Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1896-10-03
MR.. BRYAN TALKS
ITO FARMERS,

sss1V i HNM1ltUs
During his tour Mr.. Bryan has
talked already TO all classes Of people.
lie not only presents arguments suited
to each individual class, but he sub
stantiates his arguments by facts and
illustrations. In recent speech to
an audience of farmers, the Demo
cratic nominee, among other things,
said
''The farmers have found out that
as dollars 90 up property goes down,
and when farmer finds that out he
has the foundation of the money ques-
ton and when he gets on the iounda-
ton, you cannot shake him, because
he is not raising money, he is raising
property. And it takes more and
more property to secure the same
amount of money that it used to. The
farmer knows that when dollars get
dear it is only because they buy more,
and that when dollars buy more it
means more of the results of human
toll must he given in order to get the
dollar. You say we want good dollars.
OF course we do. But how good i?
Just good enough Not too good.
Our dollars are too good, my friends
so good that you can pray for dollars
and long for them, but you have To
exchange ten bushels OF oats to get one.
Let me show you how this effects
the farmer. Let us suppose that some
young man and his wife start out To
build a home. Suppose they have
together one thousand dollars, and
they want to buy farm, because they
want TO own their own home. They
buy their home and pay one thousand
dollars down, all that they had saved,
and give a mortgage for the other one
thousand dollars and start TO work.
Now suppose somebody comes along
and gets control of legislation who has
an idea that dollar ought TO be twice
as good rs it was before What does
that mean? 1t means that the dollars
will be twice as hard to get, and the
effect of that is that when the farmer
and his wife try TO pay their taxes
they will be about twice what they
were, because il takes twice as much
of the products of the farm to pay the
interest on the mortgage than it did
before, and twice as much of such
products TO pay the remaining debt.
They cannot do it. Then what The
time comes when they must either pay
the mortgage, have it extended, or
have it ioreclosed. The prices have
gone down the property is not good
security for the loan, and they give up
the property. What is the result +?
The result is that these people who
tried TO own farm lose their farm,
lose the one thousand dollars they put
into it and then go out and commence
life over again. Thousands and tens
of thousands of such families, and yet
their suffering draws not tear from
those who manipulate the finances of
this country 50 that they grow rich
while these Young couples grow poor!
They say, if we call attention to
the fact that under that system of
legislation the owner of the farm
suffers, while the man who sold him
the farm receives one thousand dollars
down and the one thousand dollar
mortgage for the remainder, gets the
farm back, as well as the amount paid
down, which is now worth twice what
it was before. | say if we call atten-
ton to the difference between these two
conditions, we are accused of stirring
up sectional dislike. When we speak
out against unjust Legislation they say
we are disturbers of the public peace
and menace to law and order. lIu
you mean to say that the farmers here
and the laborers who are congregated
in our cities are enemies to our country?
No. They have carried the epithets
OF our opponents not because they
menace law aud order, not because
they are going to inaugurate justice,
but because they say Thou shalt not
steal applies to the great corporation
as well as to the burglar and high
wayman. 1t is because they say that
this government was not instituted in
order that its instrumentalities should
he monopolized by those who Use the
government for their own ends and
puts it in distress The PRONUNCIATION
of the gold standard is an attack upon
your homes and your fresides, and
and you have as much right TO resist
ii AS to resist an army marching to
take your children captive and burn
the roof over your head"