The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-08-06

acy against wages" The grount
on which the silver movement lsNi
| urged is the difference between the /
bullion and face value of the silver
dollar. In the documents sent out |
by the managers of the free silver
campaign, the foreign price of wheat
and cotton is the basis of the calcu-
lation, and it is pointed out that
this converted into silver means a
price nearly double what the farmer
is getting now, while he will be pay
ing out no more than now. Here
is the argument as presented in Mr.
Wharton Bakers free silver paper,
The american, Of July IS:
Suppose we should tomorrow
open our minis to the free coinage
Of silver, and that gold should i'm
mediately 60 to premium of so per
cent. Evidently, the three shill-
ings which we receive in Liverpool
for wheat-this is approximately the
Liverpool price OF bushel of wheat
at this time-and which are theI
equivalent at present of less than
IS cents in our currency, would at
once become worth, as measured byl
our currency, so per cent.more; so
that the equivalent of three shillings
(gold) in our currency would be
SLIP. -
"The result, Of course, would be
that our farmers selling wheat in
Liverpool for three shillngs would
receive @1,1 !per busheI, less freight
charges from the American wheat
field to the British market, where
they now receive but Is cents. Oh
viousIy, the normal price received
by our farmer for his wheat would
be so per cent. greater than now, and
as the cost Of production would not
increase iii like ratio, 1t is clear that
the premium on gold resulting in
this enhancement of price would be
in effect, so much bounty to the
wheat-growcr.'
Now, what does that mean' SIM
ply this, that while the farmer does
not really get any more value, he
will give less value for labor than
he does. The case illustrates anew
the truth Of Maribeau's saying that
while you cannot gain an advantage
by debasing the standard Of value,
you can steal an advantage. And
in cutting down the pay of agricul-
tural labor in this way, at the same
time the pay of all labor is likewise
reduced, so that in attempting to
seize unjust profits on his sales in
the foreign market, the farmer
would find that he had been ruin
ing the much more important home
market. Already the distress occa-
stoned by the free silver agitation
has reduced the home consumption
of wheat from 5.81 bushels per cap
ita in 1892 to + "a, and Of corn from
1898 to 1898. The per capita
consumption of all the great staples
greatly increased from 1878 to 1892
and is still greater now than III 1873
but IN propagation as the free silver.
agitation advances prosperity retircs
and consumption declines.
Free silver advocates cannot deny
that their remedy for hard times is
simply gigantic cut in the pay Of
labor, for the whole burden of their
argument is that free silver will put
up prices. All they can say for the
working man is that eventually his
pay will advance, too. Truly fine
prospect for the wage-earner. He
starts one a sure loser, and before
he can get even with the game he
must get his wages nearly doubled.
MCHenry.
The farmers IN this part are MAX
ing slow progress with harvest on
account of the excess Of moisture
We are getting.
Since the rains prevent the work
ing OF our farms they give us an OPP
portunlty to read the bible and to
learn from its teachings to be salts
fled with the state of the weather.
It's true that some persons do COM
plain about the heavy rains and
high waters, but Baptists and Pro-
hibitionists are just suited with the
wet season.
1t appears from what we can learn
through political papers that the
PopuIists and silverites are deter
mined to give us free silver.
We are anxious to see the out
come Of the straight-out Democratic
party if it should hold a national
convention.
We note with interest the article
in your paper of last week about the
three year old cattle sold by Nj.
Gortner, Of Ryan's Glade. Some
of our farmers will make q great ef-
fort to secure that breed of cattle.
Such cattle would be particularly
valuable for their export qualities.
We think we do real well to raise
] 4 /. ! ! Il1 II