The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1896-09-25
BoURkE COCHRAN ON Rpx,.,
The Eloquent Ex-Confi ressm,ap Vs..
the Free Silver Fraud IN wnn,., posos

SohHressman Expoo..
the free silver Fraud on Workinrm.n
In his great speech in Madison Soma :.
Garden, New York city, ex-Congressmas
Bourke Cochran said in reply to presi
dental Candidate Bryan:
If everything in this world or in III.
country, including labor, be Increases
in value tomorrow in like pronort;oS
not one of us would be affected at al
II that was Mr.. Dryan's scheme ho
would never have populist nomination
to give him Importance in the ewes -
this community. If that were all flint
he meant, he would not be supporting
it, and ] would not be taking the trouble
to oppose it. If everything in the world
be increased ten per cent. in value whv
we would pay ten per cent. in addition
for what we would buy and get ten per|
cent. more for what we would sell,
What, then, is it? 1t is an increase IN
the price of commodities and allowinp|
labor to shift for itself. If the price If
commodities be increased and the price
of labor be left stationary that means 4
cutting down of the rate of wages. II
instead of a dollar which consists If
given quantity of gold equal to 100
cents anywhere in the world, with the
purchasing power of 100 cents, the la
borer Is to be paid in dollars worth 50
cents each, he can only buy half as much
with days wages as he buys now. II
the value of the populist scheme, then
is to be tested, let the laboring men d
this country ask Mr.. Bryan and his
populist friends simple, common
everyday question: Where do come
in pr
Mr.. Bryan himself has glimmerina
idea of where the laborer will come in
or, rather, of where he will 60 out
There is one paragraph in his speech
which-whether it was the result Of al
unconscious stumbling into candor Of
whether it was a contribution made Il
the stress of logical discussion ! am ut
terly unable to say-that throws food
of light upon the whole purpose UNDER
lying this populist agitation. Wage
earners, Mr.. Bryan says, know tina
while a gold standard raises the pur
chasing power of the dollar it alsd
makes it more difficult to obtain pos
session of the dollar. They know tina
employment is less permanent, loss
work more probable and reemploymen
less certain.
If that means anything, it mean
that a cheap dollar would give hl1
more employment, more frequent en-
ployment, more work and chance
get unemployment after he was On
charged. If that means anything IN 10
world to sane man, it means tha'
the laborer is willing to have his waSs
cut down he will get more work.
If it were true that a reduction lnsa
rate of wages would increase the chane
of employment, l would not blame y
BRYAN for telling the truth. oecaus
however unpalatable the truth may
conceive it the duty OF any man w
attempts to address his fellow-cltlzen
never to shrink from statement"
whole truth, whatever may be the ~
| SEQUENCES to himself. But, as q ma'''
of fact. a diminution in the ra'e
wages does not increase the scope w
| ployment. .,dn,
nnlass labor is extensively employ
| Won cannot have high wages uni'
there is an extensive producuou.
every department of industry anu =
is why l claim that wages are, are ~ n
sole fest of country's condition,
high wages mean an abundant d.. p ,,ss,
n 1 md abundance necessarily mea
prosperity. Mr.. Bryan on. on ' .s.t J Dro
| hand. would have you bellc'e 'nt ;aa H
neritv is advanced by ehfapenin ns,s
rate Of wages, but the fall m tne lar
wages always comes FROM ,' . a"s
production, and narrow Piul I'M
means there is little demand l IL, an +,
- ths market. When, after tne r.
of 1873, the price OF labor i 60 obta|
cents a day, it was harder 10 ,,hor n
work than when the rate OF la nstvss
t mo dollars. and the difference DEW, Ossr
the populist, who seeks ks % domocrat,
| rate of wages, ana 'ne .bs demcsr
seeks to protect it, is that u, s5t n uo
believes that high wages and P r. Tss
are synonymous, and the !, p0 dDI1er tsni
to cut the rate of wages II ~ make
may tempt the farmer ,a 70
mon his own worliingneh.
/ I'm Nutshell. e..
.h,nltfrll that tne -