The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1893-08-02
CASH OR STARVE.
That's What Old Party Rule has
Brought us to.
SOME WORDS OF ADVICE.

The merchants at Fulda, Avoca,
and SlaytOn have notified their Gus
TONERS that hereafter they will sell
only for cash. They are forced to do
this because of the stringency in the
money market -Slayton Gazette.
And the Slayton Gazette argues
that this is well-that the credit sys-
tenn is all wrong-that all business
should be transacted on a cash basis.
Wherefore the Rural Centre, of Wal
nut Grove, takes the Gazette up by
one of it's hind legs and sacrifices it.
It quotes the following indescribably
silly utterance, a week old, from this
old-party teacher of the benighted
people:
The law under which our present
silver certificates were issued was
passed in 1890 to satisfy the dema-
gogues and the people that were
bowling for more money"
Again it says:
! 'The people demanded more of the
circulating medium; they got it by
this law and hence we say they are in
a measure to blame for the financial
crash"
1t would seem that man who had
sense enough to go alone to the post
office would understand that the
credit system is due to,the lack of an
abundant currency, and the conse-
quent depreciation in prices of the
products of labor. For instance it is
conceded that the demOnetizatiOn of
silver has decreased the value of all
products in the whole world 33 per
cent; including the property in and
)around Fulda, Avoca, and Slayton,
where the merchants now refuse
credit to their customers. If every
farmer in that region of country had
received, during the past ten or fif-
teen years, 33 per cent for his wheat,
corn, oats, barley, rye, butter, poul-
try, pork, beef, and mutton more than
he did receive, he would be in shape
today to lend money to the merchant
instead of begging credit from him
for the necessaries of life. If, again,
money had been twice as abundant
as it is, it's value would have fallen
prOpOrtiOnally, or to express it in an
other way, the value of all forms of
property would have risen proper
! tionately, and the people could then
do business on cash basis. But to
take away from the people an ade-
quate supply of currency and then
ask them to do without credit, is like
burning up mans crops that are
ready for the harvest, and then telling
him to pay his debts. And is it not
shameful, yea utterly abominable,
that a man shallow enough to advo
cate such unreasonableness should
have access to type, ink, and paper,
and should reach every week into
hundreds of homes, filling his sub
scribers' minds with such stuff as
that? Does it not seem as if the
good God should flash few thunder
bolts of common sense around and
either convert these perfunctOry
preachers of rampant nonsense or
else end forever their capacity for
mischief?
But think of the cOndition'we have
fallen into The banks unable to
lend to their clients: the merchants
unable to credit their customers !
The very people who produce all the
wealth of the state, and without
whom there would be no state, no
government, no wealth, no civiliza-
tion, denied the scant supplies need
ed to maintain life!
Look out for yourselves, oh prOduc-
ers of food. Remember that the law
gives you (unless you have mortgaged
it away, free from seizure or sale for
debt, so acres of land, all your furni-
ture, beds, bedding, wearing apparel,
cooking utensils, stoves, money aris-
ing from fire insurance upon exempt
property, three cows, ten swine, one
yoke of oxen and horse, or, span of
horses or mules, 20 sheep, and all the
wool from same, manufactured or in
yarn; necessary food for this stock
for one years support, growing or
harvested; one wagon, cart, or dray;
two plows, one drag, and other farm
ing utensils not exceeding $500 in
value. Also provisions for the sup
port of the debtor and his family for
one year, provided or growing, or
both. Also one sewing machine; also
seed grain as follows: so bushels of
wheat, SO bushels of oats, 15 bushels
of potatoes, 3 bushels of corn, 80
bushels of barley, and binding mate
rial sufficient for harvesting the crop
raised from that much seed.
Cut this out; study it; keepit We
are in favor of all men paying their
debts; but when misgovernment
brings the toilers face to face with
ruin; when the banks cannot or will
not 1opd rnnnov. and tho cfOrno f.o n.