The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-07-06
LABOR AND FREE SILVER.
20 the Editor OF the Eagle.

20 the Editor OF the Eagle
Your humble subscriber is not pre-
sumptlous enough to attempt to pres
cribe remedy for the monetary anC
other ills which afflict us at present, bu
be does venture to protest against Ger
tain things that are urged in behalf OF
wage earnerS because, as is asserted by
| the pretended friends of labor, they de-
mand it, r. P. Bland, the chief advo
cate of silver, says 'laborers demand
more money" and John J. ingalls, sug-
| gests free coinage of silver If It can be
arranged to put 100 cents worth of sill
yer in the dollar. Both of them say in
effect that there is not enough money.
Mr. Bland Is right in saying labor wants
more money, for that seems to be uni
versal desire among all classes of people;
but that is not what Mr.. Bland meant.
He intends to say that labor demands an
increase in the circulating med
lum in excess of the increase
that has been going on for
the last fifteen years, and upon this
point we join issue with him. No doubt
many wage earners favor Mr.. BANDS f.
nancial theories, but it does not neces-
sariiy follow chat it would be best for
them. Laborers who favor Mr. BANDS
theories are those who are not posted,
but depend for their information on
financial and other political questions
upon men who wish to ride into promi-
nence and place on some popular wave
of passion or prejudice.
The suggestion of more money carries
with it the delusive inference that wages
will be coIrespondingly increased, there
10y resulting in great benefit to labor
bat how often must labor get a black
eye in this country before it learns the
fatal deception that is concealed in every
scheme of imitation suggested by the
statesmen(0 who say we have not
enough money in circulation?
We have be harrangued so much with
cheap money, and cheap everything
else until cheapness seems to be the
chief point always TO be kept i'll view no
matter what the consequences, and one
of the results Is that we are over
stocked with a lot of cheap dema-
gogues to keep up the delusion
More money and cheap money are
two popular catch-phrases that are al
ways employed by shallow-b Drained
statesmen TO catch The labor vote. Why
don't these statesmen honestly confess
for what and for whom they are always
urging some pernicious scheme of infla-
ton: Why don't they say that it is a
scheme wholly in the interest of them
selves and q certain class of people of
doubtful honor who want to pay good
debt with a bad dollar, and stop the hv-
pocrlsy of trying to enlist sympathy for
their scheme by putting labor in
the foreground as the chief
beneficiary? Let us divest this question
of all sentimental sophistry and cant and
look it squarely in the face.
Double the supply of money and what
Is the effect on the millions of toilers
whose only capital is their labor? How
much OF the increase would go to these
toilers at once? Not one dollar Wages
are the first to be reduced in hard times,
and the last to respond to prosperity by
an increase. This being true what is
the effect of doubling the supply OF
money: Simply that every wage Garner
is robbed Of half his capital by. reducing
the purchasing power Of his dollars
without giving him corresponding in
crease in the number of them. The man
drawing a salary of $1,000 would con
tinue to draw that amount, but if the
supply of dollars be &oubled he could |
purchase only half as much of the
necessities Of life.
Is there wage-earner anywhere sim !
pie enough 10 believe that if there were /
an immediate increase in the circulating
medium there would be an immediate |
of wages TO suit the changed |
conditions so that he would receive a |
sufficient Increase in wages to compen-
safe HIM for the decrease in the pur- (
chasing power of his money? Ii there |
be one SO simple he shoaid be confined /
IN an asylum for idiots. Let wage /
earners compute the loss that would ac- /
Crue TO labor before this adjustment !
could possibly be made and they will |
hesitate before they allow themselves 10 |
be led into trap by the CHEAP john /
statesmen who are forever bowling about /
the scarcity OF money" and give as a /
reason that there is not enough /
money in the country. Ii We /
could swap several thousand Cheap 1
statesmen for good stock of confidence 1
w %eANNs S-RAA NAaoAONEA THAI tlGTe Is !
plenty of money in existence which re- /
fuses to venture out when there are so |
many ImpecunIous statesmen at large /
who could not give a certificate of good /
character from anyone but the devil.
To the merchant or farmer who is ont /
of debt there could be neither gain nor /
loss IN any scheme of imitation, for a /
time at least, but loss would result in
the end when 1t would be demonstrated !
that parity could not be maintained |
between gold and silver. Then the real
trouble would begin with labor. Start a
good dollar and bad one out toretbar /
and the rich man soon ''hanEs" the good /
one and pays the poor laborIng man /
with the bad one. a bad dollar inva-
riablS hunts the poor man, and it sticks |
10 him IN its effects with relentless
The suggestion of Mr. Ingalls, that 100
cents worth OF silver be put in the
dollar may be wisdom. but at the pres
ent price Of silver the fellow who had /
to carry a dozen sach dollars in his
pocket would hesitate a loGg time before (
he wouid pronounce it craftsmanship. t
Ii possesses the merit of honesty, il is i
true, which is more than can be said OF
tie schemes OF the advoca es Of free
coinage On the present basis between