Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1897-07-02
MCKINLEY VS.. THE PRESIDENT


Mckinley, during the campaign, is tt
start up the mills, not to open the mlnts
The need of the time he wrote in hi
letter accepting the Republican nomin
alton is not an increase in the volume o
money, mot open mlnts for the Unlimited
coinage of silver, but open mills for tn
full and unrestricted labor Of American
workingmen. Aye, it was answered
the need of the time is, indeed, the start
ing up of the mills, but 1T is quite i'm
possible to open the mills for the full ane
unrestricted labor OF American workmen
unless market for the products of th'
mills thus fully employed can be found
And without more money to spend 1t wal
evident that our people could not increase
their purchases of manufactured goods
and that a market for the product of th'
newly started mills could not be made
So as the prerequisite for starting up th'
mills, it was said, open the mints to fret
silver coinage. for that alone can pu
money in the pockets of the consumer!
Of manufactured goods, that alone Car
bring our farmers better prices for theil
crops, enable them to buy more freely ol
the products of others. and thus make
an enlarged market for the products o1
mill and factory such as will warrant tht
starting up ofNidle mills, and make full
employment for American labor. YOU
must make market for the products Of
the mills before you can start up the
mills, it was asserted by the opponents ol
Mckinley and to make that market you
must open the mlnts.
But Mckinley said no. Start up the
mills he said, give employment to mil
and factory hands. distribute more money
as wages. and you will make an increased
market for the products of the mills
make an increased market for the pro
ducts Of the farms. But manufacturers
cannot buy their own products and
prosper any more than farmers can buy
each others products and prosper. Farm
ers must sell their products to those
engaged IN manufacturing, to those en-.
gagged in catering to their needs; and SC
must manufacturers sell to the farmers.
Therefore, il the farmers have not the
means to buy, the manufacturing classes
will be wanting in market for their
products, and to open the idle mills,
of ho voric h.
ment of our agricultural classes, and the
consequent curtailed market for manu-
features, when there is DO market for the
products cannot bring prosperity. 1t
cannot but result in the piling up of un.
salable goods, in anticipating the demand
for manufactured goods which must be
followed by shutting down of the mills
and loss to the manufacturers
The starting up of the mills cannot
restore the market for manufactured
goods lost through the impoverishment
OF our farmers and planters. The bor-
rowing of money by manufacturers, the
opening of the mills and the distribution
OF such money rs wages would not result
in putting more money in the pockets of
our agricultural classes, for though an
increased domestic demand for farm pro.
ducts might result the prices our farmers
and planters get for their staple products.
and from the sale of which they fill their
pockets, are fixed, not in our markets.,
but in the European markets. where we
sell sixty per cent OF our cotton and
thirty per cent Of our wheat. And with.
out more money our farmers and planters
could not increase their purchases of
manufactured goods, market for the
increased output of mill and factory
could not be found. and mills could not
be kept in operation. They would be
shut down and wage earners would suffer
from a period of enforced idleness, a
period that would be prolonged from the
very fact that the demand for manu-
factured goods had been anticipated.
1t was pointed out during the campaign
that our farmers and planters had suf-
fered loss Of income, beer impoverished
by the competition with silver and paper
using countries. built up by the premium
on gold as measured by silver, a premium
resulting from the closing Of the mints Of
the western world to free silver coinage,
that SO long as our competitors enjoyed
such premium, such bounty on exports,
it would be impossible for our agricul-
turists to get remunerative prices for
til cir products. that until they, got more
remunerative prices they could not pur-
chase more freely of manufactured goods,
that the market for manufactured goods
could not expand, and that it would be
impossible to start up the mills and keep
them open. So it was urged that it was
necessary to open the mints before open
ing the mills. that to start up the mills
in advance of opening the mints. in ad-
vance of making market for the pro-
ducts of the mills would result in failure.
But Mckinley denied this, asserting
that all that was needed to make market
for man ufactured goods was to start up
the mills. that the mere making of a
product would make market for it, that