Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1895-03-14
,.n,.,rroAL EroNoMY.

lPAper read before the fdrmers' Institute AZ
II ven, Feb ~ 1880, BY hon. VIM. Astle
Political Economy from farmers
NDu-PArtisan Standpoint" would be
just the same thing, have the same
meaning and bear the same relations,
if viewed from the manufacturers
standpoint aud would be as closely re-
lated TO commerce as the first topic
s'Political Economy" Webster says, is
that which treats Of exchangeable
things and the laws governing ex-
Grange. The definition lands us 1T
one bound right in the midst Of COM
mstce so that farmers relations to
pol cal economy involves dissertations
to manufacture and commerce. Let
us use the word farmer" in its broad
est sense including all that vast body
of our countrymen engaged in agricuI-
ture, being about one halt of ths total
population of our country. The
greatest producers of and exempting
our miners aud fishers about the only
source from which we draw our raw
material, in this respect agricultur4
holds about the same relations to the
governments welfare as tue boiler to
the steam engine, or more properly
speaking the good husband to the
flmi the supporter bre td-winner and
protector Any good wife will see that
such a husband receives his Just por
ton of her ten erest cares, knowing
full well that if he fails the whole
family must suffer Not only is agricu!
ture the greatest source from which
we draw or raw material, bur it IS
the greatest consumer Of our finished
product; hence it furnishes the prin-
ciple market for our manufacturers
IT his be true and take it that none
will deny its truth then the manufic'.
turer becomes wholly dependent upon
the agricuIturists, who purchase the
greater portion of his finished product
We clearly understand FROM this the
manufacturers IN turn would be re-
s lcled in his power to purchase raw
material. When this condition exists
an the writer contends that our
country is now suffering from this very
condition of things Then commerce
is the third Of our principal industries
with all It's numer us branches is
drawn into the whirlpool of depression
a ID paralized business, bankruptcy
an o her evils must follow; what is
the remedy? This is the all important
question aud will be answered in as
many different ways as there is differ
ent 3tandpoints, and the only true aud
lasting remedy is IN the U. S where
the people, is the government, In the
intelligent masses on this question,
that is, political economy, the laws
governing exchange must be under
stojl by tie people before they can
hops to use it for their best interests;
not only is it our privilege to study
this important question, but it is a
duty and we cannot be good American
citizens while we remain ignorant on
the law governing exchange. Forum
ately for us we have the remedy in our
hands. Art 1, Sec. 8, of the cOnstitu-
tiOn of the United States, wisely pro-
vides that congress shall have exclu-
sve power to coin money and regulate
the value thereof and regulate com
MERGE between states and foreign ma
lions. But no where does it grant the
the right to congress to delegate their
representative power to corporations
or to foreign nations. BY this article,
TIE two principal agents of commerce
S money and transportation, without
which modern commerce could not be
carried on for one day. How do we
iSe these most important powers!
FIRST, we have delegated our cOnsti-
tutlonal power to coin money to a syn
lcate VIII ch is very largely composed
Of foreigners and their interests is di-
rectly the opposite from ours, and as q
natural result they have STOPPED coin
ing one OF our primary moneys and to
a corresponding degree regulate The
valle of the remainder. Lst no one
say this is not the case. Remember we
are dealing with exchanges and laws
governing them. Webster says, this
is p llitical economy. Second we have
d3egated our power to regulate the
commerce between the states 10 a
syndicate composed largely Ofthe same
class, as the first. who own and con.
troll our lines Of transportation, thus
possessing the extraordinary power to
build up or tear down the commerce
of any state. That they build up cities
at the expense Of other cities, is we'll
known nv nearly pyarVhOdV nv dis