Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1894-04-27

and i'll this position fully concur. AS there
section of Virginia, will conclude this paper
by showing how their interests are seriously
and adversely affected by the present partial
decentralization of silver. All classes of So
| ciety except salaried officer and the coupon
clippers, especially the merchants and me-
chanics are dsastrously affected by it; but in
order to reduce this paper within the limits Of
publication, l will coniEe myself to the farm
| ers. will take the price Of wheat as signi-
ficant example. 1t ought now to be selling a
| a dollar bushel, and it brings but little over
half that price. 1t is certainly not over pro-
duction which has caused the fall, because
compared to the population there is less
wheat now in the world than in 1885, and
| population has increased in a greater proper
| ton than the production OF wheat. Correct
statistics will sustain me in this statement
| and yet if it is true, it would seem that wheat
ought to be higher now III IN then. What then
| is the cause of the fall in price? [ answer
| that the chief cause is the characterization OF
silver, and 1 shall proceel to prove it. The
price of an ounce of silver is generally the
| price of a bushel of wheat. Great facts are
often illustrated letter by example than in
any other way, and l shall attempt il.
Suppose farmer whom | shall name Henry
Brown at venture, lives in Augusta county,
and ships one thousand bushels of wheat to
Gilliatt & Company, commission merchants
in Liverpool, and Benjamin Impey, far
mer in British India ships thousand bushels
to the same parties which reaches Liverpool
at the same time and is sold, both lots by the
same merchants, the same day, at identically
the same price; how much money does Henry
Brown get for his thousand bushels, and how
much does benjamin Impey get for exactly
the same quantity? The answer to this ques-
ton is vital and important and affects every
wheat grower in America. Judged by the gold
standard of course the price is the same, But
the practical effect is this though sold at the
same price, Benjamin Impey gets at the very
lowest ttcenty cents more 61steL-how is this?
The answer is plain, simple and easily under
stood; this country is gold monometalists :;
Gillett d Company pay Benjamin Impey by
draft Oh Calcutta in silver, which is tie only
t02ctut money there, that being silver mono
metalist country, and Henry Brown is paid
by draft on New York, payable in gold.
Now what is the legitimate result of this
LIN 1873, the date of the characterization of sill
yer, British India had less than 1900 miles of
railroads, ard exported that year 200, 900
bushels OF wheat; now it has over five thous-
and miles OF railroads, and two years since it
exported over 100000 bushels of wheat,
thus cutting our farmers to that extent out of
foreign market, and losing then on this sim
gle article alone over thirty millions of dol
IL.
amount. 1t must be born in mind that Brit
lsh India is III area excluding Alaska, nearly
as large as the United States Of America, and
contains about four inhabitants to our one
its population being over 25O OCO, 900 of people:
and the average price of farm labor there
day is about five cents, and less than two dol
lars furnishes a laborer with over a months
provisions which consists chiefly of rice The
demonstration of silver has placed Oar far
mers in direct competition with this execrably
cheap labor. and unless some remedy is af-
forded. it will eventually stop the production
OF wheat in America except for home con-
sumption, OF it will limit the foreign de-
mand to small amount because our farmers
cannot afford to raise fifty cent wheat. Ii the
foregoing statements are true, a nd they canno
mer in Virginia should grid on his arnar and
strike for the free coinage Of silver. The at
tempt to make pyramid stand ON its apex,
will always fail, and that is exactly what the
gold mohometalists are attempting. 1t is a
bold attempt of a few great capitalists in Eng
land, Germany, and the United States of
America to control the trade of the world by
reducing the currency exactly one half thus
making one dollar buy exactly twice what it
ought. The decentralization of silver affects
the price OF corn, oats, hay, tobacco, cotton,
and necessarily land, almost as disastrously
as it does wheat. Its cruel to the day labor
er and the mechanic, because where one gets
work ;so@ three are thrown out of employ
ment. Enterprise always languishes. and
manufactures are greatly lessened when
prices are declining.
CAMM PATTEsON
Buckingham County. April 10th. 1894.