The Louisiana populist., 1895-07-26
Address 90 the People of Sabine
Parish. Ia,
To the Voters of Sabine Parish

exercise the high privilege of a
voter in selecting your officers 10
serve you in this State for the next
four years. Already we can see
reflected on the political horizon
the shadows of Il mighty contest.
Mighty indeed, as in fact great
interests arc involved, great issues
to bc settled and powerful prob
lens stand for our possible solu-
ton. We must realize and ap-
prcciatc our duty. AS members
of this once great republic, our
duty is to pcrpetuatc its grandeur.
TO do it requires the handiwork of
intelligent suffragists. To-day,
amidst the greatest opportunities
ever prescn'ed to any people to he
come prosperous citizens, and re-
feet the genius of our liberal gov
crnment, we are cncompassed with
dcstltution and want among our
fellow-citizcns, too agonizing to
describe. Production in every de-
partment of agriculture has, for
ten years, been the most bountiful /;
indeed, ii would suggest to ration
al men the greatest plentitude of
every necessary that q state of
comfort could appropriate or even
wish. But instead of plenty we
are made to want, instead of an
available surplus in the homes of
our people, those homes are mark
ed by a cruel destltutiOn. Not
only this, our Indebtedness has as
sumed such awful proportions that
nothing short of a change of cir
cumstances or Reputation can ever
relieve our condition. None would
wish to repudiate, and none can
hope to pay.
What must be done ? Nobody
will say make more, and to make
less would be fatal to our families.
The fault Is not with our prOduc-
ton, neither our economy, but to
the infamous laws of exchange and
distribution, is traceable the germ
of our ills.
These, it is not only our prov
incc, but our duty to reform. This
can only he done by our votes.
We can never prosper SO long as
the laws remain as they are ; no
never, twenty years of dcclination
is enough to show that. To change
the laws we must necessarily change
the officers. Not the men as Off
GERS, but the principle upon which
they are elected, and on which they
invariably act. What can our
people ever hope to accomplish
under existing cOnditiOnsa
How can we overcome our pres
ent Indebtedness and live! Does
not the fact stare us in the face
that our indebtedness is to-day
greater than our worths Our
yearly productions of every class
Of marketable things sold at the
present prices would not meet the
annual interest charge on our 80
billions of debts. Do we realize
.he fact that there is, on an aver
lge, in the United States scarcely
30 per cent of the people who own
heir homes free of incumbrance.
If SO, and we know as we do,
hat values are gradually sinking
IN our products, superlnduced by |
he ruinous policy Of the monied |
classes who are interested in dear |
money and cheap products, how
,an we succeedg What force yet |
undiscovered can we expect to in |
ect into our system to change in |
,ur favor that which has brought |
,ur ruin. All rational men agree |
hat volume and not the value of |
money is the regulator of prices.
Plenty of money is cheap money,
md hence, good prices for that |
which money is to buy. A search
y of money is dear money, and
therefore, it requires but little of it
Osbuy a large volume of produce.
We arc interested in cheap money, |
md hence high products. At the
lose OF tho war money was plen-
iful and every kind of produce
liyh, and SO continued till the ruin
'us policy of contraction origina-
ed by Hugh Mccullough, began
is crusade against the peoples
money. 1t eliminated in the infa-
nous crime of '73, that struck sill
'er from our coinage laws, as they
TODD, and provided a clear field
or bank notes and gold to appreci-
te in value. A liberal sentiment
mong all classes created a change
hat caused the rehabilitation of
liver in 49,. From then till the
all session of Congress in August
OnO IL |