The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-07-21

farm products and labor declined.
Telegraph operators have been reduced
from an average of $50 to $50 per
month, Every railroad has made re-
auctions in proportion to this. Hands
that received 81, 25 ten years ago only
receive 673 cents now. The wages of
typographical Unions have been re-
duced 30 per cent, and labor organiza-
tions are no longer able to stand against
the pressure that is pulling them down
ward. Necessity compels the wife and
children to go to work, and the small
pittance they receive proves too little
for their absolute needs.
Hon, Judges, when silver was de-
monetized, it was worth 81 90 per
ounce; wheat was worth 81 AZ per
bushel; and cotton, 10 cents per pound.
Ny opponent says that silver is now
worth only so cents, cotton about z
cents, while last years wheat crop was
sold for less than 40 cents cash per
bushel. Therefore, you can see for
yourselves that demonstration has de
creased the value Of silver one half,
cotton two-thirde, wheat more than
two thirds, while all farm products
have decreased from one half to two
thirds in value. Taxes, debts, and
many of the n]ecessaries OF life have
doubled, trebled and Quadrupled. In
1873 one bushel OF wheat paid for -
pounds of coffee. now it only pays for
three. Then %, 600, 900 bales of cotton
would have paid the public debt of
81 los, 600, 900. After paying 50, 914,-
900, coo principal and interest, it will
now take 60, 600, 600 bales to pay the
debt or nearly three times as much as
it would before silver was demone-
tized. Then the Presidents salary was
sos, 900; now it is $5O,OC0- Then it
would have taken only II, 900 bushels
of wheat to pay his salary; now it will
take 100, 900.
Comparing before demonet alton
and since, does not the best interest Of
L0C OL4GCN ERokC UCL41oLiN Jub S4lVCl
be restored to its old place as money ?
Ny opponent says that silver is dlshon-
est. God pronounced it good. When
John Sherman taught us to bow to this
golden calf, silver was at a premium.
France and the Latin Union, with less
population and wealth than we have,
kept a premium of 3 per cent. on silver
for more than 40 years by opening their
minis to free coinage at the ratio Of 151
to 1. Then why not restore silver to
it former positions Humanity demands
it. And our country would not be
alone in restoring silver. Mexico,
South and Central America, the AsiatiC
governments, Russia and France would
Ce with US at the beginning.
The French delegates at Brussels said
to the United States: You were first
so close your mints; you should be
first to open them and we will follow"
An English journal, the London Fl
nanciaI News, says that, If the United
States were to adopt silver to morrow
British trade would be ruined ere the
year was out, and England would be
compelled to USE silver O the United
States would control the commerce of
world" Then, is it not to our interest
to restore silver2
When Englatd demonetized silver
she had 18O, 900 land owners, but in less
than fifty years four ftths of them had
lost their homes. History is repeating
itself. At the adoption of the Consti-
tuition the farmers owned IS per cent.
of the wealth of the United States.
Now they have only Is per cent.
Thirty five millions Of people living in
the country pay 50 per cent. of the
taxes, yet they own only Is per cent
of the wealth. 1t is estimated that the
Indebtedness Of this country-private,
public, municipal and corporate,
amount to the enormous sum of $50.
600, 900, 600. The interest on which at
6 per cent. amounts to 81, 800, 600. 900.
Considering that all the wheat, oats,
cotton and corn produced, and all the
gold aud silver mined in the United
States amount to only about 81, 400,
600, 600. The appalling fact remains
that after taking nearly everything
that the farmer and laborer produces,
leaving nothing for the support of their
families, we would then fall short Of
paying the annual interest on our debts
by $500, OOO, 900 out of IA, 900, 900 homes
In this country 5000, 600 of them are
mortgaged. Then is it not time to re
store silver and give all a fair chance
] in the race Of life instead Of nnnhls.~-