Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1909-05-20
Sandspring Farm.
May 9, 1909.
ED. REPUBLICAN,

ED. NhPUBl.lSAN.~
Every one feels the effect OF high
prices, and in the brush or on the prairie
we must either reduce our expenses by
lowering our standard of living, or go in
debt. This is because we have very little
to sell, and the service we render through
our labor to society is either not wanted,
or is not paid sufficient wage. Gold
being the standard as medium of ex-
change, it is evident that the man who
produces a dollars worth of wheat or
corn, has earned it by bis labor. OF
course he gets it from the ground, as he
gets everything else he needs. What
would happen, do you think, if a con-
pany would acquire dollar in gold for
every SIS cents they expended What
would be the inevitable result if you or
could produce in one gold mine in one
year $50, o0O,0 900 worth of gold costing
us 5b cents per dollar? We could pay
sos, 900, 600 in dividends, and this very
thing was done in the African Rand
mines in 1908. When we know that
large quantities of gold are mined in
America and Australia, the overproduc.
tion Of an article which is the medium of
the exchange Of labor becomes apparent,
and the consequence of our production
being cheapness, it follows surely that
prices are to remain high; excepting the
price of labor, which must also rise, if
revolution is to be avoided. It is not
only the men who own gold mines that
make dollar every time they expend Sc
cents, the copper inch make it, and the
owners of business sites in large cities,
the telephone and telegraph holdars OF
make an immense profit, the beneiciaries
of the tariff get many dollars in this way.
Blu, I, in the brush, who raise wheat or
corn, and labors one dollars worth every
time get the corn or wheat. can't get
ahead. The rich farmer farther west who,
with machinery, can raise wheat at Cts.
busliel, is driving the smaller land
holders to Canada, and Uncle Sam is
writing us letters to know what he can
do to benefit our condition.
The changes above mentioned have
come about so gradually that we consider
them the natural order of events indeed I,
that is just what they are, If g machine
| doubles your crop, your land rises III
value, SC does the rent; that is plain and
fair. Consider nov that in the produc
ton of wealth labor, land and capital arc
the only possible factors; and if we want
square deal in the distribution oi the
wealth produced we must be fair and
plain, my mine, for example, yields 100
dollars day, the capitalist gets % dol
lars, get 70 dollars and the man who
does the work, labor, gets FIVE dollars; so
this is neither fair nor is it plain, but the
conviction, as l said before, has grown
npon us so gradually, that we think there
can be no remedy. IF fire was coming 10
your fence or house you would not be
idle; our economic condition is worse
than a fire, it affects our wives, onr
children and IL we strive not to check
or destroy the cause of all this distur-
bance, we shall suffer for it; to allow the
robbing of labor in the share of wealth
produced, is to rob the widow, to beggar
the orphan, to foster the sluus, to drive
strong men to drink, to suicide, it is a
sin against the Holy Ghost? What viii
we dor Vote for prohibition? This is
Just what the owners of natures bounti-
full supply tell us. What then' Vote for
local option in taxation, and when the
division Of wealth takes place once q
year let labor get share and capital a
share after deducting for taxes the Stare
Of land which is now the share takea by
the monopolist So the fire VIII be
checked and production and d"".1nd
will both increase, it can not h'l mi
be that way. The farmer viii "' no
more taxes than he does "o~ II tis
dead su,e. WokSiNrh I,