The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1893-08-15
COLONEL A. c. FISK
Is Interviewed by a New York World
Representatives. Silver Legislation.

Representative-.-Silve Legislation.
Would Distribute Millions Of DoH0F"
Among the Farmers Cotton GT0"e'"
and Producers of this Country
I do not consider an extra sessiUdd
desirable or probable. me rnSJ lii
Congress will not in all PLIo tnr;f
make any radical change II nGonoivn
laws. The a~ntag0nUsIlc ~ G~nonnioT
views of Mr.. Cleveland on the HLallCI0t
1880 would so antagOnlze the next
Hto~%roes as to precipitate an open
fohf in the Democratic party, the
verv thing that Mr.. Cleveland and bis
followers are DESTROYS of avertlng. Inc
issuing of gold bonds would be almost
as great a crime against the DEBTOR
and producing classes of this country
as the characterization OF SILVER, anu
would be considered by all the Soutnerh
and Western States "a an open declaTa,
tion of war between h debtor ana
creditor classes Of this country. The
issI1inpo of cold bonds is simply a scheme
tn enable the rich to pillage farther and
nIunder the debtors in the interest of
the bankers and money lenders.
The proper way to prevent gold from
going abroad is to give this country
some American legislation, instead of
legislating in the interest of the Plu
tocracy Of the Old World. If we had
free Coinage of silver, which this coun-
trv needs and demands and must have,
and speedily, the value of our farm
products would be increased so per
cent. and the balance of trade in our
favor would more than double and the
inflow Of gold into this country would
be a natural result. 1t might be very
DESTROYS to have gold go to countries
that were compelled to buy u prod
ucts. The condition might be remedied
somewhat if the Secretary of the
Treasury would do his duty to the
country instead of doing the bidding
of the ShylCcks of the Old World and
brokers Of Wall street.
The present Silver Purchase law pro
vides that the Treasury notes issued
for the purchase of silver bullion shall
be redeemed either in silver or gold
coin at the option of the Government,
and declares that the Secretary shall
coin Of the bullion purchased under
the act as much as may be needed to
provide for the redemption of the
Treasury notes herein provided for.
The Secretary defies the law, refuses
to coin and pay out silver as required
and seeks to make the law OdiOus by
piling bullion in the Treasury vaults.
The most important legislation is the
full restoration of silver as money for
this country. That would prevent the
gold lords of the Old World from buy
ing our silver at So cents per ounce,
coming it into Indian rupees and giving
it a purchasing power of 81 81, thereby
depressing the prices Of our whe It,
cotton and other farm products so FER
cent. and thereby building up the COM
petitive trade in India. It would com
pei purchasers of these products to buy
direct 1t would distribute many mil
lion dollars yearly among the farmers
and cotton growers of the West and
South, that is now absorbed by the
creditor classes of the Old World. This
would enable the producers, debtors
and laborers to pay their interest. re
lieve themselves of debt, enable them
to purchase goods, build railroads and
manufactures, and open, develop and
people a vast country of marvellous
resources. The hum of industry and
march of prosperity would be apparent
everywhere. They should also fix the
time, not less than fifteen years, in
which the bounty Of two cents on
sugar, given by present law, could not
be repealed. This bounty would stim-
ulate the beet sugar industry in this
country, it would cause the erection of
q thousand factories, which would cost
say $500, coo, 600 and stimulate an indus
try in all the products used in the mar
ufacture of sugar, such as coke, coal,
limestone, etc. It would double the
value of farming lands and give en-
plOyment to ten million people in all
branches connected with this industry.
The policy Of Mr.. Cleveland, if carried
out, would still further impOverish the
debtors and producers of this country,
and the farmers Of the West and cotton
growers of the South would be driven
from their homes under mortgage fore
81 ~ fsSE2Sn two years, and
would be in the same conditf6Ras the
serfs, poems and ryots of the gold sfand-
ard countries of Europe, unless they
resisted by force of arms. But, thanks
to the patriotism of the majority of the
Democratic party, they are opposed to
Mr.. Cleveland's class legislation in the
interests wholly of n class, the cred
itor class, who so little need his sym
pathy. The chances are that when Mr..
Cleveland comes to face the public SEN
timent, not only of the country, but Of
his own party, alarge majority of whom
are patriotic, he will find that senti-
ment so strong against him that some
relief will be given to the people by I'M
doing the crime of 1873 and giving the
country some legislation more friendly
than we have had for twenty years
regarding silver. The people are so
thoroughly aroused that they are now
determined upon demanding of Con
gress some American legislation.
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