Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-09-10
MR. ATKINSON'S LETTER.

Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, WIS
consin Minnesota. Iowa, Nebraska, Kan
sas and Missouri. The centre of power
now lies in this section.
The area of these States is 605,S
square miles, and they now produce over
seventy per cent of the corn, wheat and
oats of the nation.
In 1862 a large portion of these States
was unorganized territory as yet mn
touched by the pillow. Only six and half
per cent, 2I,0O0,000 acres, was III corn,
wheat and oats. In 1891 little over
twenty per cent over SO,000.000 acres,
yielded 5S000,00 tons, which at S15.S3
per ton farm value brought to farmers
within fraction of $920,000,O00. The
value per ton had fallen from S24.S3 in
1881, but was equal to that in 1871,
when il was $15.S1. 1t WAS worth per
ton more thnn In 1862, value then S14.42,
all on gold basis.t
1t Is manifest that the changes in the
coinage act of 1873 had not changed the
conditions materially, unless to better
them, because the highest returns for
grain ever secured had been in 1881, eight
years after silver is said to have been
demonetized. In the year 1881 short crops
of wheat In Europe brought about nm
export equal to a barrel of -four year
for forty million people nearly Ms many
as were supplied at home.
Nearly all Of these farms were either
under mortgage in 1862 or they have
been. bought and put under cultivation
since that year with money borrowed on
mortgage. From 1891 to 1895 two-thirds
outside and districts were free of any
mortgage on the land and We're well
stocked.
There was no great change in the gem
ernl conditions in this period. The year
1892 was one of general activity i'll bust
ness and of general prosperity in all sec
tons of the country. "A change in the
protective features in the tariff was made
in 1893 by which wool was put in the
free list: but except in Ohio wool has not
been u product of any moment in any of
those States, and in Ohio itself the an.
nnal value of the wool is less than the
value of hens eggs annually produced.
There are very extensive manufactures
in these States. but 10 the extent of at
| least ninety-fivc to ninety-seven per cent
they are of goods and wares that cannot
| be imported from foreign countries. Ac-
cordng to the census classification of
manufactures, which included Touring
mills, meat packing, cheese factories and
| creameries, their manufactures are very
| largely exported.
Yet between 1891 and 1895 something
| happened which has reduced the value of
| the grain crop from S15.S3 per ton TO
| $9.I2. or from farm value of S91S, I'LL
30i, TO Sh31 .164 1860. making difference
| to the farmers of S3s6.9T6,944.
The crops of corn, wheat and oats of
those ten States in 1891 and 1895 were
| as follows:
| Value
,oo, Acres; Bnshals; Tons Value Hon,
II Il sss e IS .ssss Ss 80 sl e
What do these figures mean?-perhaps
| an object lesson will show.
In 1892 the farmer averaged for his
grain crop S15.S3 per ton. In 1895, $0.42
per ton. Loss. S6.41 per ton.
| AT loss of $6.41 the cost of financial
depression to the farmers of the grain
| growing States was 1886. 976.944.
| What caused financial depression? All
| the national conditions of 1895 were as
conducive to activity and prosperity as
in 1891 and 1892. Prosperity exists when
the distribution of all products is regular
and continuous; that means steady con.
1
about ninety per cent of each years pro.
duct is devoted, and nn equally regular
consumption for the increase of capital
in improvements upon land. In the con,
struction of railways, factories. work
shops and new dwellings, to which ten
per cent of our product may be usually
applied. The traffic or exchange for the
support of life must go on, but when con
4 Of ~ va 10 uto Ia, a..
lipile up in excess of five or ten per cent
prices fall very low, while all over the
country workmen who need these pro
duets stand idle.
There are now "a 100000 men, women
and children occupied for gain in all the
arts on which life depends. If construc
tive enterprise is paralyzcd, as il has been
and only five per cent are idle that means
1.2OO.OD men out of work and nearly
four million people suffering want, Wilt
the food they would consume chokes the
farms with unsuitable products. If ter
per cent are idle. 2,4O0,000 need work
and 100000 people suffer want, while
the food rots and wastes in the farmers
bins.
The curse of bad money is upon us
and millions are now suffering for the
| N"h' VI hit very Hrouucts which cannon
be sold at cost upon the farms.
Establish good money and the change
would come with such certainty and
rapidly that men would wonder at thciI
own folly in so long submitting to the
demands of those who have put this ours,
of had money upon them.
What these farmers are trying to find on
is what did happen in that period between
1882 and 1905, each being very consciou.
of the loss to himself. In 1893 there wa.
a sudden financial panic, wide spread
discredit. an industrial paralysis. and al
most complete stop to all constructiv,
enterprises having reference to the futur,
needs of population increasing nearl,
2,OOO,MN year, and now NUMBERING
over 12,O0OOO0. The cause of that pani,
was the silver 1G to deusion.
What, asks the farmer, are we to d,
with Our votes to remedy this wrong?
The plausible reply of the silver miner.
and their rctainers is this. We will sun
ply you with plenty of money Delegat,
to us who can now mine and smelt silye,
bullion to almost any extent at cost OF
sixty t6D) to seventy (70) cents an ounce
or about fifty cents on dollar, the mower
to have silver ingots or bars made into
round pieces of silver or coins in tn,
mint at your expense. Also give us til,
power to force you to take these rount
pieces of silver or coins which are nance
dollars, for your crops, at one hundred
and twenty-nine cents (S1.29) an ounce
or at one dollar for what costs us fifty