The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1896-09-18

rate of compensation paid the toiler,
with total misconception of the cir
cumstances under which wages rise
and the adverse conditions under which
tney fall In that speech at Madison
square Garden he practically declared
that if the laborer would accept a
cheaper dollar he would get more op-
portunities to work and better chance
OF Unemployment after he had been
discharged.
Now, did any of you, my friends,
who happen to be laborers, ever know
OF man who sought to reduce the
wages OF his workingmen who did not
say about the same thing as that? Do
you think that statement is original
with Mr.. Bryan? 1t shows exactly the
same mistaken conception OF the laws
governing that branch of production
that he shows wherever he attempts to
discuss logically and clearly the rela-
tons Of men to each other in civilized
community.
Wages as / have undertaken once
before to say, depend absolutely upon
production. If any man makes five Ia
bles a day and they are worth $40, and
his wages are 81 a day, what he actu-
ally gets is one table. If by any means
he can double his productive capacity
and make ten tables a day, and his
wages are So. two tables are his share
Of his product. Now, when he obtains
the one table for 81 there are just four
70 xubf oh INT
plus product, and which go to repay all
the labor that was expended in prepar-
ing the elements out of which the Ia
bles were constructed and the capital
which set all that labor In motion.
When he manufactures ten tables day
the demand for material is just twice
as great; twice as many men must be
employed in preparing it; twice as
much capital must find employment in
setting that labor in motion, and he
himself obtaining twice as much wages,
the whole stream Of production is
swelled by the happy and prosperous
conditions under which his wages have
been raised.
Low Wages Mark General Suffering.
What is true of one department of
Industry is true Of all. Capital can only
obtain substantial returns, labor can
only be extensively employed when
production is abundant and every man
finds an easy market for his labor
When, on the other hand, the output
Is restricted, manifestly less men will
be employed in preparing the materials
out Of which the table is made, less men
will be employed in preparing the
bricks and stones out of which build
lngs are constructed, where there is re-
striction in that department of indus
try. And so through all elements of
human activity high wages are the
mark of universal activity and prosper
, lty and low wages the mark of stagnant
trade and general suffering.
Nov, 1t must be plain that when
question as important as this is put to
presidential candidate, is emphasized
by the newspapers, is recognized by the
chairman Of his own committee, and
the candidate remains silent, it indi-
Gates to every thinking man that the
quent than all the hundreds of speeches
that he can make. Well, perhaps it is
not exactly fair to say that in the hun
dred speeches that he has delivered he
has absolutely said nothing, because he
has.
'He has said, as far as can make
out, two things-that Is to say, he has
made two important assertions. One is
that the workingmen have been intimi-
dated by their employers. The other is
that England controls our financial
policy, and that the time has come
when the people of the United States
as an act of patriotism should disregard
the influence of foreign nations upon
their financial system. My friends, let
us take those two questions up in their
order:
Should Denounce Coercionists.
First, about the intimidation of
workingmen. l refuse to believe that
presidential candidate would go from
state to state and platform to platform
making an assertion as important as
this unless he had the information in
his possession which would justify It.
do not believe Mr.. Bryan would make
statement of that character concern
Ing the employers of the labor in this
country and impugning the independ-
ence Of the American workingman I'M
less he had the information to justify
the assertion. But If he knows of one
employer who attempts to corrupt the
suffrage by intimidation of voters then
HE KNOWS A CRIMINAL WHO
SHOULD BE DENOUNCED BEFORE
THE LAWS OF THE NATION.
If there be within the knowledge of
Mr.. Bryan crime so hideous as this,
committed in some civilized state
where law is administered by impartial
tribunals, he has no right to shield the
criminal by his silence. II he does
not want to prosecute him himself, as
ne ought to do, then let him give his