The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1893-02-14
THE CAUSE AND REMEDY AG-
RICULTURAL EPRESSION.

Mr.. EDIToR:-The Charlotte Observer
refers to- farmer in Mecklenburg
county who bought farm ten years
ago and paid twenty dollars an acre
and tried to borrow money on 1t at the
rate of ten dollars an acre. The editor
says the farm is in as good condition
as when bought and it is no fault of
the owner that the value Of the farm
has shrunk one half in value The o.
SeTUer says, will some one explain why
this is2 The editor invites statesmen,
editors and philosophers to find the
remedy The Observer says it would
give five years of it's life if it could
solve the problem Mr.. Observer, we
will solve the problem for you and will
not ask one day of your life. Previous
to the demOnetizing of silver, gold sill
yer and United States notes were
legal tender for private debts. The
creditor class of the world for the first
time in the history OF civilization Co
operated and formed conspiracy to
make gold the only standard to meas
ure values They secured the dem )ne
tizing of silver. 1t is a law of finance
as inimItable as the ten command
ments, which is, if you create a de
mand for a metal to COIN money and
don't increase the supply you increase
the price of the metal in the same rattle
you increase the demand. BY demon
etizing silver one half of the metal used
to coin money to measure values was
taken from the people and the re
malnder was doubled in value. In bhis
country gold, silver certificates and
United States notes are O legal tender
for private debts. The creditor class
inserted the gold clause in mortgages
and bonds, making principle and In
forest payable in gold. This insertion
set aside the legal tender not gold and
1T no longer counts in the volume of
money that measures values The in
debtedness of the world il estimated at
one hundred and fifty billion dollars
and the interest on This ab8Or6es all the
gold every year. This gives the cred
ltOr class a complete corner on gold
and they can fix It's measuring power.
Gold has doubled in its measuring
power in twenty five years. The only
way this could be done was by shrink
ing values one half 1t is the volume
of money that will pay private debts
that fixes values.
By the insertion of the gold clause in
bonds and mortgages in the United
States the legal tender class are set
aside and nothing but gold is a legal
tender for these debts Ii is no longer
the volume Of money that determines
prices but ii is the volume Of gold cor
nered Dy the Gre iiUor class and manip
ulated at their sweet will that deter
mines prices.
WHY PROPERTY IN THE CITIES DOES NOT
SHRINK LIKE THAT OF THE FARM
The men who make the cities what
they are can fix q price on what they
have to sell. The farmer sells at the
price fixed by the creditor cass at
Liverpool The manufacturers, mer
chants, miners and all other classes fix
their price in this country. The farm
ers have the prices fixed for them by
the souliess creditor class and specula
tors IN foreign country. The manu-
facGurers a d merchants say our goods
cost us so and 50 and we must have a
living price, and they get 1t. The cas
itallsts who build and rent say we must
have O fair increment on our invest
ment, and they get it. The farmer
says what will you give, and he takes
it The farmer is as pO w4rless to fix a
price as a newborn babe is to ClOtho
itself. In the cities they have the
money (Oecause they can fix living
prices) and merchants, manufacturers
and capitalists co operate and fix liv-
ing prices In the country there is no
co operation to fix prices and If they
were to co operate they are too poor to
hold until they can get living prices
La the cities they have the money and
sell as there is q demand for their
wares. In the country they are com
PEELED to throw their produce on the
market and take the price fixed by the
creditor class and speCulatOrs. In the
cities prices are fixed that pays dlvl
dends and the property does not shrink
in value. In the country prices are
fixed below the cost of production
Property that pays good dividends
will maintain value, and property thai
does not pay dividends will SHRINK IN
value. City and other property IN
crease in value because they pay dIvl
dends. Property in the country ls
shrinking in value because they pay no
dividends. The difference between the
two ls the ability of one to cooperate
and fix prices and the other has no5
the ability to co operate and tlX prices
Inc value of all manufactured goods
has shrunk one half since 1865. Ihe
property remains valuable because the
manufacturers can fix living prices. II
the farmers could sell at present prices
and make profit the farms would not
shrink IN value. The farmers are com
PEELED to compete with the pauper labor
OF foreign countries for the creditor
classes gold and must shoulder the
burden of an expensive system of dis
trl0utlOn that costs them two thousand
million dollars annually-mOre than
the system adop ed in France They
have 20 per cent. of the property and