Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1896-10-02
OPEN MILLS AND Mlnrs.
Nal. McEinlcy's Latest Epigram shoa,,
I'D slighuS RSviso,L

kansds City recently Tile poster in n
pig affair and wonderfully suggestive.
The picture represents, on one side, the
United States mint with Mr.. BRYAN
standing before 1t, ushering In John
Bull, John Chinninan, Senior MeNicnno
ana the rest, with truck loads of sill
YER. Against that is great viata of
smoking chimneys and Muj. Mckinley
ushering crowds of men and women
into the open factory gutcs. below are
printed the words of Maj. Mckinley:
II think 1t is far better to open the mills
OF America to American workmen. than
the mints OF America 10 the silver OF the
world" wy
/ At the top, in large blnclt letters, is
the caption; "The Real Issue" which
would seem 10 Indicate that the poster
was gotten up before the delivery of the
opening campaign speech by Mr.. liar
rfson, who explicitly contradicts Mr..
Mckinlcy's contention that the tnrir
is the supreme issue in this campaign.
The answer to Mr.. McKinlcy's plnffs
tndc Will readily suggest itself and II
luns something utter this fashion:
Many of the factories of the United
States are closed and many more are
running on short time, not because there
is any scarcity of raw material, or capi-
inl, or lnborers, nor because capitalists
are not unNious to realize profits upon
the capital, but because. owing to the
decrease in the purchasing ability of
the farmers, there Is no demand for
manufactured articles. And IL nll the
IDLE men In the manufacturing ccntcrs
could be put TO work in the factories,
the goods produced must lie unsold In
the factories, unless the price of ny
rlcultnral products are raised, so that
the Increased income OF the one-hnlf
OF the population dependent upon ngri-
culture renders them able TO purchase
the manufactured goods thus produced.
These prices cnn he raised and this I'm.
come cnn be increased by the establish
ment of bimetnllic monetary system
and the free coinage of silver nj sixteen
to one and In 10 other way. The free
coinage of silver will ut once incrcnsc
the price of wheat and cotton, etc, etc.
about GO per cent.
But Mr.. 1iurrson. In his New York
speech, cssayed 10 hugh this PROPOSE.
ton out of court and answered II, once
and forever. lie snitl:
THE silver men mako a strong appeal TO
the fnrmer. They say II Will put up
prices. Well. In n sense. yes. No,ninally.
yes; really, no. lf wheat goos up from 80
cents 10 81, 20 tho price has tcen Increased
you VIII say: hut n the price of every
thing else has gone mp In tho Ramc pro-
portion II bushel of wheat won't buy for the
FARMER any moro sugar or coffee or farm
Ing implements or anything else TINT he
Toll -.
Tor the farmer any more or Eo n better
dollar than the one we have now where
Is the good to anybody OF Introducing these
fictitious priccs?"
Mr.. Harrison must have brcnthed this
sophism through his grandfnthcr's hat.
His contcntion IL fnllncy and will no [
bear the light of investigation. Let us
see: Authentic ofilcinl statistics very
conclnsivcly prove that In most of our
best agricultural states the leading
staple cereals, cotton and many other
agricultural products are produced nj II
loss. or, ut the best, without profit.
Tint is to say that they have to be sold
ut prices which do not repay the cost
of production, OF Mt the best, barely So
Most OF the farmers of the United
States, even those whosc farms are rot
mortgagcd, receive no interest w;,nt-
ever upon their capital invested, but
simply are reimbursed for the cost OF
production of their products and, by
hint of the exercise of the most rigid
economy, bordering on pnrsimony. are
nble to buy few groceries, and such
other food ns they cannot raise on their
farms, and scanty supply of clothing
OF the cheapest quality. They nll. OF
course, must pay their state. county
and school tnXes, while those who have
mortgage interest To pay. can pay Il
by pitiful self-deninl and practically
doing without Whatever cannot be pro-
dnced upon the firm.
Now sor Mr.. Harrison's proposition.
First, consider the farmer who is out
of debt and manages, by rigid ccon-
omy, to- stay out of debt aud buy II mis-
ernbly inadequate supply of groceries
pnd clothes. ASSUME that The annual
product of the farm. in excess of his
homo consumption, is $500, which re-
pays him cost (eNpcnse( Of production,
pays his taxes, repairs and repenishes
his supply of tools. etc. and buys him
scanty supply of groceries and cloth
ing. Prices of his produ, is nre raised
GO per cent. and he receives $3.50. or 1890
more than lie does now What matters
IT to him ifprices of "sugar, or coffee, or
anything else that he has to purchase"
have also' gone up &C per cent? The in
crease is clear gain to him and Is that
much groceries. clothing and manu-
factured articles which he could not
row buy at ALL, 70 matter how cheap
in price they may be. Is 1t not clear
that Mr.. IIarrison's proposition is moth
ing but specions sophist,y? Does not
fhis gain in purchasing ability repre-
sent S2"Q In groceries and nanufac-
tured articles ut present prices which,
in his present unfortunate condition.
our farmer is not able to buy at all?
as to The. farmer III debt--hs case is
very slightly different from that. OF the
farmer out of debt. The { My difference
Is that whereas it now takes certain
quantity Of products to .ealize sufIi-
cicnt number of dollars to pay his iu-
terest under free coinage II would take
only thrcc-iifths as much. so that, III
addition to the 1890 increase in his net
profits lie would reap the use OF two