The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1893-12-28
POOR WANT BREAD.
HOW THE GOVERNMENT CAN
AFFORD RELIEF.
Once Re tore the Parity Between Labor
and Money. and Money viii at Once
Flow Out Into the Channels Of Labor
Among Our Exchanges.



Congres>,nen are bein: de!u.cd with let
ter. skiing that acton will h. lHheH that
viii relieve the distress :il-in. from nom
employment Of wage-w"rhrr> ihinu:h'u!
the country. 1t j. asserted tina, unie>- SUCH
aid Is supplied viii adc4tia!riy relieve
the impovcfishhte,t entire communities
will he III distress and perhaps ou the we're
OF starvation. In-tinctive.y th- pour turn
to the Government ~ the belief that IL
should and may provide for thtui III this
extremity. But the founders * our Gov
eminent in conferriu. liberty and Indr-
peudence on the Individual dld NOT a>-uinr
the duty OF providing for the individual
thus left without restraint. The effect vas
that iibcrty carried with II selt-depcnuence
and that the Government j. non patetnaI
and pOwerIe>s under the COnstitut ion. ~
we'll rs because Of It's depicted treasury, to
cagO Record.
The poor do not appeal to the Gov
eminent in the sense that the metro
pOlitan papers persist i'll pretending
to believe. No one asks or expects the
Government to supply his wants. how
ever pressing, from the national treas
ury. This is not it at all This has
not been asked, nor will it be. But
for what purpose was the Government
established! Among other things, to
insure domestic tranquility and pro-
mote the general welfare. Why will
"entire communities be in distress and
on the verge of starvatiOn:' Why this
narrowing cry for bread" Because
the people whose living comes directly
from their labor are unemployed. Why
are they unemployed? Is it because
they have done all the work there Is
to do? Look all over the country.
See the farms out of repair, the build
ings going to decay, the countless
acres untamed that the hand of indus
try ought to make profitable. Peep
into the homes. See the scrimping
and the saving, the patching and
mending. Walk the muddy roads and
ragged lanes, and say If you can: "All
is finished; there is no more work
to do"
Go to the cities, the very cepters Of
trade and commerce, the high seats Of
massive structures and the home of
accumulated fortunes. We will not
send you through the alleys where
poverty dwells, but look about you
anywhere and everywhere, and see if
all is finished; if there is no work to
do. improvements needed almost
every where; labor crying to be done
Now 60 to the quarters where live
those who labor. Here rises the "har-
rowing cry for bread" Not that there
is no bread. Witness the farmers BINS
bursting with 5O-cent wheat. 1t is be-
cause there is no money with which to
buy bread, however cheap. There is
rn 1ooo kn ,s,
, unemployed. The money-earner is UNI
employed because the employer has no
money to pay him wages.
But there is plenty of money. say
the official heads of the Government.
Where is it? In the bands and pri-
vate hoartls. Why does it not go out
where it is needed to employ idle labor
to do the work that is crying to be
done everywhere? Because idle money
is worth more than active labor
Those who have the money will not
invest it because it is worth more idle
than employed. Those who have it
not dare not borrow and invest it, be-
cause their debt will grow faster than
any investment they can make in la
Dor. We appeal to our city contem-
porarv to offer IL better explanation.
This is an unnatural and dangerous,
Q ruinous condition. Who is response
bic for it? The Government of the
United States. The laws and policy
of the National Government for the
last thirty years, have been constantly
directed to making money dearer and
labor cheaper. Deny it who can. The
boast has constantly been to make
good dollars, better dollars, dollars of
the highest possible purchasing power
When money is worth more than labor
When labor is worth more than money
labor prospers and money does not
suffer. because it has neither nerve nor
soul
But how can the Government afford
relief? Not by paying out money, nor
even loaning it: but by simply increas-
ing it, SO that there shall he a parity
between labor and money. 1t did so
in 1862, and kept it up until the fatal
contraction policy was inaugurated at
| the close of the war. Labor and money
then parted company. and the laws
| since have persistently added to the
| uANtIScHSe IL "oulu tIlht NtlN
fool. however badly lost. could follow
his own tracks back to the starting
point, when those tracks are
fresh and unmistakable. The tracks
made in entering this financial
wilderness are as plain as the pages OF
history. If those in power cannot.
or dare not, follow them back. let
| them get ont of the Wav. and parm,.
those to come who dare aud can Once
restore the parity between labor and
money. and money will at once flow
out into the channels of labor, and the
narrowing cry Cor bread" will cease,
and the farmers 5O-cent wheat will
promptly disappear.
! The government is. therefore, very
properly appealed to and if it does no,
respond it is unworthy the devotion /,
receives from the people. Progressive
Farmer.
| Tho I,e~ulnr sion Of (nnrreSS