Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1896-10-02
OPEN MILLS AND MlNrs.
Maj. McI<inlcy's Latest Epissram Shoald
Bo Slighly Revised

series ot the republican national com.
mittee's new posters were put up I'm
kansas City recently. The poster is a
big affair and wonderfully suggestive.
The picture represents, on one side, the
United States Giint with Mr.. Brvnn
standing before Il, ushering I'm John
Bull, John Chinnman, Senior MeNicano
and the rest, with truck loads of sill
yer. Against that is great viata of
smoking chimneys and Mai. Mckinley
ushering crowds Of men aud women
into the open factory gates. Below are
printed the words of Maj. Mckinley:
II think II is far better to open the mills
| OF America to American workmon, than
the mints OF America TO the silver OF the
world"
At the top, in large blnclS letters, is
! the caption; The Real Issue" which
I would seem to Indicate that the poster
was gotten up before the delivery of the
opening campaign speech by Mr.. IIGr-
rtson, who explicitly contradicts MIR.
Mchinley's contention that the tariff
is the supreme issue in this campaign.
The answer to Mr.. McKinlcv's plaff-,
tude will readily suggest itself and Il
runs something after this fashion:
Many OF the factories of the United
States arc closed ana many more are
running ON short time, not because ther,
rs any scarcity of raw material. or cnpi-
TAI, or lnborers, nor because capitalists
are not onNious TO realize profits upon
the capital, but because. owing to the
decrease in the purchasing ability of
the farmers, there Is no demand for
manufactured articles. And If all the
Ia Ia. H.. 4
could be put TO work in the factories,
the goods produced must lie unsold I'm
the factories, unless the price Of ng-
ricultnral products are raised, so that
the Increased income of the one-hnif
OF the population dependent upon ngri-
culture renders them able to purchase
the manufactured goods thus produced
These prices cnn bc raised and this i'm.
come can be Increased by the establish
ment Of a bimetnllic monetary system
and the free coinage OF silver at sixteen
to one and In no other way. The free
coinage OF silver will at once increase
the price OF wheat md cotton, etc, etc,
about &C per cent.
But Mr.. Harrison, In his New York
speech, essayed TO hugh this PROPOSE.
tion out OF court and answered Il, once
and forever. He said:
THE silver men mako a strong appsal 20
the farmer They say II viii put up
| prices. Well. I'm IA sense. yes. Nominally.
| yes. really. no. II wheat goes up from 81
cents 10 Nso the price he's rcen increased.
! you VIII say; but tf the price OF every
| thing else has gone up I'm tho same pro-
| portion a bushel or wheat won't buy for the
! farmer any more sugar or coffee or farm
ing implements or anything else That he
hnE to q
Tor the farmer any more or hc a bottcr
| dollar than the one we have now where
| Is the good TO anybody OF introducing these
| fictitious priccs2'
Mr.. Harrison must have brcnthcd this
sophism through his grandfather's hat.
His contention is fnliacy and will not
J bear the light OF Investigation. Let us
i see: Authentic official statistics very
conclnsively prove that I'm most of our
! best agricultural states the ,cndinir
staple cereals, cotton and many other
! agricultural products are produced at
/ loss or, at the best. without profit
That is to say that they have to be sold
at prices which do not repay the cost
! of production, or nt the best, barely so,
Most OF the farmers of the United
/ States, even those whose farms are rot
! mortgagvd, receive no interest w.iat-
ever upon their capital invested, but
! simply are reimbursed for the cost OF
/ production of their products and, by
dint of the exercise of the most rigid
economy, bordering on pnrsimony, nre
able to buy n few groceries, and suchl
other food as they cannot raise on their
farms. and scanty supply Of clothing
of the cheapest quality. They all, Of
and school taxes, while those who have
mortgage Interest 10 pay, can pay IL
by pitiful self-denial and practically
doing without whatever cannot be pro-
dnced upon the farm.
Now Cor Mr.. Harrison's proposition.
First, consider the farmer who is out
of debt and manages, by rigid econ
omy, TO- stay out of debt and buy mis-
erably inadequate supply of groceries
end clothes. Assume that the annual
product of the farm, in excess OF his
home consumption, is $500, which re-
pays him cost (eNpcnse( of production,
| pays his taxes, repairs and replenishes
his supply of tools. etc. and buys him
scanty supply of groceries and cloth
ing. Prices of his products are raised
90 per cent. and he receives $780, or $3.50
more than he does now. What matters
it TO him IL prices Of "sugar, or coffee, or
anything else that he has TO purchase"
have also gone up GG per cent? The in
crease is clear gain TO him and Is that
much groceries. clothing and manu-
factured articles which he could nob
row buy at ALL 70 matter how cheap
in price they may be. Is IL not clear
that Mr.. IIarrison's' proposition is moth
ing but speciolis sophistiy? Does not
fhis gain in purchasing ability repre-
sent $2nQ i'm groceries and manufac-
tured articles at present prices which,
in his present unfortunate condition,
our farmer is not able to buy at aIl2
as TO the farmer IN debt-his case is
very slightly different from thatof the
farmer out of debt. The My difference
is that whereas it now takes a certain
quantity Of products TO .ealize a sufi-
cient number Of dollars to pay his in
terest under free coinage it would take
only thrceiifths as much. so that. in
addition to the $3.50 increase in his net
4 rrofffcr ha xayox,II ,o,,,' <Io nee 80 4,.,o