Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1893-03-16
questions and to right the wrong, i

any exists. he has resolutely set him
self; this has brought him into the field
of politics. Here two great facts absorb
his attention, practically to the exclu
sion of all others. He finds in the frs
place he is restricted by law to single
market and is not permitted to take hi
surplus into the marts of the world and
exchange it for the commodities he
wants, consequently there is but one
market in which he can buy what he
needs and sell what he can spare. Here
he finds that by means of trusts and
other combinations the prices of the
things he must have are artiicially
fixed by few people, seldom to his ad.
vantage. In the second place, he finds
that he must sell the product of his
labor for a single commodity-money
land that this is limited to q single
metal-gold. A restriction upon a re-
striction made, it seems to him, for the
sole purpose of putting up the price o.
what he has to buy and putting down
the price of what he has to sell. To
state the case in nutshell by quoting
from an article that appeared in the
REGISTER over a year ago: "He sees
that few hundred people control the
supply of money with which he is to
provide for his needs from the channels
of commerce, and that he is not allow
ed to use the modicum that falls to his
share as he pleases, for these same
people furnish the only market in
which he is permitted to buy and fix
for him the price he is required to pay
long beforehand"
In consequence of this state CT affairs,
two very strong desires have arisen In
his mind. One is to gain free access
to the markets of the world once more;
another Is to remove artificial restric-
tions from the money supply, SO that it
may again conform to the law of sup
ply and demand the same as other
commodities. In seeking to realize
these aspirations it is natural that he
should first turn to the Democratic
party. Its traditions are in accord
with his desires. 1t has always stood
for the removal of restrictions on trade
and for the fullest individual freedom.
1t was the agriculturists of the West
and South that swept the Democratic
party into power at the last election.
While that party is willing to afford
him every facility to carry his COM
mercial ideas into effect, there is at
present considerable danger of split
on the money question. He knows
that twenty years ago. by as foul con-
spiracy as ever was Matched, silver was
stricken from the already narrow list
of money metals, and he further knows
that the silver money we now have is
treated as a mere representative of
gold by the government. He argues
that with money, as with other things,
whatever lessons the supply increases
the value of that which is left. He
knows that if the control of the volume
of money is left under the control of
the creditor classes he will never be
able to do more than pay the interest
on his mortgage. A decreasing money
supply means a shrinkage in the value
of every hog and horse on his farm.
Twenty years ago debt that he could
pay with a bale of cotton or bushel
of wheat it now takes two bales or two
bushels to satisfy. With the single
gold-standard he knows that matters
will get worse rather than better, for
gold is decreasing commodity, and If
it continues to be the only money metal
his finan cial condition is indeed hope
less. Hence it is that he insists upon
the free coinage of silver. He knows
that this will increase the debt paying
power of money by the increase of its
volume about as much as its purchas-
ing power was increased by the iniqu-
ity of 1873. In other words, the prices
of what he has to sell will grow better.
He simply asks that which he1 been
swindled out OF shall be r, to
him, and that gold and silver 4 flow
freely from the mines through our
miuts to meet the requirements of our
people according to the law of supply
and demand. He is not going to pay a
debt of q dollar with q dollar and twen-
ty-five cents if he can help it. No; not
though Wall Street bowls as loudly as
lid Isaac of York in the dungeon of
Front De Bocuf. There was some |
for the Jew, for he was hui
man and generous, but there is meme
Tor Wall Street, for no human or gem
srous act has ever been recorded of it.
The question for the Democratic party |
20 settle is: shall it meet the farmer
fairly and endeavor to satisfy his reas-
enable demands, or shall it meet de-
teat by refusing them.
It Should Be in Every House.
]. B. Wilson, 81 Clay ST., Sharps-
burg, Pa, says he will not be without