The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-10-15
SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE
TALKS SOUND MONEY TO A
CHICAGO AUDIENCE.
QUOTES FROM 4 SPEECH OF bryan
In '92 the Silver Candidate Said the
Cause of Low Prices Was the In
ventive Genius of the People.
An Able Argument.

Chicago. Oct. 9.-Secretary of Agri-
culture j. Sterling Morton spoke at the
\ Auditorium tonight under the auspices of
the Sound Money League. The hall
was filled to its seating capacity, and
when Secretary Morton appeared ON the
stage he was greeted with loud and en-
thusiastic cheers. He was introduced
by David b. Jones of the Sound Money
League, who paid a fattering tribute to
the secretary as politician and man.
Before beginning his address Secretary
Morton announced that a telegram had
been sent to President Cleveland re-
Questing his presence at the meeting Mr.
Morton then read the presidents letter
of regret at his inability to be present
which was as follows:
Gray Gables, Buzzard's Bay. Mass
4 TO Hon. Burritt Smith: Dear Sir-I am
so much in sympathy with the work
a which the Sound Money League has
undertaken that | would be glad to dc
anything | consistently could to aid its
4 efforts. | regret, therefore, | must de
i league on some day previous to election
Even II the pressure of official duty did
not prevent, l should hardly deem it con.
slstent with strict propriety to mingle
4 actively i'll the pending campaign. While
4 1t is impossible that any of my fellow
l citizens should have the least doubt as tC
my. sentiments on the vital question
which ut this time absorbs so largely the
attention of our people. the work of adj
. Vpnpinp snnpI al Al
labor of enforcing the lessons of public
4 and private honesty and morality, | feel
must be prosecuted without such par.
i ticlpation on my part as you suggest.
Wishing for the league the utmost
success in its patriotic endeavor. ] am
y yours very sincerely
d, The speaker then proceeded ms follows
IA The city of Chicago is the biggest
wholesale market for farm products in
the world No other city so imperially
a commands so great Il number and so
large an area of fertile and staple food
i producing farms. The merchants, pack
ers, wage earners, grain buyers and bank
ers and bread winners of this city pay
each year hundreds of millions of dollars
for the products of farms and farm Ia
Dor. Here. therefore. finance for the
farmer ought to be thought about and
discussed.
Money is merely II measure of value
and a mediator of exchanges. Cereals,
fattened animals, butter, cheese eggs,
u poultry. fruit, vegetables. honey and all
Salable things from farms have only Spe-
citic purchasing power. Fools. even,
will buy money only of those who want
them-wheat of one who desires wheat
and beef and pork and com of only
those who want beef and pork and corn
'Dbn fornnI is hownvnr rpmpn1lnl Inv
i the unwritten law of markets to furnish
food products of such Il high grade that
they will sell in, or buy money in, any
market at home or abroad. Musty
wheat or tainted meat is rejected and nc
economist banker or even plain man OF
the people" has ever attempted to estab.
lish Il parity or equality between tainted
Il food and toothsome edibles or TO main.
tain ratio between the rotten and the
wholesome in dietary affairs. ENperi,
cnce has taught the farmer that only the
best products have even the specific pur'
chasing power to buy money. The farm,
cr demands mony for his staples because
real, honest money has a general pul'
chasing power in all the markets of the
civilized globe. And that money is rea
and honest and that money is best which
has the least fluctuatng purchasing power
at all times and in all countries. Farm,
crS who think know that money is the
only thing in this world of sweating ac-
quisitivcness which men compete 1ol
which never confcrs any benefit upon its
owner until it leaves him. Unused
money. unloancd money. bestows no more
value upon its owner than an uneatei
III meal can give pleasure or nutrition. n
vi little reflection makes it plain. therefore
81 that the farmer and the Chicago packer
wage Garner. manufacturer and capitalist
are equally interested in circulating a
kind of money which. when they let &c
of it, will buy them the most Sntis1actlolls
either ut home or abroad. Those VINO
buy of the farmers the foodstuffs which
they raise and sell the same farmers
money. should understand that wise
farmers desire to buy only the best money
money which, like good pork. beef and
cereals. will pass current in all markers
And as there has never been any com,
plant about too good wheat too GOOD
beef. too good pork or toe, productive u
farm. so there never can ne. from cor,
rectly reasoning men. any coiiplaln'
about too good dollar, too good cur
rcncy or money.
DOLLAR CAN NOT BE TOO GOOD
A dollar with too much PURCHASING
power is as impossible as square mea
with too much nutritve power, an acre
of land with too much productive ca
pacity or an advocate or PoP,u aa,;on
schemes of finance with too much loSlca
ability. When humanity becomes VOC
# good for heaven money may. become to'
|#good for the industrious and capable iar
mers and wage-carncrs of America, bu
mot before.
NJ 1t is an agricultural fact that as {
measure of value and mediator OF eA
# change. money was evolved from pa,
t oral life. Pecunia. meaning money,
game from pecus. meaning "A nock,
And in ancient times sheep were counted
put and used MS money with which t.
7value and exchange other things hence
our word "pecuniary.' And in thos.
honest days no one attempted TO pass OF
part of an animal for whole one OF t'
impose lean or diseased one upon I'M
eHrrency as fat and healthy. There were
no nat sheep. Neither ewes nor welners
Hhalf weight and half dead were stamped
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