Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1897-10-08
PROSPERITY IS HERE.
BUT 1T is FOUND ONLY IN
WALL STREET.
Poverty Still Abides with tho Producers
and 1t VIII Deepen as Long as tho
Present Financial Policy Continues-A
Few Words of Truth.

Few Words of Truth.
late issue Of the Charlotte Observ-
er sets forth editorially DIS convincing
proof of prosperity the steady increase
in the receipts of the Southern railroad,
a table which shows that the net profits
of that corporation are annually near
$4,000, 900 more than they were three
years ago. That Pierpont Morgan's
overseers have levied upon the public
and collected out of them two millions
net, above cost of services rendered.
more than they did three years ago is
4 strange way Of proving that the pub
lie are more prosperous. 1t will be re-
membered that Notwithstanding this
enormous increase in Pierpont's profits,
1t Is his overseers who have been most
influential in persuading the N. G. and
Georgia railroad commissioners to re-
fuse the public demand to abate in any
particular the exorbitant freight and
passenger rates-this, too, when the
gold standard by enhancing the value
Of money has, in effect, been raising
the railroad charges, measured In the
prices received for the farm products
Observer thinks there is prosperity. OF
course there is, from It's standpoint, for
has not Pierpont Morgan increased the
annual tribute money collected out Of
JUS, some two millions dollars, and is
pot the $4,000 salary the public pay
bis head overseer worth much more
since the purchasing clause Of the Sher-
man act was repealed? But from the
standpoint of the people who constant
ly pay larger part Of their produce to
get it hauled by the railroads. and who
sweat the addition of two millions an
nually for Pierpont Morgan and the
high salaries for the chief overseers he
has put over us, there Is neither sxu-
berant prosperity nor gratitude.
Farmers who raise wheat will ne
doubt be interested in the fact that
Banker Morgan has recently cleared
a million clean dollars on wheat, while
Armour, Cudahy and other smaller fry
millionaires, cleared from one-third to
one-half as much. My, how many
mortgages the above will obliterate.
Hurrah for dollar wheat!
Talk of dollar wheat as much as
they may, no farmer has yet received
as much as dollar for bushel OF
wheat Such agriculturists as j. Pier
pont Morgan have sold wheat for even
more than 81, but the average farmer
has been lucky If he got 70 cents. The
general depression Of prices by the OPP
Grafton of the gold standard Is all that
prevents farmers from receiving 81 per
bushel for their wheat today. The
overthrow of the gold bugs would make
prosperity general instead of combining
1t to such exclusive localities as Wall
Street.
There is not leading advocate Of
the gold standard in the United States
who dares to publicly give his true rea-
son for demanding that gold should be
retained as the sole metallic base Of
our monetary system, says the Nation
al Bimetalllst. Those who know any
thing about the subject are fully aware
that gold is constantly rising in its
exchange value. That 1t will all the
time buy more and more, except when
some unusual thing occurs to temper
arily raise the price of some particular
commodity, as in the case Of wheat
at the present time. They know that
as money increases in purchasing pow
err the only beneflciaries are the hold
ers of fixed incomes, and those whose
interest in money exceeds their inter-
ests in all other things combined. They
know that what benefits these classes
in such a way must injure all others
Finally, they know that If they were to
declare that they were seeking to far
Their enrich those who are already the
richest, they would be buried out of
sight at the very first election. So the
millionaires and mutimillionaires, to-
gether with their subordinate shouters,
pretend that they want the gold stand
ard (honest money, as they call iD in
the interest of the widow and the or
phan, the hod carrier and the washer
woman. This is a palpable fraud. 1t
should deceive nobody, and should con-
vince every thinking man that the gold
standard has no valid defense.
o0,Nrc EpOM THE pPECS