The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1894-08-09

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profit to the middleman or exporter. The
statement referred to II in detail a. fol-
lows:
Statement showing the average price Of
No. hard wheat at Duluth and Liverpool
for the months Of November, 1893, and
May and June, 1894, together with elevator
charges, insurance, lake and canal and
ocean rates from Duluth to LIVERPOOL:
Elevator and other charges ut Duluth... .0l.aO
La % rate, insurance. and elevator
charges at Buffalo,. .08.67
Canal rate, Buffalo to New York. ........ .O8.65
lnsurance, weighing and towing ut
New Observation-Disclosures. .OO.5O
Elevator transfer to steamer at New
Ocean rate, New York to Liverpool. 90. 1851
Marine insur., ice, N. Y. to Liverpool. 10 50
Cost c. I. t. at Liverpool. ~
Price paid for No. HID. at Livs rpool
during same period. .764s
Front to exp,rter.... .$.O1.OS
In 1898 the United states exported l20,-
100000 of wheat; Argentine, 81, 800 900
bushels; India, 100000 bushels; Austria
liza, 100000 bushels; Chill, 1900, 900
bushels, and Canada, 5,5OOO0O bushels
Total, 2oa, 100000 bushels.
Farming Must BE Diversified.
Nearly all of this wheat was shipped to
Western Europe, and there it came in
competition with $50, 900 bushels of
surplus wheat exported from Hungary,
Russia and the Balkan states. These
figures serve to show how the American
wheat farmers, with their surplus Of
100, 0O0, 600 bushels, have to contend in the
markets of Europe with a surplus Of
go, COX, 600 bushels from other countries
Aanifestly, relief from this condition
must come mainly from two sources-in-
creased home demand and less production.
Less production must come from moro
diversified farming, and increased homo
demand through the maintenance Of q
judicious protective tariff, whereby the
army of consumers may be enlarged and
equipped with ample means through
profitable employment. Capital must
furnish labor work, and both combined
must furnish the farmer his home market.
But these are plain and homely sugges.
lions. am aware that the new style Of
reformer, who affects to find nothing good
in the record or principles Of either Of tho
two great parties of the country, has other
and perhaps more scientific remedies to
propose as relief or cure for the indus.
trial stagnation and depression which il
Affecting not only the farmers, but all
other classes and interests In the commun-
ity. These remedies are principally the
referendum, the government ownership
and operation of railroads, female stuff
rage, the assumption Of the liquor traffic
and saloon business by the state and the
free and unlimited coinage of silver at
the ratio of IL to /. Government cannot
we'll build or buy railroads without money
acquired either by loan or taxation, and in
these hard times, when we ali have our
hands full. it would embarrass us much
to embark into venture so extensive and
expensive. Besides, it is far from certain,
especially in the light of the recent strike,
whether a government railroad would
give us cheaper or better service, or
whether it would afford q better field of
labor for the workingman. AS to the
referendum, it may be said that bad laws
are, in the midst of great excitement, as
apt to be ratified by popular vote, on
narrow majority, as good Ones There are
many constitutional provisions through
out the land which have been ratified by
popular vote that experience has proved
unwise and impracticable. Good laws
live; bad laws are easily and promptly re-
pealed. To turn the state into saloon
keeper would not diminish drunkenness,
would not relieve the taxpayer and would
be placing another weapon in the hands
of the hummer element and the ward
heelers. How it could afford us any re-
lief against the hard times at this juno
ture is hard to see As to female suffrage
it is a luxury which few sensible women
care for or would use. It is theory long
floating in the air among an ancient band
of reformers, but it is q condition which
few of mankind or womankind pine for. ,
Surely little immediate relief could be OBJ
tanned from this innovation at this time.
In connection with the claim for free
coinage of silver at the ratio of 16 to l
comes from these reformers the charge
and insinuation that the demonstration
of silver in 1873 is the chief cause of the
financial and industrial depression now
prevailing in the country. In order that
you may see how untrue and untenable
this charge is, and in order that you may
realize and fully understand the full effect
of the immediate and unconditional free
and unlimited coinage of silver at q ratio
of 16 to l, l shall have to take up and dis
cuss, in as brief a way as possible, the
principles which govern the coinage and
of
Gold and Silver as Money.
BY the phrase "a ratio of 16 to 1" is
meant that 16 ounces or parts of silver
coined into money shall equal one ounce
or part of gold coined into money. This
is the coin or statutory ratio, as distin-
guished from the intrinsic or commercial
ratio of the metals. Carefully compiled
statistics from original sources show that
the commercial value of silver between
the year 1857 and the year 1892 fuctuated
from q ratio of 1414 to ratio of 1852, and
that in the last year named the commercia!
ratio of silver was 1917. At this time the
first coinage act of the United States was
passed, providing for the free coinage of
both silver and gold at ratio of IS to l.
And here ask you to note how near the
coin ratio approximated to the commercial
ratio. Had the trainers of that law steered
as wide from the commercial ratio as the
Populist reformers do today, the ratio
would have been not Is to 1, but to l.
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