Natchitoches populist., 1898-09-02
FINANCIAL ALLEGORY.
ILLUSTRATING THE PRESENT
PLIGHT OF THE PEOPLE.
Exactly the Way In Which the Usurers
Have Fooled the Debtor Ciasses--Jus-
tice for the Masses Is Not Re-
pudiation.

Under stress of extraordinary cir
cumstances the farmers (people) of
certain country became very largely
indebted to the grain dealers of the
world
The Indebtedness was Of various
kinds and payable in different ways.
After time, at the suggestion and for
the better security of the grain deal
ers, law was enacted making all OF
the debts payable in grain at fixed
prices for each kind.
The term grain had previously been
legally defined TO mean wheat and
corn, each of specified measure, weight
end quality.
The grain dealers were very intelli-
gent. They had great wealth and large
experience, hence they had great infu-
ence with those literary, legislative,
and other agencies which mould public
opinion and control legislation; they re-
allied their great power, and were will
ing to use 1t to procure the enactment
of laws which would inure to their
profit, and to influence the people to
acquiesce in such laws and such con-
struction OF them In future as they
. might ask.
They understood fully that the uni
versal law of supply and demand de-
termines the market value of all COM
modities. hence if they could largely
lessen the use and demand for one kind
of grain, 1t would diminish it's price
while the price OF that which must
supply Its place and use would be in
creased
They therefore used their great in
f1uence to procure the enactment in
many countries OF law that corn
should not be used as food for cattle,
hogs or horses, This, of course,
caused the use ard demand for corn to
be much less, and that for wheat much
greater, for all were obliged to use
wheat only, where both corn and
wheat had been used before.
Thus, although the culture and pro-
daction of wheat largely increased as
compared with that of corn, the price
of wheat went UP while that of corn
as measured in wheat went down, I'M
ri tho m orkot pr;oa IF corn os ~ aae
ured In wheat was about half as much
as before their "corn laws" were en-
acted, although q, bushel of corn would
still pay for nearly as much property
other than wheat as 1t would before
Meantime the grain dealers had
quietly but successfully used their in
fiuence to have men Of their own num-
Der or those who would favor paying
all debts in wheat placed in control
Of the farmers business.
Many friends of the farmers main
tanned that 1t would be just and legal
to pay their debts in corn or wheat
But the grain dealers and those whom
they had placed In control exclaim
"Oh! no, not so, we allow, for we can.
not deny, that payment In corn would
be legal, but 1t would not be near sc
well for us as payment in wheat
You farmers are too proud, too patri
otto and too honest to wish to pay vi
in anything but that which is best fol
us. We trust that you can be made
to believe it would be almost like repu
diation to pay US In corn. We know
you would scorn to even seem to repu
date any part Of your debts. We hope
you will be willing to keep us and oul
friends In control Of your business 81
that we can be sure to get our pa.
wholly In wheat. What ought thu
farmers to do? What will they do?
Suppose 1t Is suggested to the grail
dealers that the farmers are proud
patriotic, and honest; that, being so
they would scorn to repudiate any hon
est debt; that they wish to, and will
pay their debts honestly and In full, blu
In order that they may be able to do s.
1t may be well to allow them to plac
disinterested men In control of thei
business, and II they shall decide t
pay debts partly In wheat and partl
In corn, the grain dealers can saw
themselves from lDss on corn by re
pealing the law discriminating agains
corn, thus restoring 1t to its norma
value as compared with wheat.
n. w. METCAT.F