The Yale expositor., 1896-06-19
OF could pay that much more Of their

or could pay that much more of their
debts.
These Ignorant" producers and
voters raised 49S, 549,S6S bushels of
wheat in 1880 and sold it for 951 cents
per bushel. In 1895 they raised 467,-
100000 bushels of wheat and received
for 1T 5O.9 cents per bushel. Thirty
million bushels less of wheat. fifteen
million more consumers and yet were
compelled to sell at half price. In 1890
the cotton producers of the United
States sold 4,316, 043 1882 pounds of cot
ton for 10.1 cents per pound, while
in 1894 they received 4.6 cents per
pound for 1916, 900 pounds. Official
reports note a decline of 22.6 per cent
in the value Of farm animals in the
United States from 1898 to 1895 and
decrease of 5.3 per cent in numbers.
The London price for wheat declined
from $1.25 in 1891 to 76 cents in 1898.
Cotton sold in London in 1891 for 9.S8
cents per pound and in 1895. with over
a hundred and thirty million less
pounds of cotton to sell, it brought but
81 cents per pound. The overproduc-
ton theory can't explain this great
and continued decline in prices.
The Ignorant free suffrage" citizens
of the west conclude that our present
financial systematic destruction of
one-half of our metallic money and the
contraction of our paper money-is the
main cause of the fearful conditions
now existing, and 1t Is proposed to re-
store more equitable and just condi-
tons throughout the country-east
and west. north and south. We pro-
pose an American system, industrial
and financial. We believe a larger vol
ume of sound money-metallic money
will raise prices, will give employ
ment to labor, will increase the pur-
chasing power and consuming power of
sixty million American citizens, many
OF whom comprehend and understand
completely money questions quite as
well as the representative OF Wall
street; we also believe in an American
tariff that recognizes the interests OF
the producers of wool, wheat, cotton,
and all productions Of the farm and
mine as well as the products of our
mills and furnaces. We recognize per-
fectly the potency and practice of Wall
street to overcome popular "ignor-
ance." We have perfect appreciation
of its reserved power" We agree with
you that Startling results may come
out of either of the party conventions"
We understand your presumed ability
to "coerce and convert reckless legisla-
tors" There are men, however. you
cannot buy with your reserve power"
There are greater forces than Wall
street commands, and they will appear
in due season. The issue is clear let
there be no straddle or deception. We
concede that Wall street understands
the situation and you may rest assured
that we also understand the situation
and the spirit of the contention. The
Ignorant free suffrage" citizens of the
United States will send Wall street
their answer to your ungraclous
taunts, your autocratic threats, your
greater poteneies, and the reserved
power" on which you are now repos-
ing, next November. The silverites
have no desire to block sound money
legislation in the next congress. They
will insist and see to it that We have
real sound money legislation, and shall
elect a president who will approve
such legislation. Why not point us
the way to national prosperity? No
threats are needed for that. Tell the
farmers how they can get prices that
will sustain life; tell the manufacturers
Of New England, New York and Penn
sylvania, the south and west how they
can operate their machinery, pay for
labor and not grow poorer every year;
tell us how to put the idle wheels and
unemployed men at work; tell us how
humanity may be elevated in the scale
of a higher civilization; tell us how
the Ignorant free suffrage" citizen
may be lifted out of his ignorance into
better citizenship. Save your taunts
and threats, Mr.. Clews for some other
purpose than to try to brighten Amer
lean citizens, who value this great re-
public dearer than life itself and in
tend to leave It unimpaired as a hertz
age to their children and a beacon light
to all the world. Respectfully,
GEO. S. BOWEN.