Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1896-10-22
ADAMS q Arthur. Prcprietors.
RIGHT OF CONTRACT.
TO BE ABRIDGED BY BRYAN AND HIS
PARTY.

80 N1fttS&Eo EhNI III
PARTY.
Attempt 20 Make Illegal Contracts Pay
able Gold nm Attack Upon Freedom
of cs atract-would Hamper business
and Commerce and Compel a Resort to
Antique Methods of Barter.
The Cordage Trade journal Of Oct. 1
discusses a part Of the Chicago platform
which has not thus far received the at
teation which it merits-that part
which proposes to take away the right
of private contract. the Journal says
that mo industry of anyssize can exist
without the use of contracts, agreements
FOR the purchase, sale, delivery OF and
payment for goods. 1t Is hardly neces-
Ssary TO point out what this means in
crhe cordagc business.
1t then explains how rope manufac-
turers make contracts with brokers, and
brokers with foreign growers of rlanilla
or sisal, for their raw materials. Hav-
ing made these contracts, they are in "A
position TO make contracts with large
jobbers and rope dealers. Continuing,
The Journalssays:
Contracts are necessary To the sue
cessfui -transactionp of business upon any
scale above that of the very small retail
trade, where goods and money pass be-
tween buyer and seller simultaneously.
Mr.. Bryan would, if president, give his
~appruval'tO lawsswhich would prohibit
business men from specifying what they
shall sell goods for or what they shall
pay for goods, tbns seriously restricting
the right of contract. His first nomina-
tion-inC hicago-was based upon his
acceptance of q platform which con-
tanned the following plank:
"We demand that the standard silver dollar
shall bea full legal tender, equally with gold.
for all debts, public and private, and we favor
such legislation as will prevent for the future
the decentralization of any kind,of legal tender
money by private contract.
Ellis Populistio nomination in st.
Louis carried with it this plank:
w demand such legislation as viii prevent
the characterization of the lawful money Of the
UnitedH5tates by private contract.
Possibly the United States supreme
court will uphold such iegislation-it
sustained the>validity of the legal ten
der aet-and--what? Mr.. Bryan does
not tell the people whom he addresses
tridaily. When he gets near the sub
ject. 1T is, only to say something like
this:
"WhcD any one tries to give you an object
~1essonwith a Mexican dollar, tell HAM that the
Mexican dollar Is not legal tender in this coun-
try, and that our silver dollar is and under
free coinage viii continue to be. and no one
xrs1 1n 1lnx.1a IN nDrtraD a..atr.t - VI 4
BryanOin Newark, Sept. 2a-
~This not only shows the purpose of
the man, but also gives an Intelligent
man "a very aclear conception Of Mr..
Bryan's skillas a logician. If he knew
anything at all about commercials
lifeblood of which he so glibly talks Of
interfering with-he wonld know that
the .~execution of his plan would
an instant cessation of commercial ac-
tivity, which would be followed by a
RESUMPTION upon a restricted and
tiqne shasis. Methods which the COM
mercial world discarded generations ago
wonldlhave totbe brought into use for
Carrying ON business under the condi-
tions which the adoption Of Mr.. Bryan's
two absnrd propositions would impose.
where wouhl the hemp come from
for nextyear's binder Irvine to tie the
farmers wheat? The United States,
where. silver dol ars worthle s than 100
cents would be legal tender, could not
FURNISH thes material. Ala prices now
quoted :nre for gold. No matter how
much farmers wanted twaae, when il
was no longer possible TO make q in
tract to pay gold or its equivalent for
hemp, they would have to go without it
until some cumbe1some method Of bar
tering wsa devised to get around the
law. OF canrse, instime the hemp would
be secured and tho farmers supplied,
but the new way of doing business
would abe.more costly. In thu end the
consumer pays all costs. Hence the
farmers wouId haveato submitto higher
prices f0r .bixder Irvine, as fu every
thing else sfbey buy. And get Mr..
Bryan claims to be tho particular friend
Of agricalturists!
'It Is 10 ,be hoped Giat the tnsjness
men Of The country will carefully con-
slider whGt the proposed interference
with the right TO entersinto q contract
TO pay any kind of money would result
in and thnn vote for q candidate for
president whoMall preserve the freedom
ri commerce"