Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1892-09-22

| Around US Oh every hand may be seen thu
evil results Of the vicious policy which have
but briefly outlined, and these results may bt
gathered up and expressed in the statement
that for thirty years past, in this great repub
| lie. dedicated In blood TO human liberty and
the rights of men, the rich have been grow
ing richer and the poor poorer" m,llior
iramps. homeless and hopeless wanderers
irudge along our highways and gaze despair
,,ingly over he llimitable areas Of unused land
monopOlized and withheld from settlement BY
the spec ulator, the syndicate and the corpora.
ton, for the sake of the "unearned increment
that deep and ineffaceable stigma upon OuI
craftsmanship and civilization.
For the tramp no flower blooms. the grass
does not grow. and mother earth, with heI
generous bosom. affords no nourishment.
fugitive and vagabond. no sympathy follows
him rs be flies from the face of his fellow man
only to find rest when crime forces him within
prison walls or the grave opens to receive his
wasted and wearied body. But the tramp IL
fortunate in at least one respect-he has found
his way out of the cities into the country
where beggary may prolong its useless *
istence. Thousands Of the poor In our cities
are less fortunate. In New York 10000 work.
ing women are 50 poorly paid that they must
accept charity, sell their bodies or starve In
one precinct twenty-se, murdered babies
were picked up, six in vaults.
have alluded to the decline in prices. This
will strikingly appear from the following COM
parison of prices by decades-viz.: From 1880
to 1870 average price of wheat per bushel,
Sl.98: from 1870 to 1881, average price of wheat
per bushel. Sl.3S: from 1880 to 1889. average
price of wheat per bushel, SLOT. Price at this
time, 80 cents.
From 1860 to 1870, average price of corn per
81 fvnv To
price of corn per bushel, So cents: from 1880 to
1889, average price of corn per bushel. 46 cents.
Price at this time, 38 cents.
In 1870 wheat brought $12.76 per acre; in 1890,
3; loss per acre, $4.76. Corn brought in 1870.
$l8.73; in 1890, SS.13: loss per acre, $10.H. Rye
brought per acre in 1870, $19.75; in 1890. 6.26:
loss per acre, $3.50. Cotton brought per acre in
1870 $S}: In $780, $685.: loss per acre. $22.04. In
like manner 1t may be shown that there was a
loss on barley of $l2.57, and on oats Of $9.79.
The aggregate loss on these crops will run up
to many hundred millions.
But the falling prices and shrinking values
only affect the farmer, the laborer, the arti-
san, the producer and worker. The bond
holder still clips his coupons and draws gold
from the treasury; the banker to the same
pleasing performance adds the taking of in
creased usury; and the manufacturer still
holds his clutch on the market by means Of
the protection against competition which q
compliant government gt,es him. AS result
society is rapidly dividing itself into two
classes-the very rich and the very poor.
Nearly 1900 years ago q wonderful Man,
well known to history. but not talked Of much
in the political parties, made his appearance
In an oriental country. He was an ideal EN-.
bodment Of truth. Plain people gathered
around him and heard him speak with de-
light. presume because he spoke and liked
the truth, and emanations from the truth OF
his life and words charmed and attracted such
folk.
But the Author won by its utterance the
crown of thorns and death on the cross. So
cial and industrial justice has since that time
been denied to the tOiing and suffering classes
because truth has been on the cross wearing
the crown of thorns. But truth Is now abroad
once again among the common people, as OF
old. Ii is calling its own, and Its own Is hear
ing the call. THey are crowding to the front
as In that Olden time, and. thank God, the
times are more suspicious than they were
then. The inspiration leads them. They do
not threaten. but they protest against wrong;
they demand justice. All the vituperation
that can be hurled at them, all the derision,
all the denunciaton known to the political vo-
cabulary cannot turn them to the right or
left. Thirty odd years ago many Of them stood
before the blazing lannon's mouth in defense
of an obstruction. The burden Of all the ages
is now upon them-the heaped and piled up
burden of injustice and wrong. To the idle
thunderbolts of the politicians such men can
only answer with smile. The banner of right
waves above them. They are moving to vic
tory.
Norruutad Ereo~au