davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-05-26
PRODUCERS AS PAUPERS
THE RECORD SHOWS THEM TO
BE LITTLE BETTER.
They Average mn Income OF Less Than
One O'lar per Ixy to Neet Ali the
Necessities to L,vc-The Calamity
HoWlers,
Here Are tho Facts.


The state of affairs pictured by a
correspondent of the american Nonr
conformist. is so startling that the
revelation should arouse ev. rybody to
unite and arise in their might to
change the financial system that is the
cause of all this distress.
He says: To many persons the
Statement that the Am. rican people rs
, whoae arc i, littln rettst tl.ai p:.u-
perS seems riduculous and absurd a
calamity howl wi Lou. shadow OF
foundation. Let us to-day examine
some official and we'll weighed state
ments of prominent men who have in
vestigated the suhjac'.
First, permit me to in r,duce to Vol,
the report of Congressional commit
TIE witch ~as appointed, to ascertain
the actual condition of tile MASSES at
the country. This comm, tee AZ
pointed y the Forty sixth { ,ngrls IS,
reported, December. 10, 1879 as fol
lows:
Average yearly earnings OF all la
borers, divided hv number Of living
days in the year. sl.02 This amounts,
in a family of five persons, for each
person, 20 cents per day.
Average yearly earnings Of common
laborsrs, 7a cents day. or Is cents Il
day .fof each person In a family, Of FIVE:
The average wages paid for all kinds
Of labor in Ohio are = cents per day
Massachusetts,, 81 cents per day; chi
cago, $1.02 per day.
1ere-al average cost Of living: Gro
cerfes, s2f7.. %: clothing, SOS fuel:
$50. 80; rent, S.5 81; rrcrca ion, so. "A
education, s11.64; total, sl455d.
Average excess of expenditures over
average earnings per year, SO.
FAe nhn~e statement allows each per-
son in family of five per day =. For
subsistence. - cents. clothing 3 So
cents, fuel, l 40 Gems, rent / cents.
recreation, ITO cent, education, 3-5
cent; total, % cents.
8 Sd fa+ the official report of the Con-
gressional Committee, composed Of Re;
ppblicans and Democrats, shows that
the average earnings were at tina. time
s1.O2 day OF about 20 cents day to
the man who had to support family
Of. five. which most toilers have; and
the report further SHOWS thrt thu ev'
penses were greater than the income,
The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-05-26

away with long hours and hard work,
only to be rewarded with beggar's
pittAnce, and who are condemned to
slavery of the worst kind"
The census report of 1890 show that
about 100000 people are fed and
snpp6ftad ~ hn4 W eharitv inatitu'
tions. This is equal tx akont. ans per:
son out of every twenty of our popuIa
ton.
The Statistical Reports of Massa-
slltisstts shaw that in 1890. j. .4G1 farms,
We're, abahdonedN in thtt re State and
3,3lS in. Maine, Vermont, New Harp
Shire and Rhode Island.l OF 4,779 in
these five states. lSee Massachusetts,
Labor Report, 1891, page 1862 -199.)
The census reports of 1890 also show
that there are on record in the United
States, 100000 mortgages, with oil
average inlcbtc lness of $3.50 each.
equal ta aI'eut sh. 600 100000.
=, :, The sensus ftpdfts af taa0 also show
That tie sasyerage Salue, Of eacli farjn In
the: t nited State has dcfreciated
:1,620. The average Ter acre Of de:
probation since 1865, las been s2S..
Now, in view of these statistical
facts. which could be mul i lied, and
to which could be added columns of
bankruptcies, suici les, murders, star.
va ion and restitution all as the
direct effects IF poverty be-
comics of TIE silly trs thai "thc peo,le
Of tile United States are. prosperous. =
might also add a, column Of testf-
nlony from all over the United States
giving the opinion. of laborers in this
country, comparing their condition
here with that in their mother coun-
try, slowing in most eases, that they
were better fed, better clothed, better
housed. better paid and better amused
in their respective native countries
that: hefe In the United States.
j. What beconies # ttfe sillr cry Of q
few Prohibitionists who attribute ~
poverty to drink, when the records
show that the majority of mankind
earn scarcely enough to buy food and
tiothifIg and pay rent? One-tenth of
cent is used for fecteation. il drink
ing is classed as recreation:
No, friends, there is something else
radically wrong in this country, and
as honest men, instead of trying to
talk us olli of it. you had better begin
10 SEEK the real cause of the Nations
poverty and help apply remedy.
A Nation where the ioilers can aver
age only 500 n day is Nation OF
paupers, and no one dare deny it.
No one f;ut Il knate, fool or soulless
creature will deny it.
The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-05-26

the bridge iias hit 4 stop to all traffic,
and it nay be weeks .sAft,re Trains will
again run from Council Bluffs TO
OMAHA. II the river continues tG tIsk
the ma n potsi~', Of the big bridge will
likely be carried away, "a it has been
greatly weakened by the wasn.rs cut Of
the eastern approach.
People are becoming greatly alarmed
by the If.,spert of still higher waters,
fiId residents of t6wts along the river
art hast"ring to the higher ground. 1t
has been raiiEisc fntiously, with the r.,-
suit that the sewers aid snrnll streams
have poured food of watcf itth th~
Missouri. The channel has lately
switched to the western bank. and as
that poftiotf ri the approach is formed
by trestling filled in With earth and
loose rock the current soCIs BEGAN to
cat it away. All day long the gnaw!,'g
at the filing had kept up. and in the
evening It WAS Noticed that the ap-
proachts Mnfn beginning to totter. As
a result all trains Sets held IN Omaha.
At 7:3o the bridge began to ,zwsy asd
crack, and Il few minutes later with q
roar and crash one sran went whirling
down the, FLYER. carrying with it the fix
tr,rhs and equipments on that side Of the
bridge. i Iafse scrce sf men was hurried
to the break. ana Carload after carload
of rock is being emptiel i'll, II hoIss Of
turning the current and saving the rest
of the approach. The river surrounds
the smbankmcnt Of the CniCn Pacific
for nearly 9 ffiite on either side, and it is
feared that the swift Arrant may break
through this bank and utterly rHir the
bridge and roadway.
In the city the fool has played havo,
WITH this I''w lands. All the squatters on
the bottoms iiavs hhei, fHrced 10 fee for
their lives. Most of thiif homes have
been washed away and many more Viii
go The rainfall has been unprece-
aetted and much damage is expected on
III s:3ee,
No i':;a's;;sSt for K~1tef:
A Washington dispatch fays:.. The
threatening aspect of the outlook fsf
the Lower Mississippi Valley has deep
s''ed IL the last forty-eight hours. AS
regards TIE rrssp..ct for intensity and
duration of the inpetdins ilet,d with the
water now in sight. n alters stihd @b.'ut
as follows: There has been n rainfall dt
~ inches along the Missouri River from
ka"sas City to Pierre, and 2.5 inches
along The Atkapsas from Fort Smith to
Little Rock. The taitifall Ill Iowa, Mis-
souri, and Illinois and along the Upper
The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-05-26

else of value. And not because there
was any more intrinsic aalue in gold,
but because it was now made the sole
arbiter of prices. One-half the legal
| tender power of the world was de.
stroyed and the remaining one-half
was titus given q prorortionate increase
of power. We are not fighting this
! battle for the benefit Of the silver
kings, but for the sake of all ptodue-
ers. We are not fighting because We
think free coinage is all that We have
need of, but it is STEP on the road
back to prosperity. 1t is step that
the masses can see and believe in. 1t
Is a step broader and higher than the
tariff. 1t is step that Wall Street
breads more than any other that can
| be taken. Therefore tie mere reason
it should he taken.
In 1873 when this infamous conspir-
acy was accomplished. silver was worth
more than its coin price, and the aver
age prices of the world 8 products were
over 3S per cent. above the average
prices of this century. But follow the
columns down, and see how steadily
, the purchasing power of gold advances
| until it takes twenty ounces of silver
to buy one ounce of gold. and at the
same time it takes over 30 per cent.
more of the products of the FARM and
shop to buy tie gold. It wasn't the
Mckinley tariff law enacted in 1890
that has brought on this trouble, but
it was the law Of 1879 making gold the
sole standard of money. The money
question is the issue of this campaign.
Eon't scattor.
As before the st. Louis conference,
80 now We have word of suggestion
to Committees on Resolutions in State
and National conventions. 1t is this
Put in nothing for buncombe. Leave
that to the old parties. They have
done it until the people are disgusted
with words, swelling words, only this,
and nothing more. Make few clear,
strong points, and put them in the
words that have been before the peo-
pie and understood by them. Do not
rewrite plank because you think you
can state it better than it mas been
stated. Go slow on new planks. They
may be all right. but no party has ever
yet absorbed all the good things. Con-
centrate rather than scatter. When
the responsibility of government is
placed upon us, then we must meet
and act upon new questions as practi-
cal questions of legislation. Any ma
terial deviation from the grand princi-
pies already stated to details of con-
struction will do far more harm than
good. Keep on the solid ground in
the middle of the road.-Exchange.
The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-05-26

necessitating credit at the store which
could not be paid, hence failure of
business houses.
One year later we receive the Tenth
Census Report. in, which We fnd in
volume 2, on page |, a complete state
ment Of all men, women, and children
employed in the different mechanical
industries in the United States, which
gives as the number of manufacturing
establishments in the United States,
253, ,s52; number Of persons employed.
1882, ,595; and wages paid during the
year, S947 ,953,795:
This gives us an average income of
$347 per year, or about % cents per
day-very near the figures given by
the Congressional Committee.
OF course persons earning q dollar a
day are not paupers! If not, what are
they? These people simply live, and
go does any other ranper. and, like
him, afe depending for their meager
living upon the charity of their en-
ployer.
Let us go little further Before
me is q speech delivered by the Hon.
Ben .Butterwor:h of Ohio. In the halls
of Congress, May l6, 1883. ben is
good Republican authority. / quote
from his speech the following:
Average wages in Philadelphia,
$40, or 95 cents per day; New Or
leans, 1891, $1.O7 per day; Richmond,
Va, $214, 60 cents per day; Augusta,
GA $267. .95. 73 cents per day; LOUIS
vile, Ky., 1891. IS, 80 cents per day
Cincinnati, $33S, 80 cents per day
Lowell, Mass, 1894. so cents per day
st. Louis, Mo-, s424, $1.O2 per day"
Wages had come down some since
1880 to 1888.
Mr.. Butterworth also furnishes some
other valuable figures. namely, the
average income of farmers, from which
/ quote as follows:
"Ohio, 1894 per year, s1.Os per day
Georgia, $155 per year, 42c per day
Mississippi, $27O per year, 74c per day
Alabama, $149 per year, 44c per day
Wisconsin, 1870 per year, about 81 per
day; Illinois, $476 per year, about
$1.3O per day"
Permit me to quote from the New
York Recorder. q rampant Republi-
can paper, under date of August
%, 1891. Speaking of the striking
cloakmakers in that city, i: said
"Their children cry for food, and there
is none. The few clothes that covered
their backs are gone, and in many OF
the little homes the children played on
the floor with scarcely rag to hide
tLeir nakedness. These people are not
striking for more pay, but because
their employers wanted to make their
meager pay still lower"
Now permit me to quote from the
Chicago Journal, which speaking OF
the wooden workers in that City, said
these people are working their lives
The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-05-26

novel and interesting" that they are
given out to the public in an extr,,
Census Bulletin.
1t is an investigation of farm owner
ship. .tenantry and Indebtedness, illus
trated by the returns made from ten
counties in Ohio. The ten Kansas
counties are located in the Solomon
and Republican River valleys and the
ten Ohio counties are adjacent to Gin
cinnati.
In Kansas on June l, 1890, ont of
%, 7S5 families 6O.S9 per cent. owned
their homes, leaving 1911 per cent.
who were tenants: Of the Il. .526 fam
lies owning their homes 1928 pet
cent. were free from incumbrance, and
56. 72 per cent. were mortgaged. The
average value of incumbered homes, as
reported by the owners, is 1895, the
average incumbrance is $l,27i. The
average per cent. of incumbrance upon
value Is 3Sl2, at an average rate of
% per cent. of interest.
In Ohio out of 131, 1S4 families 81. "a
pei cent. owned their homes, leaving
62. 76 per cent. who were tenants. Of
the 1881 families owning their homes
7S. ~ per cent were free from incum-
brance and 2l. % per cent. were mortg
aged. The average value of urincum-
bered homes, as reported by the owner,
is 50, 399: the average incumbrance is
$1.378. The average per cent. of in
cumbrance upon value is 40 53, at an
average rate of 6. 40 per cent. of inter-
est. In both cases farm and town
property Is included, and no returns
are given of valuation of unincum-
bered or rented property.
The returns show that the problem
of ability to overcome debt has been
worked much nearer to a solution in
Ohio than in Kansas. The rich have
grown richer and of those aspiring to
own homes, three-fourths are able to
do so in fact. OF the one-fourth still
"bucklng the tiger" the average value
is trifle more, and the rate of interest
is considerably less than in Kansas,
but the result is evidently more dis
couraging. The all-revealing lesson
of the investigation is that we are fast
becoming nation of tenants at will.
In Kansas 39.11 per cent. of the
families do not attempt to own home.
In Ohio 62.76 per cent. of the families
are tenants at will. A closer examin-
alton proves that the proportion OF
families who are tenants is much
greater among the city people than o.,
the farms, but the Importance of this
information does not seem to have
fully impressed itself upon tho COM
pliers of these tables. And the steps
are rapidly tending downwards.
In Kansas in 1880, of the whole
number of farmers, 1918 per cent.
lived on rented farms. In 1890 of the
whole number of farmers, SO 25 per
cent. were tenants.
The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-05-26

SnfeIus
Careles, though t--morrow's fight
ehculd Close for them In deeper ni.ht
Careless though lh1t far sweet strain
For tEem should never sound agar.
:Ah love. Rood night.' the bhsies rang,
And hushed tho song the soldiers sang.
100 soon shall reveille awake
e. And shot and she'll your d1ea ming break;
Till cannon thunders ushep dsy, ..
Slumter softly while you may.
Wrap: cd ia yeur faaSd coat 81 blae.
t"r day shall Heed you. soldier true.
~Ad. love. dear love. good night. good
night;n
For you wc battle ard the right
.All. all II we'll. n tho bu9les sing,
But. ah! what fate shalt morn M bSitxi
Hail Of iron And leAlefi fain;
Ray e Ahe parting. sigh and pain:
Who shall vfctors' garlands win?
Who with tie de.d be gathered in?
As fades the light fr m white WINGED tent:
AS snap the heart strings bullct rsnt;
As clouds that never, ccnee Askin.
4. sr tasseth lite and all Its pain.
Day heeded thee. hut day NO more
Shall break FOR thee on sea or shore =.
Thee never now a buyle strain
Shall summon TO the fray again.
Beyond the din Of battle field
Where fOemen fight and focmcn yield,
The angels whisper sail is wells
No buglc notes our realms shall sweit
Yours was the highest boon to die,
~ keep the Did nag In thS sly
Yours Now Che 4w1dtret y ,dn-to rest
lie khow6th te;t, He knoweth lest
The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-05-26
A Gigantic Temple.

In Seringham, India, is the larg-
est heather temple in the world. 1t
is square, each side being a mile in
length, so that it is four miles round.
The walls are twenty-five feet high,
and for or five feet thick, and in the
center Of each wall rises a lofty
tower. Entering the first square you
come to another, with a wall as high
and four more towers. Within that
square there is another, and within
that again another-and you will find
seven squares, one within another.
crowded by thousands Of Brahmins.
The great hall for pilgrims is sup
ported by 1000 pillars, each cut out
a single block of st)ne.
The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-05-26
Two I'hllauthropists.

First NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. have
you been doing for the past five or
six years."
Second Philanthropist - have
been collecting money to assist poor
negroes to emigrate to Liberia. What
have you been dOing:"
First Philanthropist been
collecting money to assist them back
again. ."-Harper's Bazaar.
The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-05-26

Waiter (as Noodles is about 70
leave(-Ahem! sir. 1t is customary,
sir, for patrons tO-ahem!-tO re-
member the waiter, sir.
Moodles-Oh, never fear! l shall
not forget you in hurry. How could
I, when we have been together so
long? It seems ten years since l
gave my order.-Harper's Bazaar.
The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-05-26
AT A SOLDIERS GRAVE.

HE +pnk- IT Wits,
t6bGd school chill
dren had wound
away down the
path to the sleepy
street; the blue
clad veterans, with
subid, d pride, had
carried of til.
eearred old nag;
rs precious folds
caught In the long
streamcrs Of Grape;
the slowly re,ed-
ing strains Of the
last dirge were
borne back on the
~nRA. n.l:A A.s
The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-05-26

AT the end Of July last there were
G., 500 electric lamps-incandescent and
arc-ln use in Paris. At the end OF
March, 1891, the number was los, 600, so
that during a period of sixteen months
the number Of lamps in use increased by
Al 500
The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-05-26

GEN. GALLIFET is the most popular
military parsonage in France. He COM
manded a battalion of the Versailles
army during the Commune, and i. ia
said to be owing 10 his energy that tho
insurrection was put down.
The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-05-26

to e. q. rig UpionI
Pacific bridge Cvat
the Mis- souri, at
Omaha has been
Washed out. and
there are feafs that
th'e entire structure
will g. The. river
is rising rapidly, AID
all the lower pOr-
tons of the city are
Under water, while
mii'S snrll build
ings situated hr tG'
river front have al
already foated away.
The washing away
The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-05-26

In Ohio in 1856. cf the whole mum:
Der of farmers 24.96 per cent. 1ired on
rented farms. In 1890, of the whole
number of. farmers, 37.10 per cent.
were tenants. 49,, -,
'"The evidence of prospe.i:s" .1e
increasing as the census reports como
iii: g.,
The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-05-26

PARIS is now the best lighted city in
the world, and model for all cities that
are bent on introducing electric lighting
on . grand scale.
The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-05-26
CUT OFF BIZ TIE FLOODS
omAHA's Bic BRIDGE PAR
TALLY CsNE.

A Tcrtfrr "f the Great Union Pacific
Structure washc.f Ort-so o Trains Nov
ing unprecedented. e.st" Storm
Causes Great Alarm.
The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-05-26

ARE not our farmer friends forget
ting the town and city vote that il
only waiting for invitation to join the
procession?
The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-05-26
Calamity IOwicrS.

In response to request from Sena-
tor PETER the Hon. Robert P. Porter.
Superintendent of Census, has caused
an Investigation, whose ''~esr1ts are 40
The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-05-26
Price of a Price per Ave
gold "unca ounce OF OF gen'l |
N silver sifver IN prieas.

Here We have the steady rise of the
price of gold measured by everything
The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-05-26
VOLUME II:

A n q our buglcs
sweet and shrill;
Lights emit out
and Ill Was et,il.
s9,d:Srs a,upnbered
on the field,
he whitc-w winged
tents their only
The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-05-26
Da,dars IL ui6h Water.

80 HE eastern, approach
Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1892-03-12
CONGRESS.
Senate.


WASHINGTON, March 12.-Mr. Stew
art, of Nevada, offered joint resolution
providing for a constitutional amend
ment that no person who has held the
office of president of the United States
for a term of four years or any part
thereof shall be eligible to that office
within four.years after the expiration of
that time. This amendment to take
effect after the 4th of March, 1897. He
suggested that the resolution be re-
ferred to the committee on civil service
reform and retrenchment. 1t was so Or
dered.
Mr.. Daniel offered a joint resolution
reciting on the part of the United States
the rights granted by the states of South
Carolina and Virginia to the French
telegraph company. Referred.
Mr.. Dolph obtained the floor by call
ing up Senator Stanford's sound circu-
lating medium resolution, and delivered
lengthy tariff speech, having special
reference to the agricultural interests OF
the country. He said the senate had re.
Gently heard the story of the allegt
wrongs of the farmers of the country
which is repeated with very little yaria
ton from Maine to Oregon, told with
elaboration and rounded periods by the
senior senator from Kansas, Mr.. Peffel
House.
Mr.. McMillin asked unanimous con
sent that private bill day be dispensed
with while the tariff was being dis
cussed.
The house then went into committee
of the whole on the free wool bill.
Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1892-03-12
DEPEW TO INDIANS.
Encouraging Remarks to tho Students Mt
Hampton.

encouraging hemaEhs w INV otuuohe" Nv
Hampton.
NEW York, March 12.-Chauncey M.
Depew, who has been spending few
days at Old Point Comfort, Va, with
his family, visited the Hampton insti-
tute, and while there was introduced by
Chaplain Turner, and said:
"We found the Indian in possession of
the soil and we took it away from him.
We have abused him in every possible
way that an intelligent people could
abuse a wild people by sending agents
to rob them and soldiers to shoot them
These two processes have been going on
ever since Captain Miles Standish in
augurated the gospel of the shotgun.
"You students of Hampton have more
to be proud of than have the graduates
of Yale. Harvard Princeton or any Of
the great colleges. When you receive
your diplomas you know that you
have made something for yourselves
struck something out of nothing. Then
you must go out into the world de-
termined that what you have done for
yourselves you will do your best to do
for your people. You must teach them
to own their homes and farms and to
become good workmen, and so lift the
life of the nation. This grand republic
has made you free citizens, and 1t is the
best land in which any man or woman
ever lived. the best land in which any
men or woman can ever live or die