The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1897-08-11

In view of the long continued decline
of agricultural prosperity, which has
, reacted upon all other industries and
is making commercial business hazard
Gus, to say the least, we see men still
cropping in darkness as to the cause.
And we see others ignorantly or will
fully misstating the cause. and declar
! ing that it is irremediable, while chron-
icling the damaging evidence of the
destruction of values which is due to
causes which are remediable.
, The cause and the remedy have been
long ago pointed out by some of the
wisest and ablest men of the time. and
public opinion would long ago have
compelled the application of that rem
edy, which consisted in a removal of
| the known cause, but for the determined
effort to pervert public opinion by false
statements, and the closure of Thea col
umns OF so many of our great news
papers and agricultural journals to any
fair discussion of the subject. This
is no light matter In republic, whose
enlightened public opinion is our every
safeguard. The power of money to
| Cypress is nowhere more aptly illus
trated than in this attempted control
Of the vehicles of public intelligence
Every writer against the gold standard
n
how difficult it is to get any presenta-
ton of fact or argument against the
gold standard before the people. The
! late Prof. Laveleye, of Liege university,
! asserted in his last days, after long ano
ably contending against the Injustice OF
the gold standard, that he had to pay
for the publication of his papers in the
great continental journals. In a repub-
lie this is ineXcusable. 1t is dangerous
1t is the first steps taken to throttle
liberty. Americans should be aroused
to the danger, ere it is too late
Truth and justice have nothing to fear
in the arena, open to public discussion
A free and untrammelled public press
! liberties" Have we such now? Most
| assuredly not, when the press is closed
| to the free discussion of the most i'm
pOrtant question which ever agitated
our country.
One great agricultural journal which
has large circulation formerly took
great interest in this question: Its
! control was secured, and it was silenced
and all discussion of the subject of BIZ
metallsm as affecting agriculture was
stopped, though it's two editors are
pronounced friends of bimetallism
Every number brings evidence of The
decay of the farming interests yet the
cause must not be discussed!
1t recently published the following
from the Tribune On. W:
CHEAP FARMS IN ENGLAND.
Farms in England are selling at
ruinous reduction of their former value
and in many cases cannot be sold at
ALL"
Many properties within two hours
| ride of London are deserted. :
In many cases farms have been sold
for less than one-tenth their value
twenty years ago. Well-to-do farmers
are abandoning the business and goine
to the colonies or to the cities to start
life anew"
| ALTHOUGH the situation is grievous
there may be consolation in the fact it
is worse on the continent" Il
| 1--WE have not yet suffered SO severely
in this country" it continues. Now
then, as to it's last conclusion, what are
| the facts?
The abandoned farms of New England
are an older story than the ones in Old
England, and SO is the emigration of it's
yeomen, to whose sturdy manhood both
owe their greatness.