Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1896-10-09
PATRIOTIC FARMERS.
Whenever Danger Threatened the
Country They Havs Rallied
to Its Support
HARD TIMES AND THE CAUSE.
Employment Of Labor in Mechanical
Industries and Not Debased
= Money IS Needed.
HARD TIMES AND THE CAUSE,

= .---<------
Whenever danger threatened our insti
tuition Tie farmer has always rallied t
The support of his country. There i
good reason in this, in the fact that hs
owns the broad acres Of our territory and
is SO identified with our institutions thai
protect him in this ownership that his IN
t4rest is necessarily OF a character e
make him the. safe conservator OF our
governments perpetuity, prosperity and
honor.
In the present campaign we are con-
fronted by an issue that affects every
class of our citizens, hence. there is an
interest in the outcome more intense than
in any campaign since 1860. One reason
for the manifestation for so much inter
est is the fact that the country has been
suffering from an unprecedented period
Of depression and is earnest IN its intent
10 secure relief Among those who la
Dor none have more reason for COM
plant than the farmer. Prices OF his
products have been low. values of land
and stock have continued TO decline,
until discouraged and disheartened.
accent any promise that they make, but
The fact is. and better still. he is ready to
review and discuss fully the merits of the
PROPOSITIONS offered The proposition
that has been urged paramount to all
others, is the free and unlimited coinage
of silver.
rroposition. one more startling in its
effects and results and one that would
be more disappointing should it become
a practical fact. 1t Is advocated by
men having a pecuniary interest at stake,
backed by combination of capital un-
aaualed BY any that has ever attempted
to control our government since the day
of the slave power The silver mine
owners of the United States, skilled In
political maneuvering, have organized
themselves into syndicate for the pur-
pose of forcing upon the country. With
out regard to consequences, the free and
unlimited coinage of silver.
The magnificent scheme was outlined
nv Mr.. BRYAN in his Madison square
speech when he said: AT the present
time and under the present law, a silver
dollar when melted loses nearly one-half
its value, but that will not be true when
ne can establish mint price of silver
and leave no surplus silver upon the
market to drag down the price OF sill
sibility of cornering silver and forcing
it to price satisfactory to mine owners,
I'VE cannot even expect all of the an
nual product of silver because India,
China, Japan, Mexico and other silver
using countries must satisfy their annual
need from the annual product; the arts
will require large amount and the gold
standard countries Will need consider
able quantity for subsidiary coinage:
We will be required to coin only that
which is not needed elsewhere, but It We
stand ready to take and utilize all of it,
other nations will be ready to buy Mt
the price we TX"
This is the silver miners scheme as
outlined by Mr.. Bryan. The, people are
invited to loan the resources of this GOV
eminent to silver syndicate in order
that it may be able by taking Ill the
silver that is offered to the world 10
fix the price and compel other nations
to pay that price. This is worse than
only way Mr.. Bryan says whereby the.
price of silver can be maintained at
parity with gold The magnitude of the
scheme and their audacity in attempt
ing its execution challenges admira ton.
but the American people are accustomed
to investigate the claims of parties and
men. They want to know for themselves
the why and wherefofes, if some great
radical change is proposed. That they
will thus investigate and Judge for them
selves is evidence that they are quail
fed for self-governlnent.
That present conditions are hard, es-
pecially among the farming class, every
one admits. There is undoubtedly a
cause for this abnormal condition. The
silver advocates attribute the existing
depression to the decentralization Of sill
yer, .sthe- crime of 1872 as they aesig-
nate the suspension Of coinage of silver
dollars in 1873.
They fail to show how that legislation;
reduced prices: they simply assert that il
did. They fail also to show why prices
continued to decline after coinage of sill
yer was resumed in 1878. They ignore
all the facts of development, the large
and unprecedented production of farm
products and especially the unprofitable
division OF labor The building of new
railroads and the opening of vast terri.
tories for cultivation are entirely ignored.
During the years 1S7S-79 and so it is
known that oyer 600, 900 mechanics left
the factories and shops of New England
and the middle and older Western states
10 locate on the lands in Kansas and Ne
braska and the Dakotas. These all be.
came active producers instead of consnIn.
ers Of farm pCoducts.
What we now need is to reverse fhis
condition of affairs and secure less nre,
ducers md more consumers of farm t,ro.
ducts. If by any way we can do this. we
viii have accomplished something prac-
tical in correcting the ills our farmers
have TO bear. There is method nv
which this may be accomplished RENE.
dy that it not only practical but per
tnanent and far reaching in its effects
There is a well established princinIo in
political economy often referred In hy
writer's that ''the greatest creator ~
wealth is the greatest possible division Of
labor Previous to the election of 1880
under the operation of the Republican
policy of protection. we were struggling
10 realize our benefits of this principle and
we were rapidly overcoming our adverse
conditions by increasing the demand for
farm products The interest which the
movement of labor has in protective din.
ties lies in the effect which the movement,
of labor has upon the supply and demand
Of agricultural products. I, is Impossible
TO maintain proper division Of labor,
except we produce the largest amount OF
manufactured goods possible within our
own territory. Open our ports free ana
allow our markets 70 be supplied by the
of Europe and the effect
Wonld be 70 compel our wage carnines