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About The alliance. (Lincoln, Nebraska) 1889-1889 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 30, 1889)
THE ALLIANCE. PUBLISHED EVtfiY SATURDAY MORNING. i$r tiie ALLIANCE PUBLISHING CO. BOHANNAN BLOCK, Lincoln, - - - Nebraska. J. BURROWS, : J, M. THOMPSON, : . Editor, Associate Editor. All communications for the raTorI,?,1,d le addressed to THE ALLIANCE PUBLISH ING CO., aud all matters pertaining to the Farmers' Alliance, Ineludittr subscriptions to the pape, to the Secretary. E 3D ITORIA.L. ' A CtSTOMS UNION. The pan-American delegates have at last got through'-with their outing, and are leisurely getting ready for business. Having ridden over a large portion of the continent they must appreciate the extent of 'our' country.; They have viewed our great cities, inspected our magnificent buildings, looked through our public institutions, criticised and admired and flattered our fair women, and have been wined and feted by the select four hundred snobs who form the thin upper crust which must be broken i. , mt of rrpninnft heart of 4IU VJWil i.r . L. tv .v - - American society. After all this, if they are ready now to get down to real business without a long soak in cold towels they are a remarkably good lot of men. One of the subjects which has been named for their meeting is a customs union. They will have no more diffi cult question to deal with. Undoubted ly, from every economic and statesman like point of view, the great desidera tum of all the countries of this western hemisphere, is free and unrestricted in terchange of t heir natural products and their manufactures. But the legislation of the past has apparently had for its object the restriction of such an inter change. We have all of us been taxing the productions of our neighbors, and some of us are foolish enough to believe that in so doing we are getting the as sistance of these neighbors in paying our running expenses. We have all es tablished vexatious and expensive regu lations to prevent the fruits of our neighbors' industry, or the bounties of their soil and climate, from being brought across our borders without pay ing the legal impost. Y e have estab lished a network of custom houses along every national line, and employ an ex pensive army of .. inspectors to prevent the farmers of these countries from swapping- diamond . rings when they shake hands across the border. The existing restrictions between the coun tries of the western hemisphere are axdies of a barbarous age, when the principles of trade were not understood, and when it was believed that a tax up- Oil a CC ri$llll iHllllC IW I UJIUll lu- then owners of that article, instead of a means by which their profits could be enhanced. While we have established lines 01 custom nouses, .England nas es tablished lines of steamships. ' The re- isult of these respective policies may mow be seen in the condition of trade between us and our near neighbors, and between them and England. The latter vountry comes to our very doors and takes the lion's share of the trade that naturally, by location, similarity of in stitutions,' and the laws of necessity, be longs to us. As a progressive and expansive na tion, desiring for the use of our laborers and mechanics the raw material with which our neighbors are so richly en flowed, and desiring unrestricted mar kets for whatever we may have to sell, we must desire to annex all the coun tries of this western hemisphere. We lo not desire to assume their debts, to influence their local laws, nor interfere with their local police. At the same lime, to annex them for purposes of trade it -would be necessary for us and them to take an interest in certain na tional laws and regulations affecting trade. Now -how is this great national -desideratum to be accomplished? .Take the case of Canada, for instance. Of what would a customs union between this country and Canada consist? 1st, Of absolute free trade between this coun try and Canada, with customs regula tions which.- would prevent smuggling into this country through Canada. 2nd, Of the admission into our congress, and into the Dominion parliament, of commissioners from each country, who should have a vote and voice on all in ternational tjtjiestions, and no other. The same principle would apply to our southern neighbors. These two princi ples practically applied would make a trade confederation extending from the Straits of Magellan to the Arctic ocean, and would weld the people of these two continents into a homogenous race that would rule. the world. The absurdity-of maintaining a line of custom houses betweeen this country and the British North American pro vinces may be shown by a summary of the trade letween these provinces and the United States for almost any year. We will take 1887, that being the latest date' to which we have official treasury returns: Total imports from British North American provin ces for 1887, were $33,015,581 Total exports to same pro-; vinces for same year $30,162,847 Balance of trade in our fa- ' -imv 41 Q-JQ 1)9"' Now, the total trade between these provinces and the United States, except the sum of $1,853,237, was an exchange of products. But in order to effect that exchange our importers have paid jx luty on the total imports, and the im porters on the other side have done the same thing for their side, while the to tal net result is the, duty to the U. S. on the amount of the balance. The total um of this balance would probably not pay the expense of the two lines of cus tom houses for that year. Add to this foolishness all the irritation caused by these imports, the delay in the receipt of goods, the actual prohibition of trade that takes place, and the curtailing of the market for our manufactures, and the extent of the folly of this system may be seen. And this is repeated, on ly on a smaller scale, between us and every country in this hemisphere. Let the United States annex Canada, by allmeans, and the South American republics as well. The plan we have proposed will accomplish it, but in or der to adopt it we must give as well as receive. It never can be done by a high protective tariff. The Knights of Labor and the Single . Tax. ... It is announced that the General As sembly of the K. of L., at its late ses sion at Atlanta, adopted a declaration in favor of the single tax on land val ues. If this is true and wo. have no reason to doubt it it is a fatal blunder. The single tax idea is an attractive but deceitful fallacy. Based alone on the theory that land belongs to the commu nity, it assumes 'that rent, or the use of land, may be taken by the community for its annual use, and that the general result of this would be to place all taxa tion upon landlords, and relieve labor ers and small farmers entirely, or al most entirely, from its burdens. Never did a greater fallacy obtain so many supporters. The error of the idea is fundamental; and it would seem as though a fair understanding of the ba sic principles of the creation of wealth and of taxation, would enable any or dinary mind to detect its fallacy. No matter how, or upon what, taxes may be laid, they are never paid out of accu mulated capital, but are always paid out of current labor, or current produc tion. Kent has no existence separate from labor. It is the annual creation of labor. With interest undisturbed, the more of the annual production of labor which is taken for public use the less there will be left for the laborer. The single tax men propose to take all rent. To those who are renters ulone, and intend always to remain such, it would make little difference whether they paid their sent to a landlord or the community, providing the amount Avas not increased. But to all those laboring men w ho wish to own their own homes, and to all farmers who own the land they till, and. are thus their own landlords, the difference would be vital. They would be com pelled to pay to the" community the rent that should remain in their own pock ets. The idea so strenuously urged by Mr. George that exemption from other tax ation under his system would more than compensate for the confiscation of all rent, is quite as fallacious as the other idea that such confiscation would re lieve labor, as the following figures will show. Annual taxes are estimated to-day as" follows: Local, $313,000,000; national $312,000,000. Total $025,000,- 000. Annual rent of land is estimated now at $2,000,000,000, or an excess over present taxation of $1,375,000,000. Con nect the above with the pregnant fact, that to prevent the holdiug of land for speculative purposes, and thus open the so-called natural opportunity of access to land to all persons, it is necessary TO TAKE ALL KENT IN TAXATION, and some adequate idea of the relief from taxation which will be experienced by laborers through the single tax, may be had. It is unfortunate that just at this time when the Knights endorse the single tax, Mr. Herbert Spencer, the eminent economist upon whose writings more than any other man's Mr. George leaned when Avriting Progress and Poverty, should repudiate the application which is being made of his theories. In his letter to the Loudon Times of Nov. 9th, conveying this repudiation, he says: "There is no reason to think, that the "substituted form of administration "would be better than the existing form "of administration. The belief that land "would be better managed by public of "ficials than it is by private owners .is a "very wild belief." The Demorest Medal. We publish this Aveek the scheme for the Demorest contest. Considerable in terest in this contest has been excited in this state by the fact that a little girl of Republican City Avon the large gold medal in the contest at Norfolk, and the diamond medal in the contest at the national meeting of the W. C. T. U. at Chicago. The idea of the Demorest contest is certainly a fine one. While cultivating literary taste and talent, and drilling the young contestants in elocution and oratory, it makes them for the time the expounders of genuine temperance principles and arguments. It also may in many cases bring the liquor seller to hear his own children advocate temper ance principles in their competition, when he could not be induced to listen to any one else. THAT NEMAHA TRINITY AG AIN. That, precious trio Hoavc, Majors and Stull, got scooped down in Nemaha county, on the Gth. Turnip bitters couldn't save them. Hoavc and Majors ought to be made to sleep together for a year. Stull ought to be whipped for being in bad company. If they were' to be crucified Stull should be in the mid dle. We would be glad to state our opinion of Church Howe, but the lan guage isn't adequate. If any new words come in Avithin a year which express all the villainy that has ever been con densed into language heretofore, Ave'll save them up, and boil them doAvn, and if avc can get a sufficient number to gether Ave may some time put some ad equate notion of this roan Howe into plain English. - Tins paper is the best advertising medium west of the Mississippi river. SILVER BULLION CERTIFICATES. The Omaha Bee of Nov. 20th has an editorial under the above caption into which are crowded as many inaccura cies and misconceptions as to money and the silver question, and the relation of bullion to money, as there are sen tences in it. It is amazing how a man of the ability and penetration of Mr. Rosewater can employ a waiter who will pile up rot in this manner. After saying that the secretary of the treasury might favor bullion certifi cates, it adds: It is not known upon what basis of value he would have such certificates issued and redeemed, that is, whether they should repre sent the coinage or the market value of the bullion, but perhaps this is not a matter of very gTeat importance, since for all the pur poses of circulation the certificate would un der any circumstances represent and have the purchasing: power of a dollar." If the editor will explain how and why, "under any circumstances," a bullion certificate would have the pur chasing power of a dollar, he will con fer a favor. How would such a certifi cate be money at all? Suppose the gov ernment buys up wheat at its market value now and then, and stores it in government warehouses, and issues cer tificates upon it, just as the warehouse men do. Would such certificates "rep resent and have the purchasing power of a dollar?" And if not, why not? Bullion is a commodity, and so is wheat. Both have variable prices on the mar ket. Neither are .money, in any sense of the word. It is certificates of dollars this country wants, not certificates of bullion, or wheat, or any other prop erty. In four separate and distinct places in a half-column article the Bee writer al- hides to the expense to the government of the coinage of silver dollars, which lie says would bo saved by issuing bullion certificates. If this editor had read The Alliance last week he would have learned that Ave now coin each year $33,000,000 out of $24,000,000 Avorth of silver, making $9,000,000 gross profit in the operation. The writer ought to know enough of coinage to knoAV that even if cent per cent of bullion A-alue is put into a coin, which it neA'er is, the al loy more than pays, the expense of coin age. . -: ' The expedient of bullion certificates is au invention' of the money poAver to continue the demonetization of silver and contract the volume of dollars. If Mr. Stewart eA er favored it, as the Bee says he did, but Avhich Ave doubt, it was simply as a concession to the mining in terests of Nevada, and to make a market for siher bullion, and not as a sound financial measure. The editor asks: "Why should the government continue to coin dollars that do not pret into circulation, ever' one of which represents a tax on the people to the amount of the cost of its coin age?" The last clause aa'c ha e already an swered. To the first clause Ave would say, because the people need dollars to increase the price of their Avheat, corn, pork, beef, bullion, and other property. Because the contraction of the volume of dollars has brought the country to the verge of ruin, and caused the bank ruptcy of many a good business man. As to the silver ' dollars not going into circulation, and not being wanted by the people, that is a lie. If the govern ment certifies that it will pay one sih er dollar on presentation of course it has to hold that dollar until the certificate is presented. But that dollar, through the certificate, is performing the functions of money just as completely as though it was itself in circulation. The Bland bill went into effect Feb. 28, 1878. From and including that date to Jan. 1. 1888, there had been coined 289,731,150 silver dollars. The statement of the secre tary of the treasury for June, 1889, shows that there were then in circula tion of gold certificates $116,792,759, and of silver certificates, $257,895,204. These facts effectually dispose of the lie that the people do not want the silver. Of course they prefer the certificates, but they Avill take all of either them or the hard dollars they can get, or of anj- thing else that is money. THE NEW PARTY. We print this week a. letterfrom Mr Stebbins, of Buffalo county, in regard to a neAV party. It seems now as though the many factions will soon be driven together into a neAv party by the mere logic of events and force of circum stances. s We have little sympathy with the efforts of every little clique Avho have a special ism to form a neAA- party in which their pet hobby will be the leading idea.. If neAv parties would save the country we must noAv Jm? very near regeneration, as Ave have tAvo or three on each corner and seA'eral in the middle. When it becomes apparent to the people that the republican and dem ocratic parties are both dominated by the monopoly poAver, as they are, and Avheu the people arc prepared to drop immaterial side issues and write on one or tAvo or three leading and vital points, the factions will come together, and the neAv party Avill come to stay. Until that time tariff and the bloody shirt Avill be Hung before the people like a red rag before a bull, and the money poAver and the railroad monopolists Avill Avork their schemes and make the laws to suit themselves. On one thing Ave Avish to be distinctly understood. The Alliance is not a par tisan society, and Ave protest against it being changed to- a political party or used for political ends. Fanners of all parties are invited to join it on the ex press ground that it is non-partisan in its character. To induce therrii;o join on this plea, and then turn it into a po litical party, would be a great breach of faith, to say the least. But it would do much more. ,It would destroy the Alli ance as a distinctively farmers' society. On the other hand, if joining the Alli ance educates men in the direction of political independence, t we consider that a good Avork, and may God speed ii. INSURANCE. We publish this week an article from the IoAva Homestead in regard to mu tual insurance in IoAA'a. At its annual meeting the Alliance of this state took some initiatory action in this matter, by first asking the legislature to amend the laAV relating to mutual insurance com panies, and by appointing a committee to investigate the whole question. A much needed amendment tj the law was secured, though not all that Avas asked. The proposition of the Dakota Alliance to establish a branch insurance department in this state was for some time under consideration, and has de layed the establishment of an insurance department by the Executive Board of the StateAlliance. We believe Ave can now safely assure the members of the Alliance that action on this matter Avill be had soon after the St. Louis meet ing. The plan adopted will be as liberal and inexpensiA e as is possible, and it is hoped that all members of the Alliance who need insurance will aA-ail them selves of it as soon as presented, so that insurance, may be made effective at once. ' , CITY GUARDIANS. The A'igror and activity of the real estate ex change promises to supply what the city has long needed, a representative body of citizens to vigilantly guard the interests of Omaha. Bee. The above is enough to make a horse laugh. To select a society of real es tate speculators to "guard the interests" of a city is just too awful funny for any thing. The men who make poor men's homes impossible, Avho raise rents to the skies, who increase the cost of liv ing in all lines, who meet every stranger at the gate and size up his pile and con spire with each other to get it to set such a crowd to guard a city's interests is. very .much 'like setting a hyena to guard a lamb. THE COST OF INSURANCE. From the Iowa Homestead. While the -plan -of mutual insurance among fanners has become the fixed and settled policy in many parts of the West there being, for example more companies than counties in Iowa, and these growing in strength every year an attack is made, every now and then, against the system, in order to mislead and deceive farmers. , The attacks are generally made in counties Avhere there have been, for a year or more, heaA-y losses, amounting, as they often do in some single year, to more than the regu lar rates for the average of fiAe years in stock companies. Local agents, armed Avith this one fact, assail the system, and endeavor to create dissatisfaction among farmers Avho are patronizing, or about to patronize, farmers' mutuals. This, Ave observe, has been the effort recently in Floyd county, IoAva. The ansAver to all this sophistry is to take the history of a company for five or ten years, and then compare this Aviih" the history of other companies, and thus get the aver age of the losses. The rates made by stock companies are based on the aA'er age of losses, plus the cost of doing the business, plus profits on the capital in vested not on this risk, nor that class of risks, but on the business as a whole. The only fair way, therefore, is to com pare the aA-erage of expense incurred by the farmers' mutuals with the average of premiums charged by stock compan ies. ' ' '' To refute the charges made against the Floyd County Mutual, its Secretaiy, Mr. P. Cole, has gone back over the histoiy of that company for eight years and compiled a statement which Avill be read With interest by farmers "every where, as follows: To shoAv the comparative cost of the mutual and stock arrangements, Ave propose to shoAv the farmers of this county the amount of risks in force on the first of January of each year from date of organization in 1880 to January 1st, 1888, and also the assessment in mills for each year; also Avhat it Avould have cost on the same amount in stock companies at their lowest regular rate, which is three mills on the dollar for each and every year; also the amount saA-ed or lost each year by insuring in the Floyd County . Mutual, and the amount of interest at seA-en per cent, on advanced premiums on the risks carried for five years in a stock company: MILLS. COST OF IN SURANCE. 5 1 YEAR. o 00 S 3 S3 3 S 2 X 1880.., 1881... 1882. . , 1883... 1884... 1883... 1886... 1887... f, 325,3851 361,519.i!l 422,562! 1 4 l,5s2 553,7161 , 655,655 34 878,469 3i 1.030,764!! J315.38 970.15 ' 656.07 135.91:1114. Dl " Z7H.64 422.56j 1267. 235.7611 414 "276.85:1661 .68: 845.14 59 1 178.82 141384.29 96 t 327.83 40 219.62 2294.79;! 966 2 856.02! 2 635. 1 030.76 3 092.29 2 061.53 The above exhibit shows that for the eight years the assessments in mills aggregate thirteen mills on the dollar in our Mutual, and tAventy-four mills in a stock company for the same period The amount saved to the farmers of this county in premiums for the first five years amounts to $4,337.55v The. inter est on this amount of premiums paid in adAance amounts to $1,746,16, Avhich, added to $4,337.55, makes $6,083,71. OAving to the heavy losses of 1885-6, the aA-erage amount saved in the last three years is below that of the first period, $1,514,08, and interest for three j-ears $340.72, which makes 31,854,80 saved for the three years, and a grand total of $8, 452.55) for eight years. This exhibit ought to be very satisfactory to every member of "Our Mutual," and ought to receive the careful consideration of eA' ery farmer in Floyd county; for. Avhether a member or not, he is benefited by the Floyd Mutual, not only in the loAver rates offered, but in the more liberal adjustments given in cases of loss. Our statements are backed by the records in the office of the Secretary of the Mutual, Avhich are open to the inspection of ev ery farmer wanting information. In vestigate this matter, instead of accept ing the smooth stories of these stock agents Avho are so anxious to fill their pockets at your expense. It is a fact that if there Avere no County Mutuals in the State Ave vyould all have to pay two per cent or four mills on the dollar for each year, and many are doing so to day. Every fanner should keep insur ed, and there is no company that, for cheapness or reliablity, equals the County Mutual. While stock companies haA-e their helds, and, Avhen properly conducted, are a grea t public benefit, and are, in fact, indispensable in cities and towns, and Avherever risks lack general uni formity, there is no doubt but that the fanners' mutual gives the cheapest and safest insurance on farm risks. A properly-managed farmers' mutual can do the business cheaper than any stock company, and for reasons that are ap parent at a glance. First, it costs the stock company from 'twenty-live to thir ty per cent, as agent's fees to secure the risk, while it costs the fanners' mutual next to nothing. In case of loss, it costs the stock company larger traveling ex penses to adjust the loss, while-' it costs the mutual nothinfr. It costs the stock company the salary of a high-priced ad juster, the mutual the cheap rEit diem or its secretary. The stock company obliged to keep an expensive ofhec ana to make dividends on its stock; the mu tual has a cheap office and no divKlemis. The stock ' company loses constantly from bad notes and bad investments; the mutual does a cash misims, ami has no money to invest, lor these and other reasons, the . establishment of fanners' mutuals is simply a question of the capacity of farmers to organize and do business on business principles. The risk is the same in one class of compan ies as in the other, the amount of losses cannot vary, and the general principles that govern the business are the same. It is simply a question of economical management, and the mutual plan has every advantage When applied to risks, like those on farms, of substantially like character. We do not beleive the mu tual principle can be applied to live stock as against disease or death, nor to city property, nor mixed commercial risks. The stock companies must deal Avith these, and charge enough to pay them for so doing. That "Weak Spot." Some of our exchanges seem disposed to seA-erly criticise certain members of the late Bankers' Convention, Kansas City, because of their expressed desire to have the Treasury notes retired from circulation. Is this criticsm? We think not. Those gentelmen did not go to Kansas city for their health. They did not go there to consult as to the public welfare. They Avent there to look after and consult about f heir oAvn interests. Did they not attend to it all the time! Some of them asserted that "the Treas ury notes constitute the Aveak point in our monetary, system," and that they should be retired. Well, it is true from their standpoint. The Treasury notes do constitute a weak spot in our money system. These notes are the only part of our paper money that costs the peo ple nothing, that pays no tribute to interest-absorbers. And from the stand point of the interest-absorbing profes sion it is an outrage that they should exist. Just think of it. The American people had the free use of those $346,000, 000 of greenbacks for OA-er a quarter of a century to do business on; they have ab solutely used the public credit for the public benefit to that extent Avithout paying any private parties for permis sion to do so. Just think of it! Had those notes been Avithdrawn from circu lation at the close of the Avar and inter est bearing bonds issued instead, as EACH OF OUR PRESIDENTS SINCE THAT TIME HAVE RECOMMENDED, think of Iioav much additional interest our peo ple Avould have the pleasure of paying. Even at 5 per cent it Avould amount to $17,300,000 yearly, or in twenty-live years to $482,000,000 at simple interest. lhink of the number of good men that amount would have made rich! Think of the number of extra millionaires it Avould have created! And there is real ly no excuse for the people in failing to pay this, because there" are any number of gentlemanly interest-absorbers in the country who were ready at all times to fulfill the duties of their profession. And the people would never 'feel the additional burden of a feAv hundred millions, more or less. It is not to be Avondered at, then, that the members of the Kansas City convention, proud of their profession and jealous of its inter ests should be in favor of removing "the one Aveak spot" in our money system. Besides, there are many eminent finan ciers who declare it grossly unconstitu tional for the people to use the public credit for the public benefit. Mr. John J. Knox said in the Kansas City convention that he hoped the last decision of the supreme court upon the legal-tender notes "would be soon re versed." John J. is au interest absorb er, not only by profession, but also by instinct. He judges this world and all the people therein solely by- their ability to pay interest. A people unable to pay a good round rate of interest are to him Avorthless. Where interest is high and secure, is his ideal of a progressive nation. He is therefore always and consistently opposed to every proposi tion to make currency plentiful or to loAver interest. But he is not to blame for this. It is his nature to think thus. He cannot help it. Why, then, should he be criticised for attending strictly to his oavu business? He and his confreres are correct in considering anything weak that cannot bring them a profit. Interest absorbing is a respectable pro fession. It has grown to immense pro portions, and is to-day the most pros perous business in the country. It de seives and should receive the fostering care and protection of the goA ernment. If the government does not exist for that purpose, what does it exist for National Economist. The Northern Pacific railroad Avill furnish the bond market Avith $160,000, 000 worth of coupon bonds bearing 5 per cent and fet run for 100 years. If the greenbackers obtain power, as thev will, and make money as cheap 'as the bankers uoav get it, these bonds will still go on for generations dnuving their 5 per cent a legacy of serfdom for .all who use the roads'. The Atchison, To peka & Santa Fe road has issued $230,- 000,000 of bonds, most of which draw 4 per cent, $80,000,000 5 per cent. Judge Fairall has decided that a legislature cannot reduce railroad charges so Ioav as to make it impossible for the road to pay operating expenses and fixed charg es. If this decision stands, such stu pendous bond selling Avill enable the road forever to charge . all the traffic aviII bear. JOB PRINTING. The Alliance Pub. Co. has just add ed to its outfit a neAv Gordon jobber, and is noAv prepared to do all kinds of job work in a tasteful manner. We have just printed a new edition of the ritual for the State Alliance which for neatness cannot be excelled. Send us your jobs, and we Avell print them as good as th(best, and as Ioav as the Ioav est. Do not send money by postal notes. They are no safer than stamps. Postal notes lost cannot be traced or recovered. Send by express or money order, regis tered letter or bank draft. Johnny Banker. TCNE, TANK" DOODLE. BY PEEKB PI.OWMAM. Johnny Banker came to town, ma purses lull of money; He stuck his eijrn upon the door, M'ho people thought it funny. Chords. Johnny Ban kvr, ha! hn! hn! johnny Ranker's purses; Johnny Banker hai ha! ha! Johnny Banker's purees. Bowing, smiling all. the while, He took us by the hand, Blr: "In need? I am j-our friend indeed, How at your command, sir." Chorus Johnny, etc. Johnnr Banker sowed the land, To rea p a crop of gold si r ; He put his mortgage on it then, A mighty one to hold, sir. Chorus John n-, etc. Johnny Banker said "It's due. Your note, your note is due, sir; The mortgage holds you In my vice, And many more like you, 6ir." Chorus Johnny, etc. Johnny Banker took our land. He charmed us with his purses; We farmers now haATe lost our homes, Tis said, by sad reverses. Chorus Johnn-, etc. Johnny Banker has his crop, The gold is in his purses; The Knights and Farmers all agog . Are giAing Johnny curses. Chorus Johnny, etc. Johnny Banker drank our blood, Oh! Mister Knight of Labor; And when he pierced us to the heart, He used his golden saber. Chorus Johnny, etc. Honest Farmer, whore is he? Oh ! now he's Honest Renter; Johnny Banker holds his house and land, He took it by Per Cent, sir. Chorus Johnny, etc. Johnny Banker, out, get out! We need no more your dealing; i Per cent, per cent, per cent, per cent, Is little less than stealing. Chorus. Johnny Banker, ha ha! ha! Johnny Banker's purses; Johnny Banker, ha! ha! ha! Johnny Banker's CURSES. DEMOREST MEDAL CONTEST HEAU. BU- EDUCATION OF YOUTH IN TIIE PKINCIALES OF TEMPERANCE BY MEAMS OF A SERIES OF ELOCU TIONARY CONTESTS IN WHICH SILVER, (iOLD, AND DIAMOND MEDALS OF HONOR WILL BE AWARDED THE SUCCESSFUL COMPETITORS. The Medal contest Bureau, No. 10 La,t 14th stieet, Iscaa o k aie pieced t() conclmle tlmt tle tt.dci:cy of grain to announce that, through YY . Jennings jrambling is to drive tub amekican Demorest, Avho furnishes the medals fakmeu fkom tiik faum, ani the re free of expense, and suitably inscribed, suit will be that foreign peasantry Avill arrangements have, been made for a se- do our farming, i e., a class of people riesof elocutionary contests in .which , young persons of either sex, under twenty-one years of age, are invited to recite before an audience in some school- room, church, church parlors, lecture- large land holdings and bring the meth rnnm or h ill ods practiced in Ehghmd to America. ' " nil . it ...Ml i ,. 4. 1 rp., . P . . The arrangements for these contests are as follOAVS: A competing class to consist of eight or ten, but in no case less than six. The selections to be taken exclusively from the book of recitations, which can be procured for ten cents per copy. A public meeting to be arranged, for which these recitations will form the programme, which may be interspersed Avith music. Three disinterested per- . sons, of mature age, are to be chosen to act as judges, for whom suitable blanks Avill be furnished free. At the close of the programme, the competitor who has, by the decision of the judges, been awarded the prize, Avill be presented with a handsome silver medal in a satin- lined morocco case. Other classes can be formed, but all contests arranged must be lor uinerent dates. ro hcav medal -will -be sent until' a certificate signed by judges and chairman has been received, nrovidincr that the nreeedini? contest nas oeen properly conducted. vhen eight or more have obtained silver medals, these may form another class to compete for a gold medal under the same conditions. And again, eight or more who have received gold medals may, in tiie same manner, enter into a contest for a larger gold medal. And m like manner, eicrht or more holdini? this larger gold medal may compete for a diamond medal, which is a handsome gold medal set Avith diamonds. At each contest the speakers are to learn new pieces.. No one holding a medal shall corn pete the second time for the same kind of a medal. Those who Avin silver med- ver medals may compete tAvice for the first gold medal, but only one trial Avill be alloAved contestants for the large gold and the diamond medals To give all young people an opportu nity to compete for these honorable tro phies, ooys or girls m any school, pub lic or private, Sunday or secular. Hand of Hope, -Loyal Temperance Legion, J m-cmie temple, Section of Cadets, or iithor institution frv tlio vminf i(lxr singly or in connection Avith others, can arrange for one or more contests As soon as a class has been formed and the date fixed, notice should be sent to the Medal Contest Bureau, and the medal Avill be forAvarded so as to be presented at the time of the Contest Do not send for medals by postal card. Pastors, parents, teac hers, officers and members of the W. C. T. U., leaders of temperance and religious organizations, and all others others interested in the young, are kindly invited to get up these Contests, co-operate in this movement, and encourage the children under their direction or control to learn the pieces and participate in the competitions. Medals, Recitations, and all informa tion can be obtained on application to Mns. Charlotte F. Woodbukv, General Superintendent, 10 East 14th Street, New. York City. The Great West is the name of a thouroughbred Farmers' Alliance " 13 hinted it not asserted that the WeeklvnewsDaoer launched at St Paul Pwers granted to congress do not in weeKiy newspaper launcned at fet.iaul, P,t1,i0.Annv,.prtnrrT.,i..a 4..o the first three numbers of which are re- ceived. It strikes straight from the straight shouldler and beards the corporation lion in his 4en. If the Farmers' Alli ance people will stand by and support the papers that advocate and defend their cause, as other interests do, they will soon have plenty of papers, and with the power of a strong press added to the numerical strength of the farmers, they will be invincible. OPTION DEALINU A VICE? IT SHOULD BE A. CRIME. American Farmers or Foreign Tenant, Winch: The necessity for relief to the grain raiser and stock feeder is apparent. The disease is recognized. Dissolution is at hand unless a remedy is found. Eruptions on the skin are overlooked when the vital part of the system is at tacked with a malady. When a man's bram is effected, his liver cut of order or his heart diseased the boils that break out are unnoticed. The state of the markets on grain and stock threaten the heart of the grain and stock producing interests of the West. We see an effect. What is the cause? We learn that a committee of th United States senate is insulted ami treated with contempt by those engaged in dealing in stock. We are informed that demagogues are bjsy inflaming the public mind against men engaged in the laudable at tempt to destroy the price of grain. We are taught that the federal consti tution is to narrow too relieve the know n distresses of those engaged in agricul tural pursuits and that state constitu tions are not broad enough to reach the disease. If this bo true, we must either pre pare for a worse condition of the grain and stock market, or we must amend the fundamental land. If the states cannot regulate this by uniformity of legislation, then the pow er should be, by amendment, confer red on the federal government. We are suffering from a course that only criminal laws can Avipe out. The optioit dealer and his friends cry overproduction, but statistics prove that the amount of grain produced lias no effect on the market. The bull and bear raise and lower prices according as they command cap ital. Whether wheat is 00 cents or $1 .00 per bushel cuts no figure. Supply and demand have no perceptible effect on prices. If the bull is successful mar kets are good; if the bear triumphs there is a crash. Option dealing or selling what one does not have and has no intention of possessing, or putting it in its true light, betting on the price of grain and stock at a future date, is vicious, be cause there is an incentive on the part of one party to bet and destroy the worth of an article. If a man bets $100,000 that lots on Main street will depreciate fifty ir cent in three months, he must, to gain his wager, create a panic on Main street lots, and his endeavor, if known, would result in a "hanging bee;'' and yet so-called respectable men bet on the price of grain, and the result on the real owner of grain is disasterous. We maybe wrong in our conclusions w "e uul u e "epressioii, or vn uuiuuu aiiuuu) umu a ls to taim the large tracts of land they .vili flf.m,iiP There is a growing tendency on the part of English capitalists to seeuifc AUO 1C&IUL Will W il lt-illllb tWSS il tpnants, nn(1 Pri4 Wfl kn ittll0 Ameri- .,., wsil hnmion tb farm. Iffarmirnr becomes unprofitable no one cm blame him tor so doing. , I do not think we shall ever have a 1? " ""VfA1.?". linings iiae iiappciit-u man i umt-i rcu riot on account of the price of wheat. We do not counsel any raid on the bucket-shop management but we are indifferent as to its result, should one lw'':Jll'.t Aiiere is an evil, a vice, uamagingine rron an(1 stock interest of the west and south, and this vice should be made a crime. The Kram gamier should be on a level with the poker chip man, the keno caller, the faro dealer, The grain man is quasirespectable everywhere; - the common gamuier ostracized every where; and yet, so far as the conse quences to the people of this country are concerned the common gambler is harmless, as compared to this output of respectable grain monte population which has swarmed on us in the last decade. The common gambler has no capital 'ind has a bad reputation.' His life brings poverty on himself and disgrace to his family. His victims are few and are to blame for being caught. The gambler dies unregretfed, unwept and dishonored. The grain monte man has capiuu, power, uiuuence. position, anu the result of his life is injurious to that pursuit in life which makes America the pre-eminent nation of earth. Hob us of grain and stock and we are paupers. Debase this industry and we are a. nation of serfs; uplift it and we are the most prosperous of all people. If we are to have an American farmer we must have compensation for lalr. Slaves, peasants, serfs are the only farming class that can be made to toil for others at wages or profits less than the cost of a crop and the continuance of the option dealer will result in driv ing Americans from the farm, and fill ing their places with an alien tenant class a class that will be brought here, not to be citizens, or own land, but to eke out a livlihood as tenants from one generation to another, If these tilings make no impression on the public mind it will be because the people who gain wealth by oilier pursuits are indifferent to the fate of the American farmer and stock raiser. and because they are content to live, exist, grow rich and die, surrounded by a mass of humanity from across the ocean who have but one idea in life, n bare living and yet when the Ameri can ceases to farm, and lands are tilled by tenants, the effect of this will effect all other trade and business. To drive the option dealer from option, forces the capital engaged in it beyond the real visible supply to engage in honest pursuits and results in benefit to the country at large. It is conceded that we must find some means to check this growing evil. of So-called commerce, and that the noAver of the state does poAver or the state does not reach out beyond its territorial limits. If there is no law which protects, de fends and guards the agriculture of this country there should be one. If no rem edy is furnished, there is one of two re sults as sure to follow as fate, viz: eith we must submit and see agriculture ruined, or unite and forcibly nut tb knife to the root of this cancerous groAvth. There is no wrong without a remedy. Wichita Eagle, Oct 31.
