The Farmington times. [volume] (Farmington, Mo.) 1874-1902, 1899-06-22
The Cause of Free Silver.
FARMERS AND SILVER.
Honss Drought Sat" the ccunirS Lass
Wear ~ the Industry OF Our
AKrtcntsurtatn,

Once more the farmers Of America
have thrown themselves into the breach
and saved the country from bankrupt
cy. Our total exports for 1855 amount.
ed 20 Si.2tO, 2gi.0i3, Of which enormous
sum Ss5s, SU7,alg wcrr for agricultural
p.. luctH. II will be seen al once that
the produce supplied by our farmers
brought nearly three times NJ much
money into the country M al the other
induktries combined. And a large part
Of u remained here TO benefit our peu-
Pile. for our agricultural exports cN'
ccedcd the value 81 imports Of the same
class by sttt.2lG.I46. This b. on average
Of more than 81 81 foreign coin for each
individual In the United States that the
farmers brought into this country and
kept here. for the single year 81 is9s.
II b. more than the total amount oi
money that was tn circulation among
the people before the crops Of 1898 were
sold The farmers have therefore,
more ihuu doubled our medium Of eN-
change ia twelve m0nthk. This khoHa
The importance 81 the agricultural In.
tercsts 81 the United State, aud die
tingushcs the industry hat should re-
cr,yr the largest need 81 protection aud
encouragement.
The single standard organs are using
the above facts as az argument against
the reconciliation uf silver. They con
tend that, as W. nuiv produced nm AVER
ngc Of little over $40 100000 ~ silver
annually syhar that natnl vas an an
equnlity with gold. and the farmers dig
"a net balance Of more than half billion
IN gold ont ~ the ground In n single
year the silver question loses iis i'm
portance aud dWindlrs into insignif-
rnucc. hut why should we throw away
our SgO. 900. 900 Of silver? And worse
still why should wc sell the silver that
We do prodncc tn foreign money
changers for onr-half H. value, and
thus enable them 10 use " NJ iis full
value In purchasing agricultural prod.
uctr and manufactured articles In silver
using countries that compete with uE
thereby reducing the prices Of the prod.
ucts 81 our own citizens III the same
ratio2 This Is the real question, The
value Of our silver product for iS9s. at
the present boom price, was littl"
over s3j,GUn0oU II was purchased for
some millions less 10y the London money
dealers. because they bought before the
rise in price. and they used Il ut H. full
value ~ nearly S5uU0O.00o IN the pur.
chase 81 hrcndstuHs from countries
that compete with our farmers. there.
by driving down the prices ~ iarr7
products iu this country many millions
Of dollars. II silver had been rcmon.
ctizcd and brought 10 Uur the farmers
instead OF netting half billion Of for.
cign gold for their crops NJ lsgS would
have uettcd mnre than u billion. and our
citizens generally would have saved the
So. 900 .0Gu in silver which oar tory nd.
ministration collnsiyely permitted the
Jews Of London to steal from them.
These are the real issues.
There are also others. Stability Of
prices u worth considering. aud this
can only be- secured los q staple and In.
rreasing medium ~ exchange. equal 10
the increase Of population. Shall We
depend for our prosperity on foreign
crop failures and famiucs, when a
stable and increasing currency would
sustain prices and give us prosperity
MI the time? The thing 10 do Is 10
come io our senses end act with un.
pre- judiced wisdom instead Of being
controlled by party spite and narrow
mudeduesA. Mississippi Valley Dem
ocfat.