The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1891-05-01

FOLK, PRESIDENT OF the National
Farmers Alliance, Delivered
Before the Citizens ALI
ance of Washing
ton, D. G.
Had the heart and pen of the i'm
mortal Lincoln been divinely inspired
he could not have portrayed in more
wildly truthful coloring the heartless
ravages Of the money power than was
given in his wonderful prophecy. Il
see in the near future" said be-. "a
crises arising which unnerves me and
causes me to tremble for the safety oil
country. As result of the war, cor
porations have been enthroned, and an
era of corruption in high places will
follow, and the money power OF the
country will endeavor to prolong its
reign by working upon the prejudices
Of the people until all wealth is aggre-
gated in few hands and the republic
is destroyed. feel at this time more
anxiety for the safety of my country
than ever before, even 10 the midst oil
the war. God grant that my fears may
prove groundless.' We read its ter
rible translation on the lintels of the
home Of every farmer and laborer in
the land, and we hear it on every
breeze in the heartrending wall Of
poverty and distress.
The Fifty first Congress, hut recently
adjourned, was in session thirteen
months. During that time it expended
in round numbers one billion dollars Of
the peoples money! sum equal to
S77,0O0,0O0 per month, $17,sOO,O0O
per week, $2,5OO,OOO per day, s1O4,-
600 per hour, ,733 per minute, and
$28 per second Let US bear steadily
in mind that ~ per cent Of every dol
lar of this vast sum came from the
agriculturists of the country. Those
suffering millions besieged the doors OF
the Capitol during that time, pleading
for relief They were turned away
empty handed, their opportunities dis
regarded, their entreaties ignored, and
they were inselently admolished to
keep out of politics. to live closer
and work harder"
They asked for the free and unlimited
coinage of silver. Democrats In the
Alliance, and Republicans in the AL
lance, simply asked their party friends
10 Congress to redeem the pledge which
both these parties had made before the
world in their platforms, and in the
most solemn manner. We know the
result. At the dictation of Wall and
lombard streets, men of both parties
stultifed themselves and their parties
before the world and defeated this Just
measure. The people asked that
national banks be abolished and gam
bling in futures be prohibited. by issu-
ing money direct to the people at a
cheap rate of interest and in sufficient
volume to meet the demands of the
legitimate business of the country.
They formulated and presented plan
by which this might be done. Prompt
ly it was met with the assertion tina.
'the government has no power under
The Constitution to loan money" and
therefore our bill was unconstitutional
1t was asserted that it was s'class leg
islation' and that the bill was sim
practicable" "Class legislation" Why
our statutory records are crowded with
class legislation in favor Of all classes
except the agriculturists. 'Impracti-
cable !! If true, whose duty was it to
correct it? Unconstitutional II
true, whose duty was it to frame a bill
that would be constitutional? What
are the duties of modern Congressman!
Are they to be confined continually
and forever to the manipulation Of party
schemes by which to gain party supre
macy, and to the neglect OF the great
interests of the couutry2 1t is perfectly
constitutional to loan our money to
banks, corporations, expositions and
whiskey rings, butt is unconstitutional
to loan it to the wealth producers Of the
land. When Wall street, through its
heartless gambling ON the brain, and
Drawn, and sweat, and muscle Of honest
labor, becomes entangled in the meshes
OF its own wicked devising, it has only
to look to our Secretary of the Treasury
and say Help US, Cassius, or we
sink" and Immediately that official
flies TO its relief on electric wing and
pours into its lap $4,000, 900 of the
peoples gold. But ii would be grossly
institutional to cone, in response to the
L.