The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-22
ON SOCIALIST. ROSTRUMS,
At the Turk-Street Temple DR..
}. L. York Talks About
Money.
The Power of Reason Is the Theme
of the Pythian Castle
Meeting.

DR.. J. L. York discussed the money ques-
ton at the meeting of the San Francisco
section of the Socialist Labor party last
night in the Turk-street temple. His sub
ject was, THE Common People," and he
endeavored to show how the free and I'M
limited coinage of silver would be step in
the right direction.
From the speakers point OF view the
making, by legislation, of gold the king of
metals and subordinating the entire polit-
ical, commercial and industrial system to
its heavy rule is the cause of the labor and
money famine. He called the demonetiza-
ton of silver the course of the age" and
attributed to it the wide disparity of social
conditions, whereby 80, 900 persons own
more of the products of abor than do the
remainder of the $4,000, 900 people in this
country.
His explanation was that monetary
values had all been suDordinated to the
gold unit, thereby giving the bond brokers
and bankers the power to control the en-
tire circulating medium, and contract it so
as to serve their ends. As result, the
mendously increased, and, correspond
ingly, the selling value of the products of
labor, and, in consequence, that of labor
itself had been reduced.
A gold standard, he argued, was alto
gether in favor of the money-loaner, ena-
bling creditor nation like England to i'm
pose upon debtor nation like America
double, or even treble, the amount of
actual obligations, seeing that with falling
prices and falling wages it requires more
of the products of labor to wipe out the
debt. Thus, while the creditor EFFORTS
more of the products of labor from the
debtor, he is able by contracting and con-
trolling. the volume of money to limit the
natural demand and to pull down prices
and wages.
The speaker believed that the free and
unlimited coinage of silver would reduce
the advantage of the gold power by in
creasing the amount of money in the hands
of the people, stimulating the demand for
the products of labor and increasing prices
and wages. 1t was using one metal against
another, in his opinion, and aiding to
weaken the power of capital on the one
hand and to lift up the value of labor on
the other.
The doctrine of the "survival of the fit
test" as applied to the business world and
social status, he scored with vehemence,
and remarked that it never seemed to ap-
ply to the moral plane, for the good and
benevolent and honest were always crushed
out by the greedy, selfish, rapacious and
licentious.
The American section held its meeting
in Pythiap Castle, with Mrs. Anna F.
Shaw presiding. II. A. Sully made few
observations relative to the reported con-
ference between Chief of Police Crowley
and the officers of the National Guard over
the recent rumor that general strike was
contemplated. He said the coming strike
existed only in Imagination and that no
alarm should be felt at all.
The speaker of the evening was Ray
Great Law" Mr.. Duncan elaborated upon
the power of reason, and anticipated that
in time it would relieve mankind of all ne
cessity for manual labor.