Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1896-09-19

n decline, though not so great, in
articles of which there is an admitted
scarcity and that the general decline
is very much greater than can he
accounted for by the amount produced.
Starving Midst Plenty.
But as a matter of fact is there any
overproduction Have mankind more
breadstuffs than they can eat and more
cotton than they can wear and more
pork and beef than they want or more
shoes than they need ? Why, the
largest wheat crop ever raised only
amounted to three bushels per capita
for the people OF the civilized world,
and deducing seed and that made into
whiskey. little over two bushels per
capita was left for bread. 1t has been
repeatedly shown that the worlds
cotton crop is still 100000 bales
short of the worlds consumptive de-
mand. Our own agricultural depart
ment has shown that the American
people are eating considerably less
wheat per capita than they did few
years ago, and il you will take the
annual reports for 20 years and deduct
that used for export and seed from the
crop of each year and that fed to stock
in late years you will find that 70,-
100000 people are eating only about
the same amount Of wheat -four that
5000. 900 people did In Europe
also it has been shown that nearly
100000, 900 people cannot afford TO
eat wheat bread. They are using cheap
substitutes like rye and potatoes. Are
we to suppose that they do that for
fun
The Farmers Meagre Income.
4 rise in the price Of necessities
then would of itself be a rise in the
wages of 60 per cent of the laboring
producers. But would it stop there .
Certainly not. The farmers would first
pay their pressing debts and set the
money in motion. They would then
supply themselves with those things
they have wanted so long and been
compelled to do without. All the
country merchants and all the country
artisans Immediately depend on the
farmers, such as blacksmiths. cobblers,
carpenters, painters and the like would
Immediately share in the gain, and all
others in the improvement due TO
general gam in trade. Our agricultu-
raj department has shown that the
farmers income has declined over Sc
per cultivated acre. That means that
for the whole country they are receiv.
ing about 81, S00,0O0.O00 eighteen
hundred million dollars less than
they did few years ago. Not receiv-
ing it, of course they cannot spend it.
How can there be work for city labor
ers or prosperity for anybody when
the farmers are spending 81 800, 900
900 year less than they NATURAL y
would? There is no congress wise
enough to devise tariff that will help
workmen in manufactures so long as
the farmers cannot buy the products
Would free coinage raise prices to
the old standard p
II would not. Nor is it desirable
that it should. As we have been run
ming down hill for 20 years | should
not complain il we were seven years
in getting to the top again. The great
thing to do, and the one thing that
must be done if we are TO avert general
paralysis is to stop the decline where
it now is and then change from fall
ing to a rising market That will give
us time to breathe. 1t will stimulate
enterprise. No man will invest money
now with even chances of having his
investment decline on his hands. But
give a reasonable assurance even of a
trihing advance and everything will
at once put OH new life. | need cite no
proofs to this. 1t is the universal ex-
perience of all countries and in all
times.
4 Simple Fact.
but is not the money question too
complicated for farmers to master it in
the brief time between this and the
election p
Not at all. In its present shape in
deed it is singularly simple. 1t can be
reduced to two or three plain ques-
tons. perhaps to one, and that is. Has
silver deprecated or gold appreciated
since 1873? On their answer to that
depend the votes of a million honest
farmers. Monometallists say gold has
stood still while all other things have