Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-08-19

measure calculated to increase the rate
of wages, because / know of no test of
prosperity absolutely infallible except the
rate of wages paid TO laborers. Gap
plause.9 Where the rate OF wages is low
there must necessarily be distress. If
then, MIR Bryan can show me that by the
enforcement of any portion of his pro-
gramme wages will be increased in this
country | will not only support him, but
l will recognize him as the wisest orator
that ever opened his mouth on a plat
form since the beginning of the world.
daughter) l will be ready to confess
that the rhetoric which | do not under
stand, is really the language of inspifa-
ton Qaughter) l would gard his adj
ministratio of the presidency as the
kindling of a great light before the foot
steps of man, showing him broad path
way to endless happiness and measure
less prosperity. But in searching through
his speech-in reading through whole
reams of populistic literature with which
this country has been flooded for four
years. have never yet found one sylla-
bIe which showed me how populist eX-
pected to increase the rate of wages.
daughter and great applause)
Now, when we come to find out just
how Mr.. Bryan expects to increase the
wages of labor we find ourselves lost in a
maze of contradiction and in haze of
obscure expressions. No man can tell
how or where or when the wages of the
working man are to be increased, but any
one who examines the scheme can see
that the inevitable tendency, the inevita-
BILE consequence of a debasement of the
standard of value, must be reduction
in the rate of wages-and that Is the con-
spiracy in which the populist is engaged.
(Applause)
Now, Mr.. Bryan tells us that he wants
to cheaper the dollar; that he wants to
increase the value of money.
Nothing is more common in populist
oratory than the statement that the vol
ume of money must be increased for the
benefit of the people, which means that
part of the people that run and manage
and address populst meetings. Oaugh-
ter)
Nothing Is more common than the
statement that money and property are
identical. They are not. A redundancy
of money does not prove any prosperity.
There may be very large volume of cir
culating medium and very great poverty.
The issue of paper money simply is no
mere an increase of wealth than the is.
sue by any individual of his promissory
note would show an increase of his prop
erty. (Applause) AS a matter of fact,
an increase in the coinage is no proof of
an increase in property, but may be
strong proof of a. decrease In wealth.
The pretense that men can be enriched
by swelling the volume of the currency
is the oldest deusion which has affected
mankind since the very beginning of civ
ilization The volume of money plays but
a small part even in the ordinary trans
actions of life. 1t Is not the volume of
money, but the activity of money, that
counts. (Applause)
Money never can circulate freely and
actively unless there be absolute con-
fdence in it's value. (Applause) If a
man doubts whether the money in his
pocket will be as valuable tomorrow as
it is today he will decline to exchange his
commodity against it, and this populist
agitation threatening the integrity of
money has been the cause of the hard
times through which the country Is pass
ing and from which it will not escape
until the heel of popular condemnation
Is placed upon the populist agitation
which undermnes the foundations of
of credit. (Applause)
Mayberry & Watson for mantei designs.