J. Laurence Laughlin's Causes Of Agricultural Unrest

Discontent was built among farmers as many of the problems that threatened their way of life were being ignored. Between the years of 1860 and 1890, the number of farms in the United States rose from two million to four and a half million and agricultural production took similar increases. Although the agricultural industry grew, its relative place in the economy fell. As more emphasis was placed on industry rather than agriculture, less concern was placed on the issues that farmers faced. The discontent among farmers in the late nineteenth century was caused by the exploitation by big business and railroads, the lack of inflation to solve debt issues, and the non-interference by the government, all of which were valid complaints. Farmers

One way the government’s lack of support was through its laissez-faire economics. Laissez-faire is the policy of government non-interference that relies on the concept of markets naturally regulating themselves with minimum government involvement. This ideology can be seen in J. Laurence Laughlin’s “Causes of Agricultural Unrest,” in which he argues that the financial issues of farmers were brought about by the overproduction of crops combined with low demand. He states, “The simple fact that we produce more than what we consume, and that, consequently, the price of the whole crop is determined, not by the markets within this country, but by the world-markets, is sufficient to put wheat, as regards its price, in a different class from those article whose markets are local.” The market crash that crippled farmers could have been prevented if not for laissez-faire economics that prevent government regulation of markets. The government did little to stop the exploitation of farmers by big business. Although Congress passed the Sherman Antitrust Act in 1890 the first legislation passed to prevent the formation of trusts in the United States, it was too vague to be truly effective and was further emasculated after the Supreme Court ruling United States v. E.C. Knight Company that put most monopolies beyond the reach of the act. Along with weak government support, farmers also faced direct attacks to the Populist platform as shown in William McKinley’s acceptance speech, in which he attempts to strike down the proposal for the free coinage of silver. He states, “We must not be misled by phrases, nor deluded by false theories. Free silver would not mean that silver dollars were to be freely had without cost or labor… It would not make the labor easier, the hours shorter, or the pay better. It would not make farming less laborious or more profitable.” McKinley also directly harmed farmers