Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-03-24
From America Grange Bulletin.l
How Long Will Farmers Submit?

How Long Will Farmer'sSubmit
EDITORS BULLETIN:-Back In six
ties distinguished u. S. Senator visit
ed England and was admitted TO n con-
ferance with the money king Of Great
Britain. Returning he published a let
ter proposing a new departure In our
financial legislation that would take
from coined silver that legal tender
quality which all previous legislation
had conceded to 1t, and with all legal
tender paper money destroyed, would
make gold the only lawful money for
the payment, public and private.
For the advocatlOn ofsuch financial
policy an able author distinguished In
the old world, was sent to us from
across the ocean, and In that behalf his
tongue and pen were actively employ
ed. The project met with little favor
at Washington until the arrival from
England Of ample funds for Its sup
port. Even then 1t was impossible to
secure majority in Congress In its
favor. Many a stronghold has been
taken by strategy that against an open
attack was impregnable.
A bill was introduced into Congress
purporting to be "for the revision Of
the laws relating to coinage" 1t con-
tained upward f60 pages OF printed
matter and not passage In II was
either exhilerating or entertaining.
Upon assurances given by the Commit
tee on Coinage that the bill was right
and proper, the House Of Represent.
atives passed it without reading, and
in like ignorance of its contents Presi
dent Grant attached to 1t his signature;
and not until two years had elapsed
did he learn its true inwardness., BY
an alteration of two lines In the body
of this lengthy bill, an alteration
known only to conspirators, silver was
demonetized and by trick the policy
of the Government from its beginning
with regard to 1t was reversed.
Since then the policy of the conspira-
tors and of those who profted by the
conspiracy or expect to, has been to
stifie inquiry and deceive the
inouirers. and all the power Of capital
and the strength of party machinery
has been employed to check every
attempt made to restore to the dol
lars of the daddies," the legal tender
quality that was thus fraudulently ana
furtively taken from 1t. ,.,
Since the trick was exposed polite
ians of high and low degree, have
advised the farmers that they had no
interest in this Legislation, that 1t only
reduced the profits Of the silver barons
and thew were too rich already; that
the nrice of miners products should be
scaled down while the prices of all
other products should be scaled up,
TINS assuming that farmers care for no
Interest but their own. Farmers are
interested in facts, are not willing
always to be fed on lies, and they have
a pecuniary interest compared with
which that of the miners is utterly In
AS basis for some tigur-
ing take the following testimony:
In 1887, in opposition to a resolution
In favor of the resolution to England
" the bi-metalic system, an Ex-Lord-
Mayor of London, Sir r. N. Fowler
aid. "If we continued the present
1olicv a few years longer we shall ruin
he wheat and cotton industries of the
b. s., and build up India as the chief
exporters of these articles"
A prominent grain dealer, Mr.; l: Y.
7ielden, testified before the British
aoval Commission on silver and gold,
hat "all wheat would be worth from
q to So. so per quarter more II silver
we're at par" We are producers OF sill
,er and were selling it then in England
{ 97c per ounce. Purchasers send 1t
O India whele it was worth to them
n the purchase Of wheat and cotton
/ as per ounce. Cheap silver means
o them cheap grain and cheap cotton.
heir prices for these staples govern
'urS.
Cotton to-day is cheaper than it has
'een for At years, and to-day dispatch-
s from the South proclaim that the
,lanters in consequence are driven to
resulting in suicides and
madness, A loss of So to $3.50 per quar-
er on wheat means from 25c to 3Oc per-
,ushel. Our crop of wheat last year
vas considerably over 600, ,OOO, 900 bush
is. A loss of 25c per bushel on this
ron amounts to over $3.50, 900, 900 or
400 OOO. 900 loss to the farmer on the
wheat he sells. The prices OF other
rain and farm products decline with
he price of wheat, and we produce an
lually 1000, 100000 bushels OF other
,rains. Farm lands keep pace with
arm products in the decline OF prices;
In the light of the testimony adduced
ct any one sum up the losses that
american farmers have sustained In
Jingle wear from the demonstration OF
,ilver, then multiply that sum by the
lumber Of years that have elapsed since
S73 when silver was demonetized, and
le will stand appalled, at the magni-
ude of the result. The financial policy
disastrous to farmers, was not an Amer
can product. 1t was conceived in sin
n London, end brought forth In in
quity in Washington. 1t has impov-
.rished American farmers to enrich
English merchants and American shy
ocks.-H. w. Howe, Ira, o.