Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1895-10-14

number Of farmefs IN the country must
be reduced. Ifdriven out Of this cali
lug by condition II low pllces that
makes their labor unremuneratlve,
where are they TO 90?
IL It not true that every other In
dustry 10 already supplied? Is 1t not
equally true, that the products Of labor
In other branches ef industry are
correspondlngly low?
We must abandon this theory,or 1t
will work us harm
The staunchest hope every govern
meut Is found In loyal love Of coun
try by those who till It's soil. No
people on earth can afford by adverse
legislation to lessen their numbers.
But another advocate Of q single
standard will tell us that the farmers
are prosperousi that year by year they
are becoming the wealth owner Of the
land, and 10 little while they will be
money lenders instead Of money bor-
rowers.
The men who talk and writein this
strPin cit IN shady offices on cushioned
chairs, and IT. you look into the palms
Of their bads, you will Zee they were
never blIstered by hoe or plow.
1 need not tell you. who cultivate the
soil In this, the very best agricultural
state Of the union, that the prices you
receive for the products OF your lahtr
are moi compensatory.
You know, II others do not, that
when nature yields reasonably boun-
tiful harvest the country over, every
thing you produce Immediately sinks
in market price, below the actual cost
of production; that 1t takes q drouth or
| idtul1tf vi q WI III oul OWh VI oOhc
other land to bring prices up to q reason
ably paying basis.
/, at least, will not insult your intel
ligence by telling you that you can af
ford to raise oats for twelve cents a
bushel, or corn for fifteen or six teen, OF
wheat'for fifty, and yet In this very
year following one In which vast Sec
tlons Of our country had little or moth
ing to sell, these are the prices you will
probably receive for your crops.
Is 1t not therefore, true that to you,
who outnumber all other classeP, who
hold In your own hands the means To
correct any and every legislative wrong,
the question comes with redoubled
force, What is 1t that has caused the
present low prices.of the products oi
laboi?
In answering this we can no longer
follow In beaten paths OF established
fact, but we must subject.the problem. tC
the test Of fair and impartial reasoning
and see II we cannot reach conclusions
that are at least satisfactory to our.
selves.
If by any provision Of law or other
wise, the markets of the world for any
one OF the great staples Of Industry
should be contracted, we would expect
a corresponding depreciation In the
price of the article 80 affected.
II two or more products were used in
common, and substantial TO the same
extent to supply any one of the actual
necessities Of man, and by law or other
wise, one should be withdrawn from
the markets, we would expect the othel
to increase In value, for the demand
for 1t would be doubled, and II II wal
true that the supply OF the remaining
products was wholly insufficient tC
meet the demand, we would expect Il
TO continue to increase until II reached
an exorbltantly inflated value.
need not tell you there is not gold
enough In this world TO supply the
wants Of Its people for money; neither
is there gold and silver combined sufiiC
lent for that purpose.
Is 1t not apparent, il the semblancs
of justice was TO be done, and took away
one half the available means OF the
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