassed by the people
ofour entire country before "the peoples
party of the United States" steps so
easily, as some anticipate, into our ma
| tons control.
The first demand of the new platform
is so different and anticipates such de-
| parture from any financial position ever
tried and adopted in any country, that
we quote it entire. Is it not possible
| that too much is undertaken in the new
party's first demand?
| 1.-THE right to make and issue money is
| a sovereign power to be maintained by
the people for the common benefit, hence
we demand the abolition of national
banks as banks of issue, and as suhsti-
! tute for national bank notes, we demand
| that legal tender treasury notes be issued,
| in sufficient volume to transact the bust
| ness of the country on acash basis with
out damage or especial advantage to
| any class or calling; such notes to be
| legal tender in payment of all debts pub
lie and private, and such notes when de-
manded by the people shall be loaned to
them at no more than two per cent. per
annum upon nonperishable products as
indicated in the subtreasury plan, and
also upon real estate with proper limita-
ton upon the quantity of land and
amount of money"
Here is mapped out system of finance
new and untried, and which by its adop
ton would change entirely all the fnan,
| cial interests of our entire country. II
would change everything pertaining to
securities and values. 1t would reduce
money to mere nominal value annually
of two per cent. Money(even if possible
for such an issue to have a value) would
be cheaper than the iron money estab
lished among the ancient Spartans by
the edict of their chief ruler aud law
giver Lycurgus.
Money in all countries and all times
has. like other things, had value in ac-
cordance with its supply and demand
Under this plan that would cease. II
legal tender government loans of money
was only two per cent, who and under
what circumstances could obtain more
| for its loan? Under such change money
would certainly be cheap. And If Sin
volume sufficient to transact the bust
ness of the country on a cash basis" it
certainly would be plenty.
The important question lying behind
| and under this new system is, what
would be its intrinsic worth? Every OBJ.
serving person knows that to do the
business of oar country on cash basis,
and in the absence of any banking sys-
tenn, an immense sum would be needed
When we add to that loans on ..non per-
ishable products" and real estate" when
demanded by the people" the sum is far
beyond our powers of conception.
+! This first and foundation plank Of nthe
peop,,e's party of the United States, is
certainly EN- ;;tled to the credit of demand,
ing bold and broad departure in the
field of finance. The questions most In
teresting to know are, where would it
| take us, and in what condition would
it land us? 1t really seems to ourself to
be too long and blind a leap to be at
tempted at single stride.
We omit the second plank, "the free
and unlimited coinage of silver" to look
| briefly at its third one, viz: that of OBJ
tanning all the land in our country owned
| by aliens and that owned by railroad
government and held for actual settlers
| only"
We wonder whether the originator oil
this plank has counted the cost of even
the first or alien possessions, and where
| the gold is to come from tor its purchase;
paper money would not purchase it. The
man who thinks paper money of the kind
| and amount which would have to be
issued under the first plank of this plat
form. would for any considerable time
l SuCuldtS IN IoTEtSu COuuCflcS, mas ld1leQ
to appreciate what real money is. Since
the purchase of the cave at Machpelah
by the Patriarch of old, no kind of money
which would not and could not demand
gold and silver as its representative, has
long possessed value. 1t the past ex.
perienee of mankind has taught any les
SON. it is that this new and unredeem-
able and unstinted issue would share the
same fate.
| Until the commercial world fixes some
| other standard for measuring values ex.
cept gold and silver, it would be useless
to expect to purchase the property Of
alien owners in our country with any
other kind of money. Paper issued with
out coin redeeming power az its hacker
in our opinion would sood be dear and
in little demand even at two per cent per
annum interest. Why. says our friend,
do you doubt the credit Of our nation?
Would Uncle Sam with his 60 billions of
dollars worth of property, and his Ga
millions of people become bankrupt?
4 Before T1rcIa 4 orr,