The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-12-11
Mr.. BULLS RUPEES.
A LETTER FROM JUDGE ROBERT
w. HUGHES ON THE SILVER
QUESTION.
India and the United States

allan Question.
To the Editor Of the Weekly P.2ot:
1 comply, in the following para
graphs, with your request for an ex
pression of my views on the later
phases of the silver question. I write
earnestly, but sorrowfully. The con-
temptation of the facts to be narrated
makes my task sad one, but shall
write with what spirit the exasperat
ing topic may provoke.
British India is nearly as large as all
Europe, excluding Russia and Turkey,
containing more than 200, OCO, OOO peo
pie, and possessing latent and patent
resources surprising estimation.
Its productions are almost exclusive
ly agricultural, and its chief staples are
wheat and cotton. These facts make
this great dependency of the English
crown a rival Of the United States in
the produce markets of Europe; India
is practically our only rival
In the competition between the
United States and British India, in the
production of wheat and cotton, the
United States held the advantage up
to 1873 John Bull had tried to destroy
this advantage, by melting a crusade
against African slavery in the South
ern States; and thereby gradually
bring on a bloody and destructive con
1ict of sections in our country. He
had discovered a mote in Brother
JOnathan's eye in the form of slavery,
and had brought a world of trouble on
his American brother in extracting that
mote. But his victim survived the
trouble. The blood, carnage and DESC
lations of civil war failed to destroy
our great industries. The negroes went
Justify to work on cotton, and produced
as much of it after the civil war as be-
fore. The cultivation OF wheat grew
apace all through the Union, the pro,
duction increasing marvelously under
the influence Of steam plovs, steam
reapers and steam threshers in the
hands of stal wart yeomen.
We had another advantage over John
Bull; we produced prodigious guam
tity of silver; more than seventy-fv
million of dollars worth a year; and
we're able to export fifty five or sixty
millions annually of this production.
Moreover, President Monroe had for
hidden John Bulls interference with
any of the sister republics south of us
for any purpose, whether for that of
securing control of any of their indus
tries of which silver mining was chief
est, or influencing their policy in any
respect.
Wheat, cotton and silver; these were
the articles that constituted the bulk of
our balance of trade with Europe;
these were the articles most closely
connected with the trade and finances
of British India. The great staples of
our foreign commerce (as distinguished
from products grown and consumed
and not largely shipped, such as Indian
corn), are wheat, cotton and silver. 1t
was their supremacy in the expectation
of these staples that gave the United
States their marvellous growth, pros
perity and wealth. They were about
to transfer to Uncle Sam the sceptre of
the seas.
John Bull saw his fate. By con-
structing a vast system of railroads
throughout India at incalculable ex
pense, he had sought to stimulate in
the rich soils of the countries watered
by the Indus and the Ganges produc
tion of wheat and cotton, which would
enable him to compete with us for the
wealth, power, prosperity and prestige
incident to the profuse production of
those staples. But, although he con-
trolled a population of 24O, 900, 600 sub
iects, while we could count but 65,OOO,-
900 citizens, his railroads and his gigan-
tic endeavors by these and other agen-
cies to rival US in the production Of the
two leading staples of commerce failed
of his object, and it became necessary
for him to resort to some abnormal ex-
pedient to accomplish it. The expe-
dent selected was what Mr.. Goschen
calls financing"
AS he nowhere possessed any valu
oble mines of silver, and, being the
sovereign of India, was purchaser OF
that metal, John Bull had nothing to
lose and much to gain by depreciating
the value of silver.
The great hunger of India is for sill
yer; that metal is her passion; all the