The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1896-09-25

lHkly OppODCu W I've Az ~ my ClICIC
of acqu a~intances I know Of only one who
is for free silver. Whether we are right
or wrong, the effects would be disastrous
II Bryan is elected, for all. confidence
will be gone and everybody will be sure
that everything is going to the bow
vows and il everybody thinks so, it will
be enough to send US there Absolutely
nothing is being done. Everyone is
waiting to see the rec ult OF the election.
In your next letter / would be obliged il
you would advise me which way you
think South Dakota is going"
HIS reference here to France a little
over 100 years ago" would take US back
to that time when Thomas jefferson
wrote from F~ontainoleau, France, in
1885: THE property of this country
If absolutely concentrated in a very few
wards having revenues Of from half O
million OF euineas a year downward.
These employ the flower OF the country
az servants. They employ also a great
number " manufacturers and trades
men, aud, lastly, the class Of laborirg
husbandmen; but after all these comes
the most numerous of all classes, that is
the poor who cannt find work. q 4 *
I am conscious that an equal division Of
property is impracticable but the conse
quence OF this enormous Inequality pro-
duces so much misery to the bulk of
mankind, that legislators cannot invent
too many devices for subdividipg property
only taking care to let their subdivisions
60 hand in hand with the natural utfec-
tions OF the human mind"
De Pny in his history says OF the
same period: "All the burdens Of the
state fell on the industrious and pro-
ductive classes. The nobility and clergy
we're exempt from taxation. The most
oppressive mode Of collecting prevailed.
Two thirds Of the whole land OF the
country was in the possession OF the
nobility and clergy who, not content
with their fiscal exemption, imposed
upon the cultivators fendal dues% and
services Of the most onerous and harass.
ing description"
Such was the condition OF France
which led to the Revolution and the
issuance of assignats to which no doubt
our eastern friend refers. Tire reyolu-
ton came, France paid the penalty In
blood and destruction Of property, and
took a>new start as a nation at the be-
ginning Of this century. In 1903 she
established bimetallism on q ratio of
l51s to /, and "for seventy years." says a
noted European economist, "not Il bust
ness man in France knew by experience
of such Il thing as discount at banks on
either metal Even to day she has the
largest use OF both metals Of any nation
On the face of the earth and TO- the most
prosperous. r ~
Now, the United States is 10 no such
condition as France was 100 years ago,
but under a single gold standard it is
fast drifting that way. THE number Of
mortg ages made during one year in
creased from 643, l43 in 1880 to l,226,323
in 1889, or 90.6S per cent, while in tn, t
one year the increased indebtedness in-
Cured was 1868 per cent" [See Gen.
sus bulletin No. Il, 1884,. Everybody
knows from actual experience that the
poorer classes bear the burden of taxa.
ton. The income law was declared un-
constitutional. The recent report of the
Labor Statistics Bureau Of Illinois is q
mountain Of evidence showing how the
wealthy escape taxation OF their wealth.
But the cause of q greater drain upon
the agricultural masses is thea fat.in
prices caused by the appreciation OF. gold
since 1873, a result OF the divergence iI
the relative values Of the metals caused
by the characterization Of silver by 90
many countries in the early '7Os. The
value Of silver and q large majority Of
our products of foreign exports, three
fourths OF which are products OF agricul-
ture, have gone down together until the
exports Of 1895 which would have brought
US ,769 millions Of dollars on the bi.
metallic basis Of 1873, brought US only
7OS millions. An annual loss OF nearly
half that amount since 1873 shows how
our masses are being Disseminated
against in life's battle with the creditor
classes. If no legislation of ours will
change it, it will perhaps force a change.
II 1t were true that the reconciliation
OF silver would be q scaling Of debts az
compared with the gold values it would
he 10 scaling OF debts in the values IN
which the bulk OF them were contracted
and promised to be paid 10, as the silver
dollar Of 41211a grams was specifically q
standard money Of the debt contract az
shown by resolutions of congress in
1878. The creditors have long been
drawing 100 cents worth of produce on,
OF the farmer to pay his debts while
giving him credit for only So cents
There will be no injustice done for many