Milford chronicle., 1896-02-07
Communicated
Farmers for Free Silver.

Farmers Tor Free silver.
+ Mr. EDlTOR:
The farmers of the West and South ar
! in terrible earnest in their demand for fire.
silver, which is manifest in a clear and de
eided majority in the United States Senate
A few days ago this body passed full
fedged silver bill by majority of seven
, Now when it is considered that these men
were elected as Democrats and Republicans
and not as Populists at all. it shows that
they see "the hand writing on the wall'
and are ready to repent and turn from their
evil ways lest the day of their overthrow
shall come.
The agricultural districts of thisnation are
in condition of apprehension and distress
as a result of the demonstration of silver
aud the establishment by law Of the gold
standard by which to measure values.
There is not one-tenth part enough gold in
the world either to transact the business Of
the Nations with or 10 pay their indebted
ness, and because of this fact its value is
enormously enhanced in relation to other
things. As the standard of value becomes
high every commodity is reduced in pro
portion Gold being scarce and wheat and
corn plenty, the latter must be greatly re
duced in value when estimated in gold, so
that one dollar in gold now buys two
bushels Of wheat when formerly dollar
bought but one If silver was money too,
as well as gold, the amount of money in
the country would be greatly increased, and /
the relation between it and corn and wheat, I
or butter aud eggs, would be so altered that
all farm products would be enhanced in /
value and bring more money to the farmer
People who know little about the matter
think the price of farm products are low be-
cause of over-production. In a general
way this might be true, provided the rela-
ton between them and money was always |
the same-more products with the same
amount of money would necessarily lower /
the products. But now we have no lawful |
money but gold, and its scarcity in relation
to other commodities makes it dear and all
things else cheap. Bring in silver again !
and you increase the amount of money and /
make it cheap, while relatively you dimin-
ism farm products, and all commodities, and |
make them high. This is what ais" the |
farmers of the West and South. They are
mad at being thus robbed by the trading
and commercial classes of the large cities,
who now rule the country in behalf of trade
and commerce, and by such rule are fast
reducing the farmers to poverty land which
must finally end in debasing them to the
low condition of the peasantrY of Europe. !
This gold standard policy suits the com
mercia and trading classes of the great
cities because they want cheap bread and
meat,not only to live upon themselves, but
to trade upon with other Nations If they
can keep the price of corn and wheat low
enough to compete with the serf grown
wheat of Russia and the cheap products of
other countries they then have a good
basis for trade and commerce, and it is by
this that the great commercial centres are
made-their prosperity is through trade,
To further her trade, which is her life, En-
gland repealed her corn laws and admitted
the agricultural products of the world al
most free of duty. By this course her ar
tsans get cheap meat and bread, and can
turn out cheap products for trade, but in
doing this she ruined the farmers. This
she was justified in doing, perhaps, because
all her wealth comes from her ships, her
looms. her FORCES; not from her farms. The
policy by which this country is now gov
erned is doing the same for all the Amerl'
can farmers, except those near the great
cities who save themselves by selling poul-
trv. vegetables and small things direct to
the consumer. At a distance from ciIies
this cannot be done because the railroad
monopolies swallow up all the profits in
charges. The great bulk of
all the wealth of the country is owned in
the cities The banks hold all the money
gold; their railroad officers control and
lay the transportation tax upon the people;
their great newspapers make public senti-
ment and the country editors follow their
lead. By their money they create great
trusts and monopolies, plumber the public,
control public officials, carry elections and
the affairs of State and Nation in
their own interests Is it any wonder the
farmers are beginning to see and howl
about it?
Now what is the remedy? Why just
what the cities don't want, that's what the
needs. The cities all want the
gold standard because they have all of the
gold. They want free trade because it
commerce and cheapens products.
What the country people need is the res
toration of silver to its old time constitu-
tional place as money; high duties upon
goods coming to this country from mono
or gold standard, nations; and
reciprocity, or free trade, with ali nations
bimetallism, or both the gold
and silver standards This will give US
free trade with all of the world except Great
Britain and Germany,and effectually stop
them from drawing away our gold to pay
for their labor instead of keeping it at home
to pay our own.
Some short-sighted country people will
say. why this will enrich the silver mine
owners The answer to this is,will it en-
rich the silver mine owners any more than
the gold standard now enriches the gold
mine owners2 VIII it enrich the silver
mine owners any more than it will enrich