The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-11-17
AN "HoNEST

81 trust that DIR. G. F. Taylor will
continue his articles on the money
question. Whenever 1 find a patient
convalescing and ready to be discharged
I conclude the case with a lecture to
the family made up Of the thunder OF
DR.. Taylor's editorials"
DIR. f. J. Craddock, of Covington,
Tenn, writes:
Il can't do without The World. [
value it above all others. Besides, you
are on the right side of the money ques-
aion, which is the vital question now.
1 intend to give some of your editorials
on this subject to our local newspapers.
We must be watchful Of our interests. "
Yes. doctor, end we must be watch
full of the newspapers. 1 hope our read
ers all over the country will follow
your example.
I would like to give more, but must
desist. Others speak Of large practices,
but little money; that they are doing
al they can in their vicinity IN favor
of a better condition of things, etc.
DR.. II. 8. Pitman, of East Bernstadt,
KY, writes:
Am in favor of a sound and honest
money; let the dollar be worth 100
cents"
Certainly, doctor, we all want
sound" money and an honest dol
lar. The trouble with the present dol
lar is that it is dishonest; it is not a
100 cent dollar, but e 200 cent dollar.
Measured in the products Of the coun
try, the present dollar is double its
former value. a dollar that increases
in value is dishonest. The farmer
knows that he must now give much
more cotton or wheat for a dollar than
formerly. 1t is to this extent dishOn-
est, and doubly so to a farmer who
owes a debt contracted on the former
basis, when his products commanded q
reasonable price and must now pay
that debt with exclusively gold basis
dollars Of double value. This is down
right robbery. 1t robs the most useful
class (the producer Of wealthy and gives
the booty to the most useless class CHE
parasites). This has now been going
on so long that the producers are i'm
poverished, and are beginning to see
the cause OF their herdships Their
every effort to re establish just con
ditions is met with dishonest" from
1.-THE other side," and a cry for hon
est" money and ''sound" currency. 1t
is the cid cry Of ''stop thief" by those |
who wish to hide their own wrongdo-
ings.
The United States Monetary Commits
sion said: ''Shrinkage in the volume
of currency has caused more misery |
than war, famine and pestilence, and
more injustice than all the bad laws
eve enacted"
This is On agricultural country.
When the farmer prospers all classes
prospers. Yet this robbing, dishonest
system strikes the farmer first. S5na
tor Jonrs estimates that our present
dishonest money cGuses O loss to Amer
lean farmers of over a hundred mil
lion of dollars a year on cotton, and
over two hundred millions of dollars 6
year on wheat, and that the loss on
these two products alone from 1873 to
1898 was the astonishing sum of
"a, 81, 000 900. Is it any wonder that
there is hardship and poverty through
out the land3 And the favored classes
that have appropriated all this pride
themselves as being honest" They
have the audacity to brand as dis
honest any attempt to restore just con-
ditions! Brethren, the restoration of
just conditions would be worth from
81 900 to So, 900 per year to every physi
clan that has IN everage practice. Is
not that worth striving for?
Now, we have to do the work just
the same, but do not get pay for it.
How long will We and our patrons Cthe
massee) suffer this liz lstice7
In Mexico cotton sells at 13c. and up,
ward, and wheat at one dollar and up
ward eomething like our old time
prices) showing that silver, as a meas
ure of value, is better, steadier, mere
reliable, more uniform, more just and
more honest" than gold.
Our so called Statesmen" have said
much about maintaining the parity be-
tween gold and silver. but not one
word about maintaining the parity be-
tween money and products. THIS is
the real question. The material that
money is made of is unimportart so
long as a parity is maintained between
money and products. If, during the