The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1891-07-10
Our Washington Letter.
WAsH1NaroN. D. {


The administration has agreed upon a
temporizing silver policy. II proposes to
coin The trade dollar bars into standard
dollars the law required ii 10 do so and it
could not do less, and to recon a large
amount of the minor silver coins in the
Treasury. This it is said will occupy the
minis three or four months and at the end
of this time new announcement will be
made. To any ore at all familiar with the
operation Of The minis, the statement that Ii
will take three or four months to coin up
100000 dollars worth of trade dollar
bars and fifteen or twenty million dollars
worth Of subsidiary silver, is simply ridic-
ulous. The whole work should be done in
a month without any Inconvenience at all,
and this longer period is simply made TO
gain time to feel the pulse Of the people on
this subject.
Great activity is being displayed by The
Farmers Alliance in Vermont. They are
holding meetings now and will continue to
hold them all this summer and fall. The
following platform has been adopted and
promulgated:
First We are unqualifedly opposed to
class legislation.
Second-We favor an equal and just sys-
tenn of taxation based upon real and personal
property alike, and we demand of Congress
law to provide graded income tax.
Third-We demand strict economy in
expenses Of State and national Government,
with salaries of officials to correspond with
the financial condition of tax payers.
Fourth We favor a sound and sufficient
currency.
| Fifth--We demand free vote and fair
count for every voter, and the adoption of
the Australian system of voting for the
whole State.
Sixth-We favor universal compulsory
common school education, after reasonable
period, as condition Of suffrage
Seventh We demand rigid limitation
of all monopolies, especially such as spec
ulate in farm and food products.
Eighth-We demand just and equitable
freight and passenger rates on all railroads.
Ninth-We favor the prohibition of the
adulteration of food and traffic in intoxieat-
ing liquors as beverage.
Tenth--We favor rigid restriction of alien
ownership of lands and immigration OF
criminals and paupers."
| OF course no farmer in Vermont or else
where wants class legislation. 1t is class
legislation against them that has brougb BIT
about the Alliance as a protest against lis
continuance. All taxation should be inst,
and graded income tax is precisely the
law that every farmer should advocate
above all others. We all favor sound and
sufficient currency, and whilst we have a
sound one it is not sufficient, and the Alliance
is demanding sufficient currency to be as
sound as the one we now haye. There is
not word in this platform but what every
farmer in the United States can unquali-
iedly endorse.
Ii might have gone farther, however, in
its currency plank. We waGt not only a
sound and sufficient currency. but we want
some method by which this currency can be
put in circulation. What this method
should be is the question, the live question
now before the Alliance. The Sub Treas
ury plan is advocated by some, loans VI on
improved agricultural lands by others, and
there have been other rot very we'll defined
ideas advanced uron this subject. The
Vermont farmers would have done we'll 10
make an expression upon this subject. So
far as we can observe the concensus of opin-
ion Of all the alliance people is the loaning
of one-half its value on improved lands at a
low rate Of inlerest by the United States OF
legal tender agricultural notes, issued for
this purpose,
This seems to be about as fair and equit-
atle system as could be devised, besides
it is in the line of precedence. The United
States has loaned its money since 1864 to
national banks without interest, and it is
this loan which has enabled the bankers 10
accumulate great fortunes, by loaning money
which they receive for nothing at six and
eight and ten per cent to the farmers to de-
velope the country.
This idea fairly discussed and placed be.
fore the people would seem to be one that
all could unite on.