The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1895-05-08
4 DEADLY BLOW AT THE
WAGE FARMERS.

Inc 0eOtOr Glasses, ludt 10 Cne
people who owe debts: are COM
monty the subject of popular sym.
pathy, and i'll order to arouse and
excite that sympathy, these debt.
ors are set up in contrast with the
money barons and great cap.
italists.
This is a natural sympathy, and
one that comes home to che mass
es of the people, who, if they are
not in actual debt, live on their
earnings and usually have little
left over for an emergency. When,
then, the advocates OF a silver
standard urge their views upon
the people, the strongest, and, in
fact, the only forcible argument
thu; have TO offer is that by bring
ing the money in the country down
to silver basis, the debtor class.
es will be enabled to pay off their
debts in deprecated money. This
is particularly held up as an adj
vantage that will be gained by the
farmers whose farms are mortgag
ed to rich men.
The idea that all debts due the
"gold bugs" of the East can be
paid off with 50.cent dollars may
he very attractive to some of the
debt-ridden farmers, and not a
few may chuckle with satisfaction
at the idea of handing out depre'
ciated money to the wealthy cred.
itors who were expecting gold;
but, unfortunately for this dream
of cheating" the gold bugs with
silver, it will, if put in practical
operation, strike heavy blow at
the very people, the masses for
whose benefit the scheme is pro.
posed.
No matter how large may he
the amount of the mortgages on
farms, they make up a debt which
has got to be paid daily, weekly
or monthly. They are due in a
term of years, and any creditor
who can pay the interest can get
his notes extended, since capital
lists are working only for the in
terest on their money. But there
is a vastly greater debt which is
due daily, weekly or monthly, as
the case may be, and which, un-
less promptly paid when due, and
in the best sort OF money at that,
will create vast and irreparable
distress. This debt is the wages
of the workpeople.
There are in the United States
twenty million people who work
for wages. They earn on an av.
erage 81 each day. Their daily
earnings are s4o,00o,oo0, which
are paid either by the day, week
or month. These wages of $780,.
100000 day IN a working year
of 800 days will amount to the
tremendous sum Of $4,000 100000.
This money is the very life of 20,.
100000 of people, and without it
they would perish. The mort.
gage debt of the farmers is a trihe
compared with it, and yet it Is
proposed, in order to enable the
farmers to pay their creditors in
50.cent dollars, that the $4,000.
900 Of people who live on wages
shall also be paid in the same in.
ferior coin.
This is truly a monstrous propo.
sition; but it must be rendered
that the sort of money that is paid
out has got to be paid in first, and
the deprecated coin that was pre-.
pared for the gold bugs must be
used to pay the wages of all the
workers. But that is the sort of
tinanciering that the advocates of
the silver standard have devised
for the benefit Ct the debtor class
ess, and against the creditors.
But the largest creditors are TO-.
100000 of workpeople, and they
will be the greatest sufferers
Picayune, May 2.
EpwOrth League, Chattanooga.