What Is The Remedy?

That the agricultnral industry is sufring from depression is evident to every thinking man. Farm mortgages are ïonstantly increasing in burden, while ihe prices of product, instead of advaneíiig, seem to be tlowly retrograding. Something must be done to bring about ketter times. But uhat shall be done? TSo sooner is this question asked than Jnndreds of idealista rush to the front. 0ne cries, spasmodically, give us free eoinage of silver, another, govermental fcstau at low rates; another, higher ritfs another, free trade; another, ociáíism; and still another, anarchy. That all of these remedies, viewed from anconoruic standpoint, are unsatisfactojy w:Jl be dear toany one who thinks íoberly, Upon the last two menticned swmment is unnecessary. Free trade, oiwiug to he peculiar conditions which auryoiind American iiidustry and the jpeatadvantage which foreignerspossess m their cbeap labor, would be ruinous ti. almnst every branch of busines?. Hïglier tariflfs would have but little effeet upon the agricultnral industry, tther forgood or bad. Govemmental So&ns to private individuáis are wrong in jjnhciple,an 1 would be ruinous in practöce. They would simply serve to augaie nt the evils whicli they are designed ift temedy. Free eoinage is a much more jtáesib' ie measure than any as yet menéóned. It feema to follow logically from the adoption of the bi metallic standard. ievertbeless, it is condemned by all ■ ut economie thinkers of this jountiy. As long as BÍ1 ver dollars are ■iforth not niuch more than eighty cents 3aah, it would be foliy for the govern■aent, :o 'iitow tlie mints open to their MÏimited coinagp. The resuit would e tl.e expulsión of gold and the still hrthftr contraction of tbecurrency. We isannot, therefore, accept free cainage as panacen. What tbe.i shall we accept? We must tim of all understand that 'Aere is no cure-all; at best, we can look .iöroniy a mitigation of industrial evils, ■jasd this, in the opinión of Tuk Kegis!x&, is most iikely to be eained by the idopüon of the reciprocity principie, as lormulated by James G. Blaine. If Sreaásuiífs do not bring liib pticefl, it as be because the supply is greater ihaa-th? demand If better times are to RMce-it fbllows from this that eithertbe auppïy must be lessened or the demand :mustbe increased. To pursue the former otirse is 'o cause the abandonment of lome of our farms and thns to ciowd Bie ctfies to a still larger extent. The ieon-i course, then, is the only safe one pnrsue. Thedemandmay beimreased m several ways. In the first place, the löriffmay be taken off fromEngush manafacttiies, sothat thev maybeexcliarged Sw American breadstuffs. Tliis would ÏWMitothedestruction ofAmencan plants d thus turn the industrial world topsy iarrj-. In.tbe second place.a home marlieirniny be fostered by means of buildbignpourmanufacturingestablishments. ■is policy is wisely being pursued, but i incapable of bringing about any quick salís. In thethird place we may open w ports to South American sugar, :ffee and molasses, and, in return, send toibe Latin repubhes wiieat, barley and :nrn. Nothing can be lost by the adopJ:a of this policy, except revenue, ■wiich the governmentdoes not need.but ich may be gained. The farmer could ix? Ij is breakfasts, dinnersand suppers tftSesf cost, and have more money with múch to pay for them than at present. ÜTnen James G. Blaine proposed recijoecity, he performed an act of statesaao8hip which brilliantly crowns a reerd already matchless. The wonder is bat farmers have not more eagerly ■Mftpted this policy, instead of fooling mih free coinage and other measures of aimbtful expediencv.