The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-09-11

machinery had displaced hand labor in Cities
and called attention to the great influx of
immigrants who settle in the cities and work
cheaply. and continued:
TWO CAUSES.
Here, then, are two causes-the introduce
tion of machinery and mmigration-which
combine to lower the prices of products and
deprive the farmer of his market, and "the
crime of 1879 has had nothing to do with
either one. What remedy does the Chicago
platform offer for this condition of affairs?
for 1T contains plank calculated to lead
the unthinking into the belief that they
would would abolish one of these evils. 1t reads:
I'VE hold that the most efficient way of
protecting American labor is to prevent the
importation of foreign pauper labor to com
pete with it in the home market etc.
There is sample of craftsmanship for
you. They pitch their tents where the
knights of Labor extinguished their camp
nres twelve years ago. In those days we
demanded that the Importation Of foreign
labor under contract-not pauper labor, mark
you-should be abolished. Those laws were
abolished In 1885. and today such a thing as
the importation of labor is hardly known.
Had these patriots who affect to talk in the
name OF labor been sincere. they would have
the word Importation
Taking up the money question proper Mr.
Powderly said: They tell us that we lack
money, that there it not enough in circula-
ton, and. that the mints should be started
to coin silver in unlimited quantities for the
good Of labor. But Just how the man who
has no silver to be coined is to be benefited
has not yet been made clear to us, and be-
neve II Will DO the country more good to open
our mines, mills and factories to the unem-
ployed than to open our mints to the unre-
strlcted coinage Of silver at the ratio of 16
to /. That there is not enough money in cir
cuiation may be true, but if so, it is because
labor has not been employed; 1t is because we
nave been importing rather than exporting.
When It is asserted that our per capita is
not sufficient, it must not be forgotten that
labor itself is in small share responsible
1or THIS state Of d affairs. II indeed it be true.
Scranton alone, Iaboring men last year sent
$40, eco in gold, or its equivalent. to foreign
lands. and scarcely dollar Of 1t went to
england. They sent this money to their
friends in the homes of the poor of Europe
Every dollar sent reduces the per capita cir
culatlon OF our currency. But what of 1t?
So much per capita is meaningless term
for It gives no man dollar and adds moth
ing to the wealth of man or commonwealth
Per capita circulation Is circulation which
does not circulate, and no man can lay fingers
on dollar OF that per capita, except in one
or two ways-honest dishonest-by labor of
some kind or by theft of some kind. The per
capita circulation is greater than 1t ever was
in the United States, but so long as 1t lies
idle through lack of confidence, or so
long as 1t is reduced each time a steamer
lands "a It's cargo OF immigrants on these shores,
the idle workmen can have share in it.
The money in circulation is what labor looks
TO-. and not the idle dollars which do not cir
culate.
Passing to the Chicago strike, Mr.. Powder1y
said the lawless element Of the city and not
the strikers rioted, and added: I do not ap-
prove OF government by any other power than
the will of the American people: but If we
VIII nave government by trucking, time
serving officials, who fear to do their sworn
duty. then we invite government by injunc-
t1on. 1t was a gratuitous act on the part of
the Chicago convention to ndorse the mac
tfvity of the mayor of Chicago and the gov
ernor Of Illinois, but having done so its mem
Ders should be reminded that honest labor in
no way feels complimented by such doubtful
recognition. Government by injunction would
never be known in the United States had
government by incompetency not preceded it.
Continuing, Mr.. Powderly compared existing
prices with prices he said existed in the days
OF democratic simplicity" and doubted If
one would exchange his present surroundings
for the old. He then entered into a lengthy
analysis of free coinage of silver, declaring
itsWould drive gold from the country and
enhance the value of silver at the expense of
the people. Closing. he said:
What about labor with the nation on a
silver basis instead Of gold basis? One
1t will now and the man working for a dollar
day will have to work two days in order
to purchase as much for two silver dollars
OF silver, or of paper based on gold. The
proposition that the silver dollar is the poor
mans dollar is pure gush. The dollar of the
poor man Is the dollar which he earns
whether it be gold or silver The working
man is entitled to the best in the market; the
gold dollar Is as much his dollar as It is the
uOildT OF the InllHOnalre, ana instead or 1O1n-
ing in the shout for cheap dollar, for free
and unlimited coinage. he should inscribe on
his banner: 'The best is none too good for
me-
Hon. Warner Miller was next intro
duced and was greeted with great ap-
plause that lasted several minutes
He was listened to attentively. Be
fore adjourning the following resolu-
ton was adopted:
THE wage workers Of New York. in
massmeeting assembled under the aus
pices Of the Mckinley league, utterly
repudiate the teachings of the platform
adopted by the emocratic-Populistic
national convention at Chicago We
hold its doctrines to be dishonest un--
patriotic and injurious to the best in
terests Of the nation and the working
men of the United States. The nation
al honor and the nations prosperity
are involved and depend upon the cleo
ton of the Republican candidates, and
we therefore call upon wage-earners
everywhere to support Mckinley and
Hobart.