Kansas City daily journal., 1896-10-26
Joue. cownrdly Manifesto.
rom the Chicago Tribune.


From the Chicago Tribune.
Popocratic Chairman Jones has issued
manifesto which Is cowardly, contemptible
and demagogical. His recent coercion man
ifesto having failed to produce any erect
among workingmen, he has now gone
step further and made an appeal the trans
parent object of which is to produce bad
feeling on the part Of employees towards
employers, to arouse suspicious, to foster
excitement. and to bring about trouble. 1t
Is the basest and most cowardly act of
which the Popocratic national committee
has yet been guilty, and 1t shows the des-
perate straits to which they have been
driven. Jones says In his appeal to work.
ingmen:
Let them appoint committee and au-
thorize it to confer with the employer or
employers. Let this committee ask for an
agreement in writing either that wages
shall be raised in the event of the election
Of Mr.. Mckinley or that the present rate
Of wages shall be maintained, or finally
demand an absolute guarantee that no
cut in wages shall follow the triumph of
the single gold standard. This will settle
the whole business. Do not take anyones
word for 1t. Have contract made and
signed and let itsspecify at least two years
in which there shall be no material wage
reduction. This is not an unreasonable de-
mand.'
Jones begins his manifesto with a false
hood. He says: "It is generally admitted
by Chicago manufacturers that the election
of Mckinley will be followed by reduc-
tion in wages" They admit nothing
of the sort. The reverse would happen.
If Bryan is elected it will be followed by
reduction of half the value of wages.
whereas If Mckinley Is elected the value
of the dollar will be the same as now.
Starting with falsehood, Jones has in
dited a cowardly. contemplate appeal, die
tated in a moment of despair, as he rec
ognizes defeat staring him in the face. II
Jones were honest. and if he really had
the interests of the workingmen at heart,
he would come out with sufficient guar
anteeS that workingmen, In case of Bry-
ans election, will be paid in silver value
as much as they are now paid in gold
value, and that for every gold dollar they
now receive they shall have two silver dol
lars then.
But Jones will do nothing of the sort.
He will offer no such guarantees. Instead
of that he is asking workingmen to make
demands which he, and they, too, know
are absurd. Employers cannot go into any
| agreement for wages in future, any more
| than workingmen could go into an agree
ment as to what wages would satisfy them
| in the future. No employer can guarantee
| ahead. because he does not know how
much business he will be doing or how
| much market there will be for his goods.
| He cannot make q specified agreement as
| to wages, and Jones' knows it, but he can
| make the general assurance that If Nc
| kinley is elected there will be more work,
| closed factories will be opened, confidence
| will be restored, and there will be an in
creased demand for men, which usually
| brings increased wages. While the en-
ployer may not be able to make an agree
| ment as to his own particular shop or
| factory, he can say generally that there
will be no cutting down Of wages. but a
| reasonable advance, and that men will be
paid in what Altgeld calls 20O-cent dollars.
| The manifesto of Jones is not alone
| farcical and contemplate, but 1t has been
issued with the object of stirring up ex-
citement, suspicion, and bad feeling. and
to that extent 1t is the work of a dema-
gogue who is resorting to the last desper-
ate devices Of those who know they are
| beaten. Chairman Hanna, of the Repub-
| hcan committee, has promptly answered
Jones manifesto, and he exposes still an
| other dangerous feature of the dastardly
| document aS follows:
1T is suggested that employers bribe
their workmen to vote for Mckinley by
promising them higher wages or a con-
tinuance Of their present wages In the
event that the employers will not be CO.
| creed, then the employe is to vote for Bry-
| an not because he believes Bryan is best
fitted for the presidency, or represents
| principles that Will advance the interests
of the American people, but because his
| employer may mot deem it wise business
policy to sign a contract in the matter OF
wages. This is simply melting the work
| ingman to exact bribe before he will
vote. 1t Is not suggested that he be gov
erned by any principle. Considerations OF
the great interests of the nation at large
! are to have no weight with him. The bal.
lot in his hand Is to become mere matter
| of dollars and cents. Employees are ad.
! vised to combine to assume formidable and
menacing forces, to place their votes In
the hands Of selected spokesmen who are
20 offer them to their employer for a Ger.
tain sum in the shape of wages. On the
other hand. the effect of this circular, II
acted upon, would be to place the employ G,
In position that no citizen should be com
PEELED to occupy. He is invited to use his
means as corruption fund to bribe the
votes of his emDloyes, who may be de-
| PENDENT u.,on him for a livelihood. This
circular advised the men to approach theil
employer with proposition which Is ar
insult to both. 1t is both threat and ar
invitation to bribery. Plainly speaking
they are advised to inform him that he
must bribe them in the matter of wage.
or they will vote against his interests. Il
has always been my opinion that the in
terests Of the employees and their employer
are IDENTICAL