The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-06-27

ica. Oar national lawmakers and
So-calIed statesmen seem to have lost
SIGHT OF the fact that this country has
tine natural base for the greatest con-
tinuous empire ever established by
man. Notwithstanding these s;upen,
dous and Overwhelming tac!s in our
behalf, we allow England t. bluff Us
into the belief that we must take the
law concerning cnr standard money
from their little republic which has but
10000, 900 people, and has not got
single gold Or silver mine IN all lis
length and breaith, while the United
States produces more gold and silver
than all the rest of the world put
together.
The value of land Of this country
exceeds that Of England by $780,
00O, 1000, while the number of miles OF
railroad in this country exceeds those
of England by $4,000. mention
this to show what great strides OF
progress we have made in this country
over and above England, which en-
titles rs to the leadership among the
nations of the earth. But il must be
borne in mind that the greater part of
this interval of uneXampled pros
perity in this yet undeveloped coun-
try took place previous to 1873, which
demonstrates very clearly that in order
10 retain our present advanced position
among o:her nations, ii is very essen
tial that we Increase our suppl y OF
money i'll proportion to the legitimate
demands Of a rapidly increasing popu-
latisn.
Wall this country in and her PEOPLE
can live in full comfort, yes, in luxury
if never European ship touches its
shores. On the other hand, if you
were to shut England of from I'M.
ports their people would starve to
death. America feeds the world, and
England is fed by the world.
This is but additional evidence which
justifes us IN assuming the role Of
leadership regardless of what some OF
our leading men may say 10 the con-
trary. I repeat again that an increase
of the velsme of money is one of the
most essential elements of permanent
improvement among all classes, and It
is in the halls Of national legislation
that the great contest for the relief Of
The honest yeomanry Of this country
is to be conducted. And in the lam
"a :ee OF well known statesman, if
il is wisely, persistentlv and courage
ously demanded by the great mass of
people who have so long borne these
unjust iniquities, they will eventually
win some measure of legislation
that will again put them in The path
that leads 10 the high road of pros
parity; in that event they will have
accomplished something well worthy
of emulation.
Nj. Editor, let US take Secretary
Carlisle's report Of 1894, and from that
ascertain the amount Of money now
on hand and we can comprehend more
fully the deplorabie condition that
confronts the American people, horri-
BILE to behold. Never did any of the
founders of civil government dream
that there would ever come a time in
the history of this republic that an
intelligent, highly cultivated and en-.
lightened people would make an effort
to transact voluminous and rapidly
increasing business with diminished
amount of money.
Secretary Carlisle said in August,
that the total stock of money of all
kinds in and out of the treasury was
S2,240,146,271. Of that amount there
was supposed to have been held by
national, State and savings banks
S41S, 900, 900, which is not in circula-
ton and we have left in circulation
ouly 81, ,077, ,S00,S9S. This does not
make allowance for the continual de-
struction Of silver money, the expor-
tation of gold, and the millions locked
up in State, town and county treasu-
ries. Taking the secretaries report
as correct statement, it is a fair esti-
mate that thare is not more than $780,
100000 in actual circulation. This
amount divided by the total population
of the United States would give us
circulating medium of S15.25 per
capita-the smallest amount ofmoney
on which any country with our pppu-
lation and trade ever attempted TO do
business. And as l have said there
are more people every day and
smaller amount of money to transact
the business of the country. All the
leading economists agree that to re-
duce the amount of legal tender money
in circulation, will reduce the vale and
price of all articles. In 1873 we began
to reduce the amount of money in
circulation. The reduction has gone
steadily ever since with the exception
of few yeers when it was checked
by the Bland and Sherman silver acts.
The record OF market prices shows
that all farm products have gone down
in proportion to the diminished amount
Of money with which to buy. Statis-
tics show hat an acre of wheat sold
for Il little over $i3 in 1873. Now
after twnnty-oIe years Of diminished
circulation an acre of wheat will sell
for less than ST. The average acre
value of all staple crops of our farmers
sod for five per cent higher prices in
1878 tran they are Scliug for in 1904.
1t has been said, and presume that it
is correct. that if the wheat crop, the
CORN crop, and the cotton crop of 1894
could be sold at the same prices they
brought in 1878, before the terrible
contraction Of the currency began,
the farmers and planters of the United
States would have at leat SS0o,O00. 900
more in their pockets than they will
have at the present prices.
Let me say just here, that if the
farmers of the South and West could
have realized the prices that they re-
ceived in 1873 fortheir farm products
from then until The present time, they
would to-day be the most wealthy
people in the world; and there would
ha,-n hnen no hnrlirt nn of milIinns