The advocate., 1891-09-09
THE sUB-TREAsURY PLAN.
VALLEY FALLS, Kan, August q, 1

EDITOR ADvoCATE:-I attended the Ali
anee picnic held in Mr.. Huber's grove yes
terday, and although we regretted your alb
Sence very much, had the pleasure Of listen
ing TO some short but terse speeches by sew
eral of our "sOlid" farmers of south Jeffer
son.
My main object in writing you, however
is to call attention to the speech delivered
by the Hon. j. F. True.
Although we believe Mr.. True strictly
honest in his views, we also believe some Oi
them radically wrong. And as Mr.. True ID
man Of influence we fear he may mislead
many others.
Mr.. True stated in substance that if the
sub-tressuTy plan should become a law the
result would be to raise the price of all farm
products, and it would consequently cost the
laboreE more TO live;, the laborers fOresee-
ing the result would equip themselves
against it, and if the Peoples party should
make it one Of its leading issues it would
lose the cooperation and votes Of the Ia
borer and the support of all labor Organiza-
tiOns. He at the same time admitted that
the plan was all right if confined strictly To
the Farmers Alliance.
That one of the objects of the sub-treas-
ury plan is TO increase the price of produce
we admit, and that this would be one of the
results of It's adoption we firmly believe.
But has the plan no other objects from
which we expect beneficial results?
We think the main trouble with Mr.. True
is that he has only reasoned half way
through, and If he will only reason on he
viii discover another result which will more
than counterbalance the one he has spoken
Of.
We understand that one:of the prime OBJ
jeCts of the sub-treasury plan, as well as to
raise the price of produce and bring imme-
diate relief to the depressed farmer, is to
furnish speedy and adequate means of in
creasing our circulating medium of 'ex-
change, the extreme need of which few Ia
borers or trne Alliance men will deny.
Now we claim that, according to a few
chapters of past history, theresult of acquir-
ing what we consider sufficienCy of money
in circulation will be to revive every chan
mel of trade and industry, save it be that Of
the usurer, therefore giving ample employ
ment to all laboring classes, and as their
services will always be IN demand their
wages will be substantially increased.
But here is the point which we desire to
make most prominent, and which we calcu.
late to successfully refute Mr.. True's argu.
ment.
Since the wage-worker is to have plenty
Of money in his pocket, he will not com.
plain of having TO pay his brother lsborer,
the farmer, "let live" prices for his pro.
duce. Let us, if we can, Judge from oul
own experience. Think how different We
feel when we have plenty of spending money
from being destitute and having to struggle
for an existence. What q difference in oul
free e-heartedness, our disposition and all.
And this brings to my mind the supply and
demand racket.
tits claimed by many that the lack of q
demand for our produce is what lowers the
price. But we claim that the demand il
always present, II is the ability to buy that
is missing. Only give the laborer. who il
one Of our principal consumers, the ability
to buy, for the demand is constantly with
him. It is little consolation, indeed, TO the
laborer for potatoes to be only 20 cents pei
bushel if he Is unable TO raise the 20 cents tC
TO buy them with. But with steady employ.
ment and bountiful pay he viii not com.
plain Of having to pay even one dollar pei