The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1896-08-27

stands for, to examine the inevitable eco
homie effects of a debasement of the coin
age, Of IA change in the standard by which
existing debts are to be measured in IA baser
measure of value.
A Test of Prosperity.
Now. l will imagine that Mr.. Bryan
himself may believe that in some way or
other he is going to benefit the toilers of
this country. He says he Is but he de-
clines II show US how. For my part | am
willing To state here that if Mr. Bryan
could show me that 10y any means known
to heaven or known on earth, any means
revealed to the comprehension of man,
wages could be increased | will be ready
to support him here and now | do not
make this statement through any pre-
tense of special affection for the man who
works with his hands such prctcnse
made in the heat of presidential canvass
would merely insult and diseredit the in
tclligence to which it is addressed. ! repeat
that l would support any measure calcu-
lated to increase the rate of wages because
l know of no test of prosperity absolutely
infallible except the rate of wages paid to
laborcrs. Where the rate of wages is high
there must be prosperity. Where the rate
of wages is low, there must necessarily he
distress.
If, then, Mr.. Bryan can show me that
by the enforcement of any portion of his
programme 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 smouth on n platform
since the beginning of the world l will
he ready to confess that the rhetoric which
| do not now understand is really the Ian
guagc of inspiration. | would regard his
administration of the presidency as the
kindling OF great light before the foot
steps of man, showing him broad path
way to endless happiness and measurcless
prosperity But in searching through his
speech, in reading through the whole reams
of Populistie literature with which this
country has been flooded for four years,
have never yet found one syllable which
showed ma how pOpulist expected To in
crease the rate of wages.
Now, in order to understand the sig
nifcance Of the remark thai wages is the
only test of'proSperity. we have but to con
slider for ii moment Just what Is meant by
the term wages Wages us | suppose ev-
orybody here understands, is that part OF
the laborer's product which is given to
himself in compensation for his toll If,
facture of chairs, and if | can make five
chairs every day worth SEQ, and the rate
of my wages Is - II day, what | actually
get is one chair out OF the five which
make The other four chairs, the other
four flfths of my product, are devoted tC
the payment of all the other labor that has
been expended in preparing the element,
out of which the chair WAS made. TO the
! -ht, no n
| person who sawed it in the mill, the car
rier who transported it, the workman whC
| prepared its component parts, and the pro
| tit ON the capital which setall this labor ii
| motion
1t is plain, however, that l could not
take one chair home with me at night ant
attempt to settle any bills with it, for tn,
moment | undertook to divide the chair
among my creditors, that moment it woult
lose its value. So, instead of taking tn,
chair, which | cannot @gide, | take it
equivalent in money, which can divide
| But my wages all the time are fixed by tn,
quantity of my own products.
If, instead of five chairs, | We're able t,
make ten from it, and the rate of my com
pensation remained the same, | would oh
tain for my wages two chairs, or IS u day
But instead of there being four chairs, o.
/ S16, available for the payment of othe
labor, there would be eight chairs at S32
and thus the larger my wages the large
my product the greater the prosperity il
the chair making industry.
Now, applying that principle to ever,
other department nf trade we can see tina
the man who works on tunnel canno
take "A part of the tunnel home with hin
f,r Il j. hn Ia Ia
street cannot take part of the highwa,
with him but each one fakes the none,
equivalent of that part of the produc
which is the result of his daily toll, ant
the laborer is the man who has the mos
vital interest in the character of the none,
which is paid to him.
Some of Mr.. organs Contradictions.
Now. when we come to find out Just how
| Mr. Bryan expects to increase the wages o
labor, W. find ourselves lost in a maze o
contradiction and in haze Of obscure OK
pressions. No man can tell how or wher
or when the wages of the worlsingman arr
! to he increased but any one who examine
I the scheme can see that the inevitable tend
cncy, the inevitable consequence of de
| basement in the standard Of value, mus
| he "A reduction in the rate of wages nnt
that is the conspiracy in which the Popu
! list Is engaged.
Now, Mr.. Bryan tells us that he want
! to cheaper the dollar; that he wants to in
| crease the volume of money. ! do not he
licve that any man who ever lived coult
! quite understand ii Populist's notion q
what money is further than that he he
| licves it is Il desirable thing to got ant
that he Is not very particular about The
means by which he can get his hands 81
| it. Nothing is more common in Populis
! oratory than the statement that the Volum,
of money must be increased for the benefit
of the people-which means that part O
| the people that runs and manages and ad
dresses Popnlist meetings
! ! remember that in one of the specche.
which Mr. Bryan delivered on his way east
he declared THAT any man who objected tC
| too much money ought to vote the Other
ticket. Now my friends, | will ask yot
to indulge me for moment while i stat,
to you here the only conception that al
honest man can form of money, in order
! that in discussing this thing hereafter we
will he able u understand the economic
oXpreSsions which the Populist uses foi
the deluson of man and for the confusion
Of his Judgment.
The basis of sound trade is sound money
Money which is intrfnsieally valuable
money which, like the gold coinage of this
country. government cannot affect if il
tried To. can take a SIC eoldpicce and
/ can defy all the power Of all the govern
mcnl7 of this earth t. take , cents of value
from IT, HoViptr purup1 nv tho cNC,at