Williams, James Robert. 'The Interests of the People Demand the Free Coinage of Silver: Speech of Hon. James R. Williams, of Illinois, in the House of Representatives, Thursday, June 5, 1890' in 'The Congressional Record' . Washington, D. C.: Government Printing Office, 1890. [format: journal], [genre: government document; proceedings; speech]. Permission: Northern Illinois University
Persistent link to this document: http://lincoln.lib.niu.edu/file.php?file=williams.html

Speech of James Robert Williams.

Mr. WILLIAMS, of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, if it is in order for me to offer some amendments now to the substitute, I desire to do so, and if necessary will ask that my amendments may be read first to see whether they would be in order.

The SPEAKER. There is one amendment already pending to the substitute. No other amendments are in order.

Mr. WILLIAMS, of Illinois. I desire to send up the amendments I wish to offer.

The SPEAKER. The gentleman can have them read as part of his remarks.

Mr. WILLIAMS, of Illinois. Very well. It will be the best part of my speech, I have no doubt.

Amendment to section 2:
"Amend by striking out the word ‘may,’ in like 6, section 2, and insert in lieu thereof the word ‘shall.’"

Amendment to section 2:
"Strike out the word ‘may,’ in line 11, section 2, and insert in lieu thereof the word ‘shall.’"

Amendment to section 2:
"Strike out from and including the word ‘provided,’ in line 13 of section 2, to the end of said section."

Mr. Speaker, I opposed the adoption of the special order under which we are now considering this question for the reason that it does not allow us to offer a free-coinage bill, either as an amendment or substitute, and deprives the members of this House of the opportunity of a direct vote upon a free-coinage bill; and yet a majority of this House are in favor of free-coinage.

Mr. Speaker, the subject under discussion is one in which all our people are very much interested, but more especially are the farmers of this country watching the action of their Representatives upon this question with the greatest anxiety. We have heard of late a great deal said about the present condition of the agricultural class. Representing as I do an agricultural district, composed of intelligent, industrious, and economic farmers, cultivating as fine land as can be found in the great valley of the Mississippi, and no doubt doing about as well as the average farmer of the country, I think I can speak of the unfortunate condition of affairs which exists among the farmers to-day without any exaggeration. I regret to say it is not a healthy condition, and only those who have lived among the farmers during the past sixteen years and observed the great changes which have taken place in their opportunities for making a living and paying their debts can form an adequate conception of the distressing circumstances which many of them are in at the present time.

Mr. Speaker, these people are beginning to realize that they have been oppressed by unjust legislation, and are now demanding relief at our hands. Sir, we can not afford to disregard the complaints of these people; they are entitled to a hearing in this House. Upon the success and prosperity of our farmers depends very largely the growth and development of our country; their busy hands have transformed our country from a wilderness of timbered lands and wild prairies into productive fields and fruitful farms; their untiring labor and industry have made this Republic the garden spot of the world; their sweat and toil furnish daily food to our whole sixty-five millions of people and send large balances abroad to increase the wealth of our nation.

When we recognize, as we must, the absolute dependence of all other classes upon the industry, energy, and success of the farmers, it does seem to me that they should have at least an equal share in the benefits of legislation, and that we should not fail to consider their rights and interests in legislating upon the question of finance now before this House. I have said that the condition of the farmers is not a healthy one, nor do I believe the fault is theirs. I know the farmer, his wife, and children have been working hard to feed and clothe themselves and keep the creditor from their door, but in spite of all their sweat and energy the creditor has come and in many instances their home is gone.

I do not agree with those who claim that the farmer is suffering from an overproduction of crops; that he has been so industrious as to work himself into the poor-house. Yet, sir, in the midst of a most abundant harvest, with barns filled with wheat, corn, oats, and other agricultural products, with pastures covered with cattle, hogs, and other stock, we hear the same sad complaint of the farmer from every section of our country, and we see him forced to sell in that beautiful home market for which he has paid so dearly in the past many of the various products of his toil at much less prices than it actually costs to produce them.

In fact the great staple, corn, has become so cheap that during the past winter many Western farmers have been burning it for fuel because it was cheaper than wood or coal. The average price of wheat in the New York market for the year 1873 was $1.67 per bushel; at the beginning of this year it was worth in the same market about 90 cents per bushel, a loss to the farmer who has a thousand bushels of wheat to sell of $770, or 77 cents on every bushel, and the decline has been about the same in all the products which the farmer has to sell. Let us see if this is the result of overproduction. The increase in farm products during the past ten years has not equaled our increase in population, and yet there has been a steady decline in the price of farm products during that period.

The average acreage of wheat in this country from 1880 to 1884, inclusive, a period of five years, was 37,721,343 acres, while the average acreage from 1885 to 1889, inclusive, a period of five years, was 36,819,442 acres; the average annual yield in bushels during the first five years was 463,973,117, while the average annual yield during the last five years was 435,179,000; the average export price during the first five years was $1.147 per bushel, while the average export price during the last five years has been 87.4 cents per bushel, a fall of over 27 cents per bushel.

The entire yield of wheat in this country in 1879 was 448,756,630 bushels, and the average export price of wheat for that year was $1.33 per bushel. In 1888 our total yield of wheat was 415,868,000 bushels, and the average export price of wheat for that year was 85.8 cents per bushel. In 1880 our total yield of wheat in this country was 498,549,868 bushels, and the average export price for that year was $1.243 per bushel. In 1889 our total yield was 490,560,000 bushels, and the average export price for that year was 89.7 cents per bushel. That is, the average export price of wheat was about 35 cents less per bushel in 1889 than in 1880, although we had about 8,000,000 bushels less in 1889 than we had in 1880 and our population was over 10,000,000 more. I have given two successive years at each period, so it can not be charged the prices in 1880 and 1889 were affected by the years immediately preceding. Our yield as shown was less in 1888 than in 1879, and in that respect our market in 1889 had an advantage of the market in 1880.

Now, Mr. Speaker, I insist that these unreasonably low prices are not the result of overproduction, but have been brought about by unwise and unjust legislation. The fault is not with the farmer, except so far as he has failed to do his duty at the ballot-box, but the fault has been right here at this Capitol, with the members of Congress. Nor will I leave this declaration unsupported by authority. A careful examination of the records of Congress for the past twenty-five years will disclose but very little legislation in the interest of the farmers and other laboring classes, while we find statute after statue enacted in the interest of the manufacturer, the banker, and the bondholder. Let us briefly examine some of our financial legislation during the period to which I have referred.

On account of our late war it suddenly became necessary to increase our volume of currency, to borrow money, and to issue the bonds of our Government to secure its payment. The law authorizing the issue of United States notes, commonly known as greenbacks, provided that these

Next page