The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-11-18
FARMERS CONGRESS.
Declaration for Bim etallism and Tariff for
Farm Products.

Farm Products.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. Nov. 1.-THE
Farmers National Congress at its ses
sion to day, by resolution, requested
ex-President Harrison to address the
: body. The president Of the Congress
referring to hill pending in the Unit
ed States Senate, providing for an in
dustrial commission, said that action
should be taken by the farmers con,
vention looking 10 the appointment
of one or perhaps two Of the ii ve mem
bers of the commission from the mem
bersllIp of this congress. The session
was largely devoted to resolutions,
and they were referred to the commit
Tee on resolutions as follows: Sug,
costing s. w. Wallerton of Illinois as
Secretary of Agriculture; requesting
the CONGRESS of the United States to
appoin, corps of civil engineers to
examine and report as 10 the practica'
bility of constructing a ship canal con-
Meeting the Atlantic with the Great
Lakes by way of rivers and the Gulf
Of Mexico: that it is the sense OF this
Congress that women should be given
the right of SUFFRAGE; that the Con
gress of the United States skould take
active measures to restrict undesirable
Immigration discouraging class legis'
lation and discouraging sectionalism.
w. Fl. Hoffman of Illinois intro
duced resolution to the effect that
iaasmuch as the Supreme Court OF the
United States had decided that the tax
on incomes is constitutional and where.
as the farmers income includes all
the products of the farm, all farm pro-
ducts should be exempt from assess
ment or taxation.
Mr.. Stahl, of Illinois: Whereas
trusts are annually robbing the Amer
lean people of millions of dollars, be
it,
Resolved, That this congress de.
mands that the laws against trusts be
enforced and such laws as are now in
adequate be strengthed. The com.
mittee on locating the next meeting
of the congress reported in favor OF
st. Paul, Mimi, and suggested that it
be held at least two me cnths earlier IN
the year than the present congress.
A resolution was offered favoring
the initiative and referendum.
J. Adam Bede of St. Paul said he
was a Democrat, but he knew that sill
yer could be mined by the wealthy,
by great corporations and that they
alone could get any profit out of it.
A resolution with a decided silver
ring, introduced by Mr.. Olfutt Of In
diana, was substituted ty the follow
ing resolution from the committee on
resolutions and adopted against the
warm protest of Mr.. Offutt:
"Whereas, the general concensus OF
opinion OF the people of the United
States in that, gold and silver coin on
just parity of value should be equally
money of ultimate redemption without
limit. in which this farmers national
congress concurs, but differences of
opinion exist as to the methods by
which this policy can be secured; and, !,
whereas, the recent election resulted
in favor of bimetallism by interna-
tional commercial nations; therefore.
"Resolved, That the Farmers Ma
tional Congress urgently requests the
incoming administration of the nation
al government to speedily adopt all
practicable methods to obtain the con-
currence of a sufficient number OF na-
tions to secure international bimetal-
lism with the unlimited coinage of
gold and silver as equally money of
ultimate redemption and thereby to
restore bimetallic prices for the worlds
commerce
Mr.. Lawrence. chairman of the
committee, said the committee with
one exception were of the opinion
that the resolutions expressed the
opinion of a vast majority OF thu Unit
cd States and the substitute was a
proper one.
The afternoon session was devoted
to the reading of papers of interest to
agriculturists.
The following committee was ap-
pointed to Congress the memorial of
the Farmers Congress under course of
preparations: Messrs. B. L. Clayton
of Iowa, T. J. Clardy of Kentucky,
w. B. Powell of Pennsylvania and
VIM. Lawrence of Ohio.
The memorial which is to be pre-
presented to Congress and which will
be adopted without change is being
written by Judge Lawrence, chair
man of the committee. The memori
al covers the whole subject of protec'
tive duties relating to agricultural in
terests. 1t says that in order to give
effect to the policy of protection three
things are to be observed:
First, that American farmers can
supply nearly all farm products in
sufficient amounts to meet the needs
OF the American people.
Second, as to farm products there
can be no combination or monopoly
to exact exopbitant prices.
Third, it results from those facts
that as to such farm products the du-
ties should be such as to secure to
American farmers the whole Ameri
can market. Among the products
where such duties are to be required
are cotton, hemp, flax, wheat, corn,
barley; oats, potatoes, hops, dairy
products. garden vegetables, poultry,
eggs, livestock for food, many kinds
of tobacco, apples and other orchard
fruits. AS to sugar, wool and rice,
which the American farmer cannot
sufficiently produce to supply all our