People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1896-10-08
THE ISSUE.
Mckinley and Adversity-Bryan and Pros
perity.

III udtc
August Y, 1896.
Stript of all subterfuges the ques-
ton before our people is simply this:
Do you wish low prices or high?
Do you believe your general welfare
will be best promoted by a further fall
in prices or do you believe that your
true interests are bound up with
higher prices? Do you believe that
lower prices will bring prosperity or
do you believe that prosperity will
not return until our producing classes
realize better prices for their pro-
ducts? These are the questions that
are before the American people, these
are the questions to which we must
record our answers by our votes.
For gOld-monOmetallism. dear
money and low prices stands Mr.. Nc
Kinley. For bimetalliSm, plentiful
supply Of money, and higher prices
stands Mr.. Bryan. The choice lies
between them, between Mr.. Mckinley
and lower prices, and Mr.. Bryan and
higher. 1t is for American voters to
decide which they will have.
If the farmer is convinced that he
will profit from lower prices believing
that though forced to sell cheaper he
will be compensated by being enabled
to buy what he needs at lower prices,
then let him record his vote for Mr..
Mckinley, but if he feels that he has
been impoverished by the marked
fall in prices Of late years, If he feels
that the fall in prices Of those things
which he buys has fallen far short Of
cOmpenSating him for his losses on
what he sells, and if he believes that
he cannot prosper until he realizes
better prices for his products then let
him vote for Mr.. Bryan,
If the manufacturer sees a profit in
lower prices believing that though
forced to sell his products cheaper he
can so reduce wages as to cheaper the
cost Of production in even greater de-
gree thus leaving him larger margin
of profit on production, then let him
vote for Mr., Mckinley, but if he re-
CognizeS that he is dependent for a
market for his goods on the farming
and wage earning classes, if he re-
cOgnizes that lower prices for agricul-
tural products and lower wages for
wage earners must impOverish his
customers, above all if he has prOfted
from experience and learned that he
cannot reduce taxes or interest
charges or so reduce wages in the face
Of falling prices as to lessen the cost
of production cOmmenSurately with
the fall in prices, he will see that his
profit lies in better prices for his pro-
ducts and better prices for the pro-
ducts Of his customers, and if he sees
this then let him cast bis vote for
Mr., Bryan.
II the wage Garner believes he will
profit from lower prices trusting that
he can maintain the rate of wages
and find ready employment 10 the face
OF falling prices and convinced that
the lower prices fall the greater will
become his ability to provide himself
with the comforts of life, then let him
vote for Mckinley, but If he feels that,
although wholesale prices have fallen
much, those things which he buys and
which are dispensed to him at retail
prices have fallen but little, if be feels
that employment is slack and wages
low owing to the continued fall in
prices that has eaten into the profits
Of industry and taken away all incen-
tive from employers to increase pro-
duction and destroyed their ability to
pay high wages, above all if he believes
that he can only find ready employ
ment and command good wages when
prices are rising and the profits Of in
duStry are large, then let him vote for
Mr.. Bryan.
If the railroad employee is con-
WINGED that falling prices will benefit
him; if he believes he can continue to
find employment and at the same
wages even though the fall in prices
impoverishes those producers situated
along the railroad lines and from
which the railroads must draw their
traffic, then let him vote for Mr.. Nc
Kinley; but if he feels that falling
prices eat into the profits Of industry;
if he recognizes that as the profits of
industry are undermined production
must be curtailed, and that curtailed
production must lead to a falling off
in the demand Cor transportation
services andthe consequent discharge
of supernumerary hands by the rail-
roads; if he recognizes, moreover,
that curtailed production in indus
tries in general will lead to increased
competition for his place by those
thrown out of work and resulting
fall in wages, then let him vote for
Mr.. Bryan.