Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1892-01-06
AN OBJECT LESSON.


1t would seem as if tie stern logic of
facts and illustration OK events should
prove to even its most earnest oppo-
nents that the sub-treasury plan or
something like ii, is sorely needed.
Leaving entirely out of the question
the idea of finance, or of governmental
inauguration and enforcement of the
plan, the fact yet remains that for the
want OF the sub-treasury plan or some
thing like it either of public or private
management, the farmers of the United
States are being merci1esslv and pitt
lessly robbed of the greater part of the
fair reward of their labor.
From an exchange clip the follow
ing, dated Kansas City, Mo-, November
"a:
1.-THE clamor for cars is becoming
greater each day, and each day the
roads seem to be little worse off than
the preceding one. The shortage seems
to be general and from every part of
the country comes the cry for addi-
tional cars. Although grain is being
shipped from Chicago in immense
quantities by eastern roads and steam
ship lines, the mighty rush of grain
that is flowing in from western points
keeps the shipping channels at Chicago
blocked up. An official of the Bnrling-
ton says 5. 900 more cars and 100 more
engines could be used on that system
alone. A dispatch from Burlington,
Ia, says that 500 cars of grain crossed
the Mississippi for Chicago yesterday.
and this is but fair sample of what
the other roads are doing.
-
mission of South Dakota started for
Chicago to plead with the railway man
ayers to relieve the state from the car
famine it is now experiencing. Over
100 written complaints from different
points are recorded on the books of the
commission, arriving within ten days
Many towns report that they have
stopped buying grain, having no cars.
THE railroad officials are advising
farmers to store their grain for while
as solution of the problem The
farmers, however, need the money, but
already in many cases they have been
obliged to haul their grain home after
taking it to the station. The result is
the farmers, having no chance to sell,
are short of money, and in some in-
stances pressing obligations are causing
much trouble. Instead of being con-
fined to the roads and shippers the diff
fculty arising from the short car sup
ply is beginning to affect the entire
western country, and unless relief is
given soon the gravest results are ex-
pected The Burlington has issued or
ders to suspend the loading of all grain
for Chicago, owing to a threatened
blockade at that city,
Now l want to remark right here
that no amount of manipulation of or
legislation concerning our financial
system, nor any increased volume of
perfectly flexible and elastic currency
(such as the land loan and savings bond
plan would supply, can. by any means
remedy the evil conditions depicted in
the above and foregoing clipping.
It will be observed that the money,
such as it is, in volume and value, is
ready with which to pay for the farm
er's wheat. The farmer is ready and
anxious to sell, although the fact that
he sells upon such a glutted market for
portion of such small, unelastic and
inhexible volume of money, is indisput-
able evidence that he is being robbed.
And yet, owning and possessing bread
stuffs upon which the people of the
United States and many millions of the
people of other nations must live and
subsist, such breadstuff is a worthless
drug upon his hands, and he, in the
possession of great wealth of intrinsic
value, must be annoyed and harrassed
| by his creditors, not being even al
| lowed the privilege of selling his
wealth at such prices as will give the
| Spectator and grain gambler what
little margin of profit there may be de-
rived from his labors.
| What then, does the farmer need in
this extremity The answer is simple.
| If he is out of debt he needs only stor-
age room for his wheat. If he is in
| debt and his debts are pressing him he
needs not storage room only, but an
advance of money to enable him to
meet the pressing demands against
| him and thus be in position to hold
| his wheat. Desperate diseases require
heroic treatment National problems
cannot be left to individual solution.
Now / am convinced that under the
| land loan plan of the alliance there
would always be sufficient volume of
money outstanding to fill any demand
upon it for productive industries
or the exchange of material wealth.
| / am also sure that there would at all
| times be a reserve, or surplus fund
| of idle money, belonging to the people,
| invested in savings bonds and available
to fill any extraordinary demand for
money at or slightly more than the
| legal current rate of interest But how
| will such surplus reserve fund be ap-
| piled in such a manner as to give the
farmer relief from his present deplor-
able condition? Will individuals make
| business of loaning money at low
rate of interest upon wheat in the
farmers bin upon their farms? No!
Some principle of county, state or ma
tional cooperation must be put in force
to the end that the people collectively
shall help the farmer out of his dilem-
| ma.
1 know perfectly well, that if the
farmer were only out of debt. he could
hold his wheat without resist
ance and be free and independent But
he is not out of debt, and even if he can
fund his debt under the land loan plan
at two per cent interest it will take
| him considerable time to get out of
debt In the meanwhile, Mr. Anti.
sub-treasuryite, what are you going to
do for the farmer? address this ques-
ton to those who, though advocating
the land loan plan, are opposed to the
''non-perishable product" feature of
the sub-treasury plan. Those who OPP
pose the land loan plan, also propose
to do nothing either for the farmer or
anyone else, but so far as they are con-
cerned, will suffer humanity to be Of
fered as a sacrifice upon the affairs of
the false gods intrinsic value and
specie basis" around whose affairs sre
even now the bones of stifled and
slaughtered humanity of these many
centuries past Like those of whom
Paul wrote eighteen hundred years ago,
there are many even in these days who