The herald., 1897-03-01

await an average fall Of over 2A per
cent yearly"
owing to the use of machinery and the
abandonment of domestic husbandry In
favor of production for market, farm
ing, like everything else, has been more
and more encroached upon by the capi-
talist. Borrowing, therefore, became a
necessity 20 the farmer, with the result
that by the year 1864 the bona fide farm
ers of this country had piled up Sc
cured debt of 81, 1856, 900, 900. Hence with
the price of commodities being forced
down by currency that appreciated at
the rate of 21k per cent per annum, 1t can
readily be seen on whom the great bur-
den of this iniquity has fallen. Prices
In four years have toppled and fallen
% per cent. In one administration more
than $4,000. .O0O, 900 have been added to
the real weight of the debt extant in the
United States"
Notwithstanding the fact that our
exports have exceeded our imports the
past two years by the enormous and
wholly unprecedented sum of s4oo, 900, 900
we have a country impoverished in the
midst of plenty!
"And what" asks Prof. Ross, "is the
good Of it all? If the gold standard
were the Holy Grail the producer
might acquiesce in his immolation. But
we have Joined the f1agellants in order
to please the sellers of whips!"
True. the Republican leaders know
this, else we should not now be enjoying
the hilarious spectacle of Lodge, an
Allison, a Chandler, and senile Hoar
spouting and pirouretting to the dulcet
and familiar strains of bi-metallism
while those plutocratic nondescripts
who have Joined hands under the i'm
possible title Of gold Democrats" look
on in holy horror. All of which is very
amusing, though we can but wonder how
long the public will continue to applaud
and pay to see the show.
The other causes of social discomfort
may be briefly summarized as folloEs:
First-Taxation, wherein the facts
brought to light by the Illinois bureau
of labor statistics show that cities es-
cape their fair share Of the common
burden; that the personal property Of
the wealthy is not returned by the as
SCISSOR; that all kinds of corporations
get off for little or nothing. and that in
Chicago SPECTATORS vacant lands are
assessed at a twentieth of their true
value, luxurious residences at a thir-
tieth, big business blocks at an eleventh.
and a cheap residence at sixth.
second-Protection whereby manufac-
turers have been protected and the la
borers have not.
Third-The judiciary. Between 1886
and 1896 nearly one-half Of the social,
economic and labor laws were over
thrown by the courts. Many see In this
"ths resolve to throttle at all hazards
that needed adjustment of law to the
evolution of society which thwarts the
schemes of aggregated wealth"
Fourth-Plutocracy. In the close re-
Iations of certain railroads, municipal
monopolies, trusts and banks. and the
recurrence of certain names in the di-
rectorates of many corporations, the
fear is gaining ground that few hun
dred magnates are growing together in
to a plutocracy that is constant men
ace to a republican government. Many
Americans believe they can make out
behind q treasury ruling, an attorney
generals opinion the theft Of public
document, a mail subsidy an appoint
ment on the interstate commerce COM
mission, a sale Of bonds at nine and one
half millions less than real value, a
promotion to the supreme bench, SUI
gar item in the Wilson bill, the defeat
of postal telegraphy, and the election of
an Ohio senator, one and the same cor
rupting influence -" that has come
vaguely to be known as the money
power or Wall street."