The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-01-10
LETTER FROM r. J. HALL.
Decentralization of Silver and Hon. 1t has
Injured the Wheat G,veoers of
the United States.

But few people appear to under
stand how the demonstration of sill
yer in 1873 has injured the farmers of
this country, and how small the in
terest of the mine owner in this
question compared to that of the far
mer.
We have been told for years that
our wheat was cheap because of over
production and because we had to
compete with cheap labor in India.
The democrats claimed that "tariff
for revenue" would cure all our ills,
and the republicans "revised the tar
if up" as dead sure remedy.
Now, to show what a lot of infor-
nation these fellows have that faint
So" and how little they know or care
about what is the cause of these ter
rible times for the poor, and for those
who are in debt, let us consider for a
little while how the financial policy
OF the government is against the pro-
ducer
The discussion in congress over the
repeal of the Sherman act has
brought to light facts of great value
to the people. 1t was not generally
known that the decentralization of
silver was accomplished by trick
by an innocent little bill to codify
the mint laws, in which the name of
the silver dollar was omitted from
the list of coins.
Hon. Joseph c. Sibley, OF Pennsyl-
vania in the house OF representatives.
Aug. IS, 1893, said
"Since 1873, what has been the his
tory? Disaster has followed disaster
as upon the speed of the whirlwind.
The conditions have grown more
strained every moment, and are
growing more and more SO with each
recurring year. Statesmen and pa
trlots may we'll ponder this condition.
You have had warnings all along the
past which show you the natural
trend OF such conditions. And now
the people, the great producers of
the world, come to you and ask for
justice"
And are treated with so little con-
sideration as King George the third
gave the conlonists when they asked
for justice.
Now, my farmer friend when
was it that you got $3.50 for
your wheat, and when did you get
90 or 70 cents for your corn? In 1873
you received 118 cents per bushel on
an average, for wheat, and in 1873
your silver was demonetized. You
planters and growers of cotton, tell
me IN what year was it that you re-
ceived % cents pound for your pro-
duct? 1t was in 1873: but in that
year we demOnetiZed silver, and what
happened? Why we turned over the
interests of the producers Of this ma
tion into the hands of British finan-
ciers. Let us look at it. Silver AT
that time was worth 1925 cents per
ounce; that was it's coinage value
And at that time we had the grain
markets and the cotton markets of
the world; and in 1873. India EXPORT
ed only 900 bushels of wheat.
Now, there has never been time
in the history of India when silver
has not been it's money. and there
has never been time from the dav
when they commenced raising wheat
down to the present hour that one
ounce of silver did not measure the
value of one bushel of wheat. If
makes no difference what the value
of the rupee is. The same numbe of
rupees buy the same number of
bushels of wheat all the time. But
England could not afford to buy an
ounce OF silver at 1929 and take it
to India to measure the value of her
wheat, SO she took our wheat from us
and paid US little less, from 12O tn
1913 cents, in 1873"
I'm 1874 the shipments of wheat
from India commenced. England
bought her ounce of silver here at
ITO cents, and she could take that to
India and exchange it for bushel
OF Indian wheat; and in five years
after the demonetiZa tion of silver.
England had increased her shin,
ments from 5000 bushels to 1000
600 bushels.
In ten years, with the continuous
depreciation in the value of silver.
the shipment of Indian wheat had
increased from 100000 to 26. OOO.-
600. In fifteen years the shipments
of Indian wheat to Europe had in
creased from $4,000 bushels in 1873
to 41,OO0,OOO, and last year she ex-
ported 100000 bushels. The same
ounce Of silver England could not
buy to develop the grain markets of
India at less than 1929 cents, before
this decentralization and hostile leo
islation, she now buys at 10 cents.
and takes it to India and still pets
the same bushel Of wheat for il. as
when silver was worth $1.lO. We
haze played all these gears onto the hands
Of England against the Drospe7itu of orr
oacn american eOheat producers. And
yet some gentlemen from the Miss
issippi valley and from the great
wheat growing states come here and
say that this metal must 90 lower
still in order that their constituents
may continue to feed the European
nations at even a less price than
they are able to command today
But that is not all. After eleven
years of AFFECT failure to introduce
cotton-spinning in India, prior to
1873