The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-09-10
Instituted THE rARMERs.

There is nothing in the whole free sill
yer movement quite so eNasperating as
the inSoent assumption of its managers
that the farmers are with them in their
reckless attack upon the public credit.
Their constant boast is that the agricul-
tural classes are united in support of
Bryan and cheap money, and their or
ators and newspaper organs put forth
the claim, day by day, that the farmers
of the country everywhere indorse the
Chicago platform and will cast their
votes as Il body for the Chicago ticket.
There is nowhere the slightest possible
evidence to uphold these boastful claims.
There is, on the contrary, word OF
proof to refute them. Mr.. Bryan's man
ayers are either foolishly deceived them
selves or making an equally foolish at
tempt to deceive the country.
The Chicago platform is deliberate
and desperate assault upon property val
ues. 1t aims Il blow at the security OF
every investment, ut the solvcncy of
every debtor and at the safety of every
creditor The enforcement of the prn-
ciples which Mr.. Bryan represents would
unsettle values i'll property of every des-
criptiOn. Personal estate, including
stocks, bonds, life insurance policies and
the shares of building and loan assoca-
tons. would be the first to suffer, but
the distress would not end there. In II
very little while real estate would feel
the depressing influence, and the greater
part of the burden of business demorali-
cation would fall upon the owners of
homes and lands. Taxes, no longer col
lectible from deprecated personal prop
erty, would be assessed upon real prop
erty, and the heaviest cost of financial
disorder and hard times would be
charged up to the men whose earnings
are invested in land
There is no class or set OF our citizens
who are more vitality Interested III the
maintenance of sound credits and honest
money than the farmers. a perma-
nent value in the money which the 1nr-
mer has to receive in payment for ms
products is as necessary to his success
as rain and sunshine are to ms corn
fields. A huctuating currency, with one
form of money commanding Il premium
over another, is more ruinous to his bust
ness interests than weevil in his wheat
or foot-rot among his sheep. 1t renders
him powerless to compute the value OF
his grain until he hauls it to market; ii
prevents anything like an accurate, prnc-
| teal calculation as to the acreage cost OF
his crops, and it makes him the helpless
victim of spectators in the products OF
agriculture.
The farmer is naturally conservative
His habits, his associations and his POSI-
| ton as the representative OF that form
of property which serves as the basis OF
all value, naturally incline him to caution
and conservatism. To his interests SOUND
money means safety, while debased anc
uncertain money means depression and
loss. The populist assumption that hi
can be tricked into voting for free silver
and the inevitable decentralization of his
own affairs is wanton insult to his in
telligence from demagOgues who are I'M
acquainted with its range and clearnesss
1t is prompted by a ridiculously ms
taken notion that he can be wheedlet
into indorsing policy which would in
evitably lessen the market value of hi
crops and increase the taxes on hi'
land.-Lancaster Pa.) News