Crop And Price Failure

We have an immenes population in tbis country engaged in agriculture. When tbis indnstiy prospers, all others prosper, and when our farmers are unable to realize good inoomes frorn their business, the loss is feit in all other pnrsnits. The crops from the farmers are sold every year, and almost tbe entire incorne, after paying taxes, interest, insurance, etc, is expended with our merobants in the purchase of groceries,, clothng, dry goods, boots and shoes, implements, vehicles, hardware, paints and lumber. Not one family in a hnndred is able to procure a sufficient snpply of these articles in any year, so that snch goods are always in great real demand. The actual aotive demand, however, is limited by the income which can be devoted to such purchases. Thus, when crops are good and prices well up, our farmers have a good money income and are good consumers. But if there is a erop failure, or if prices are low, the money income of farmers is small. Still taxes, interest snd insurance must be paid just the eame as if crops and prices were good, and the result is econumy ia the perchase of goods. This forced eoonomy of the farmers is unfavorable to all other cases and industries. Tbe mercbants lose trade. This loss of the merchant reaches the faetories in smaller order ; the faetories tben purchase lese material and employ less labor. The laboring population tben become poor Gonsnmers and hard times are general. It, tberefore, beeomes important to all that the farmers' money income be kept at a good standard, the higber tbe better. (Jrop failures are seldom general in all parts of the oountry. If oereals fail, fruit and vegetables are liable to be plenty. Yet partial erop failnre is always a serions interference with general business. Fortnnately, eerions erop failnres are not of frequent ocenrrenoe. But price failnre tha comes irom dearness of money comes every year and applies to all crops the farmer sells. How serious tfais destrnction of prices has beooma the followiog figures will show : The priDcipal money crops are the cereals - wheat, corn and oats. For the years 1880 and 1881 these crops bronght the farmers an average money income of $11.53 per acre. For the five years - 1887 to 1891 - the average was $9.23. For the years 1892, 1893 and 1894 the average was $8.01. For 1895 the money value of these crops was but $6.73 and in 1896 only $6.52. ThiB shortage must be figured on a vast area, which averaged upward of a hnndred and thirty million acres annually. This loss, at $5 per acre, amonnts to over six million dollars annually on these three cereals alone. And the whole of this loss, too, represents money withheld irom trade and business entirely on aooount of the shrinkage in prices. It is plain that price failore is a far moie serions difficulty than erop failure, for it comes and increases with eaoh year. The evil resulta of prioe failnre are manifest everywhere and to everybody. What ia the canse of this steady sbrinkage in values? What oan it be but the appreoiation of our money standard tbrough basing it upon gold alone? The cure is as apparent as the canse. It is to restore our currenoy to its üld doubls-standard basis, with the free ooinage of both metáis at the ratio of sixteen to