The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-24
MUST SETTLE CURRENCY
FARMERS EXPECT REPUBLICANS TO
DO 1T, SAWS JOHN WINGATE.
Some Sound observations ON the We'll
fare of the Party-Agricul-
turists and Banks.

John c. Wingate talked very interestingly
to Journal reporter yesterday upon the
relation of the farmer to the Republican
party. on the currency question and upon
the probable results of the next campaign
in Indiana. Mr.. Wingate is best known here
as the man who so adroitiy managed the
campaign of Governor Mount for the Re-
publican nomination in 1856. He resides at
Wingate, Ind, and nearly all his time is
devoted to travelling in the interest of a
| thresher concern, and his business is done
almost exclusively with farmers. The ter
ritory he covers runs from Dallas to Win
nipeg and from Denver to Boston.
The Republicans will carry this State
without any question" said Mr.. Wingate
| IF the campaign is made upon distinct ma
| tional issues. If it is permitted to drift to
local issues the result will be questionable
| but if the people are made to understand
that the important thing to go after is the
seat in the Senate and the congressional
delegation, and the Republicans stand
squarely upon the issue of sound currency
and nominate men who have the courage of
their convictions and stand squarely upon
that platform, we shall win. 1t is likely
that the Democratic state convention will
declare for free silver, and 1 sincerely hope
~ Wllls lOL bHdL Will LClp 10 III lHdhiIl6 Tic
issue.
Nothing could do our party so much good
as to have Congress take up the currency
question at this session and fix it with the
same wisdom and promptness that it did
the tariff question. The masses of the peo-
pie are pleased with the way the admins
tration and Congress took up the Dingley
bill and stayed with the job until it was fin
ished. That sort of thing gives the people
confidence. Now they want to take up this
currency question, and deal with 1t In the
same prompt and straightforward fashion.
The currency is all right as long as the bal
ance of trade is in our favor and the reve-
nues of the government are all right But
let us have two seasons of bad crops and
so few imports that the government is hard
up, and the way Is open at once for any big
banking syndicate of New York or Lon
don to come in and drain the treasury of
| gold and start panic and cause another
| period of hard times. Congress shoulds fix
| this, and our party should not wait until
| the people of the country rise up and drive
| us to it. In order to give our party credit
| for it, it should be done without delay. !
| do not believe in letting things drift. When
things drift they go Democratic and then
| there is trouble, and when the situation gets
too desperate the people rise up and ask the
Republican party to take charge. That's
what they asked us to do last year on the
| currency question. You know and know
| that while the tariff was an issue in TIE
| last campaign, the money question was the
| great issue, and thousands of Democrats
voted for Mckinley, not because they ilked
him or liked our tariff policy but because
| they thought he was a safer man to take
| charge of the finances of the country than
Bryan. If we allow things to drift we shall
| allow them to drift into the Democratic
party. The currency is all right so long
| as the Republican party is In charge, put
| the Republican party may be defeated some
| time, and our Republican business men and
| farmers will still be living, and the thing
| to do is to protect their business interests
now while we can.
FARMERS TALKING CURRENCY.
'You would be surprised to know that I
| hear much more talk upon the currency
| question among farmers in the country than
| L do among the merchants in towns, They
study more and think more about the sub
| ject. The present generation of merchants
| has forgotten the days of red dog money,
| but the farmer remembers very well hear
| ing his father tell about the days before
| the war, when he sold his hogs one day
and went to the store the next day to buy
| groceries, and saw the clerk take down O
book to find out how mucn his money was
/
! force on this money question. He wants
| the best prices he can get for his products,
| but he wants it, above all, in good money,
| and when he stocks up his farm with breed
| ing cattle or breeding hogs he wants to be
| able to calculate with reasonable certainty
| upon what he can do when these cattle
/ or hogs are ready for the market. While
| the merchant has to look ahead from one
1 season to another, the farmer has to look
| two or three years ahead, and ne wants sta
! bility.
| And the farmer has the courage of his
| convictions. When he makes up his mind
| that thing is right he does not care who
| knows 1t, and he stays with IT, LOOK az
| Ohio. While the Democrats got in their
work in the cities upon local questions, the
| farmers in the country kept their eye on the
main point and saved the day for the Re-
| publicans. Let me also call your attention
| to the fact that right after the 81. Louis
| convention last year, while you city pollti-
/ clans were standing on the street corners
/ and hedging a bit on the SILVER question,
| afraid to express your real sentiments out
| loud we out in the country were pldcking
/ the golden rod from the fence corners and
wearing 1t in our hats; we were wrapping
| the trappings of our horses In yellow punt
| ing; we were dressing our daughters IN
| yellow we were having gold parades and
| we were fiinging the yellow rag TO the
breeze on every OCCASION; we were LOT sU USo
yellow gold, ana we ala not care WIN
Now, the farmer may not thoroughly un-
| derstand the principles of the money quesss
| me, l do not believe the average merchant
! in town knows a bit more, but he knows
| what is good money and what is bad and
| he wants to see this Republican administra-
| ton and Congress give us a currency tnat
| will not fuctuate or be in danger, no mat
| ter what comes along in the way OF pont-
| ical changes or bad crops. And II this mon
1 etary commission that Is now at work can
| suggest something in the way OF better
| ban<ing facilities in the West ana south,
| nobody will appreciate it any more quickly
! than the farmer. / know little apout
| the banking business in the West. In the
| early days across the Mississippi there Were
| a good many bankers who We're ROBBERS,
| and the prejudice against them mas soine
1 substantial ground in fact but the main
! trouble lies right here when the crops Pc
| DIN 10 move the country banker nndS a DIE
! Demand for loans from people who are puy-
| ing and shipping grain, stock wool ana
| other farm products. He cannot Keep all
| the wear round a big supply OF M ney on
/ hand for il would lie idle eight mcnths.
| When the crop movement comes on ne
/ got 10 send to the money centers ana get
| them to ship him currency. IT costs hlnl
| ar per cent. and when he loans IL 10
| me at { per cent and pays the shpplng
| charges both ways, ne is not MAKING any
/ money on the DEAL but he IS charslns l,iv
more interest than / ought TO have 70 pay
/ when money is going begging for local DOT
| rowers in New York at per cent. NOW,
| the bankers credit is good, ana II tnsls
| was some plan by which he couid ISSUE
| enough currency to meet the demand during
| those special periods and, then call II IN,
| it seems to me he could AFFORD 10 lenu me
| what / need at per cent.