The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-05-22

dolIar How much chance under snnh
conditions would there be for the ava
ACE toiler to retain his situation At +he
old number of dollars per week wh;Ie
each dollar was worth only half as munh
as the dollar now is in buying power9
Very little. and the chance Tor the
promised advance in wages must be
tearfuly less.
There would be an ultiGuate increase
of course. because of the utter jnahiIity
of the toilers to live on the same numbe
of dollars as formerly when the bnyino
mower of each of those dollars had heen
reduced oue-half But that increase
would be graded, and not begin till the
business world had taken its bearings
for the new departure. In the meantime
the toilers would be at an immense disad-
vantage as compared with their situation
now. While the men who had clothing,
food. fuel, and other articles to sell, or
houses TO rent, would insist on a dout-
ling of plices, the workers could obtain
an advance only at the cost of numerous
and protracted struggles, involving
strikes and lookouts ana accompanying
idlaness, while they were striving TO lift
themselves out of the. slough into which
they had been plunged by the drop to
the silver basis. After months of this
turmoil and disorder for the most fav.
ored, and years of it for some, the toilers
would find they had recovered about so
per cent of the disadvantage, so that
their days wages then would buy rot
more than three-quartels as much as the
days wages OF today will purchase.
L h ere they would have to stop, and this
is counted on by the free silver eStrem
lists, for how can they expect to gain the
pro missed advantage in competing with
Others unless by reducing the share of
I a bor a OripQ Of the y,otS
Such a proposition is bad enough at
any time. 1t is idle, foolish, having
nothing to commend it except clap-trap
assertion which may be mistaken for
argument It is especially bad to be adj
vanced now when work is becoming more
plentiful and wages are being voluntarily
increase by employers because of the
better times Look at the signs of i'm
provement in the industrial situations;
ployers WHO have to close down because
of the panic, and expanded by Others
whom the hard times had forced to con-
tract their operations. The New Eng
land cotton mills are reported to be gem
orally increasing the wages of their
workers. The great Carnegie establish
ments are raising the wages of their 25-
000 toilers 10 per cent. Jones & Laugh
Inns are following the good example, and
the wage-earners is in contemplation
Coin" alleged as reason for making
his absurd proposition that "cry of dis
tress is head on every hand, business is
paralYzed, commerce is at standstili,
riot and strikes prevail throughout the
land" This is not true now. Hence his
claim should be Withdrawn. There is
no occasion for pressing it. The occasion
is passing away. Tt already has passed.
cbpn16 ha hat ho
increases of the wage scale now being
made and about to be made are on the
gold basis. They are an increase in the
number of dollars, each having a buying
power of 100 cents in gold, that are being
paid to the worker for mis- day or week
of toll, while the prices of the food,
clothing, fuel, and other things he has
to buy for himself and family are not
increasing correspondence. 1t is very
come with the adoption of "free coinage
at 10 to without waiting for the aid or
consent of any lother nation on earth. ="
For that would be an "advance back
wards" The silver dollars now received
as wages by the toiler have q buying
power of 100 cents each. But with the
free coinage proposed each dollar of sill
yer and paper paid the toiler would buy
only BALI as much food, fuel, and cloth
iASI anu pay OdIJ Hhil do lBuCA uOuSS
rent as now, while at the best he could
not hope for more than return to
equality by doubling of his wages, and
even if that were secured he would be no
better off than now, though having to
suffer months or years during the slow
process of recovery.
Now, which is the best? Is it the
nominal gain on the silver basis, that
as matter of fact would drop cut sol
ant INC Of
labor and past savings, or the actual,
gain on the gold basis which
now is in progress? There should be
enough of Intelligence among all classes
of workingmen to enable them to see
the truth OF the situation and the utter
absurdity of throwing away the gold
basis on which they know where they
are and what they are getting-a gold
dollar that remains unchanged in value
and will not depreciate on their hands
in order to get the shadow of prosperity
which Coins Financial Fool and the
other free silver extremists are pronis-
ing them. They ought to know enough
not to be willing to give up that certain
ty for fuctuating silver basis which
would take from them half of what thsy
now have and restore to them gradually
and by piecemeal one-half of the loss
They ought to be able to see that it is
particularly IuJGulclouS 60 leuu alu anI
encouragement to the free silver cranhs
at time like this, when business is re-
viving and there is Il fair prospect that
much of the depression of the last two
yeas will give place to substantial pros-
perity. They should be able to under
stand that the adoption of The plan ad.
by the free silverites would para
lyze the Industries of the county far
worse than two years ago, drive out of
it much of the money capital that is
necessary to the employment of the toll
ers, and cause every honest man to de-
spair of the republic Chicago Tribune.