424 THE IMPENDING REVOLUTION. 



But, suppose we admit, for argument's sake, that the 

 Shylock theory is correct; what has that to do with the 

 surplus of production over and above the amount actually 

 needed for home use. Farmer Jones is in debt, and also 

 has taxes to pay; he raises 300 bushels of wheat and five 

 bales of cotton. It requires 100 bushels of wheat for seed 

 and bread, and three bales of cotton to buy groceries and 

 clothing, boots and shoes for his family; 200 bushels of 

 wheat and two bales of cotton then represents his surplus 

 to be sold and the money applied to the payment of his 

 debts. Before contraction 200 bushels of wheat was worth 

 $400 and two bales of cotton $240, making a total of $640 

 to be applied to the payment of his debt and taxes. 



How is it now? Two hundred bushels of wheat 

 brings him $140, and two bales of cotton $80, or a total of 

 $220. Where has the difference gone? It has been 

 squeezed into the "big" dollar to make it "honest," and 

 Farmer Jones is robbed of $420 to enrich the banker and 

 bondholder. Is it any w6nder that Farmer Jones has come 

 to the conclusion that Shylock "studies finance and gets 

 rich without work, while he works and gets poor without 

 studying finance. ' ' The average exportations of our pro- 

 ducts for the past fifteen years has been, in round numbers, 

 $600, ooo, ooo per annum, or a grand total of $9, ooo, ooo, ooo. 

 This, at least, is a fair representation of our surplus pro- 

 ductions for the fifteen years. It is safe to say that the fall 

 in prices, as the result of the contraction policy, has been 

 on an average 40 per cent. This would indicate a loss to 

 the producers of $6,000,000,000. Add this sum to the 

 net profits of National banks, already obtained in a former 

 article, of $2,500,000,000, and we have the neat little sum 

 of $8,500,000,000, or a sum equal to one-half the capital 

 now employed in agricultural pursuits in the United States. 

 Eight thousand five hundred million dollars to place 

 against the burdens imposed by a wrong system of tariff 



