The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-08-19


less earnest, than that In which he pup-
ported It's adoption. ON this platform
he defended the populIstlc programme
OF oNorthrowing the integrity OF the gu-
preihe court. II thcN be any fruit which
mas grown for the benefit OF all mankind
out or the establishment OF our republic,
II mas been tho demonstration that II Is
possible by tho organization OF an indie
pchucnt tribunal TO safeguard tho rights
ot every citizen and protect those natu-
RAJ privileges against any Invasion from
wnntovcr source, or however powerful,
might he tho nntngonIzlng elements.
Supreme Court Defended.
inc very existence OF that power pre-
Supnoscs the existence OF an lndcpcnd-
cnt tribunal. yet wo have this Popullst
convention, because n Populst measure
MS considered Unconstitutional. pro-
posing not TO amend the constitution IN
the ordinary way prescribed by that In
strnmcnt Itself, hut proposing TO pack
the court so thnt It will pronounce those
laws TO bc constitutional which the con-
Stltution Itself condemns, n proposal to
make the courts OF law Instruments OF
laWlcSSncSs, TO violate the sacred COM
pact between the states on which the
security OF this nation rests: to profnuc
the temple erected for ita protection by
the hands OF false priests who though
sworn to defend Ii, will be appointed to
destroy II.
In the time to which must conllnc
myself tonight, I can do nothing but
examine that one question which MIR.
Bryan himself declares TO I've tho over
shadowlnS issue OF this campaign. I
am little puzzled when I read this
SneNCh IN Inri1N iD-t tX,k ~
himself imagines will be the fruit OF a
change In the standard OF value
throughout this country. do not be-
lleve that any man can follow wholly
with the speech; because II he dlssents
from one set OF conclusions he has got
TO rend but 4 few paragraphs and he
VIII find another. II Mr. Bryan could
show me that by any means known TO
heaven or ON earth, wages could be in
creased, l will be ready to support him.
because know II no test OF prosperity
absolutely infallible except the rate OF
wages paid to llborers.
Labor Would Not Hcnent.
When we come to find how Mr. Bryan
expects to Increase the wages Of labor
we find ourselves lost In mass OF con-
tradictlons. No man can tell how or
where or when the wages OF the work
inSmcn are to be increased. but any one
who examines the scheme cun see that
the inevitable tendency. the inevitable
consequence Of debasement OF the
standard OF value must be n reduction
In the rate OF waGes-and that Ia the
conspiracy in which the Populist is cu-
gagged.
Now. Mr.. Bryan tells us that he wants
n Nh.Na IN he Il 49, L., 40,
increase the volume OF money. | do not
believe that any man who ever lived
could quite understand PopulISt's no
tion OF what money IL. further than that
he believes It Is n desirable thing to get
and that he IL not very particular about
the means BY which he can get his
hands on It.
Nothing Is more common than the
mistake that money and property are
identical. They lre not There may be
4 very large volume OF circulating medi-
um and very great poverty. The issue
of paper money simply iS no more an
increase OF wealth than the issue by an
Individual OF his promissory note would
show an increase OF his property As IL
matter OF fact an increase in the coinage
Is no proof OF an Increase In property
but may be- u strong proof Of n decrease
in wealth. 1t is'HUt thE, volume Of money
but the activity OF money that counts.
The basis Of sound trade Is sound mon
ey (Applause). Money which Is intrin-
s!cally valuable. money which like the
gold coinage OF this country, the govern
ment cannot affect II 1t tried TO- | can
take ten dollar gold piece and | can de-
fy nj the powers OF all the governments
OF this earth to take five cents OF value
from 1t. Having earned II by the sweat
OF my brow. having earned 1t by the cX-
crcise OF my brain, having earned 1t by
the exchange OF my commodities, l can
20 to the farthcrmost ends OF the earth
and wherever present It Its value will
be unquestloned and unchallenged. That
gold dollar, this meeting, the Democratic
party, the honest masses OF the country,
without distinction OF party division. de-
mand shall he paid TO the laborer when
he earns II. and no power on earth shall
cheat him OF the sweat Of his brow.
1t Is perfectly clear that the purpose Of
the Popul!st Ia To put up the prices Of GER
tain commodities. Mr.. Bryan's Ian
Guage Is that he is going to improve the
conditions OF the people OF this country.
I do not suppose he claims he can multi
ply the number OF chairs upon this plat
form or upon this floor, although he has
shown his capacity to empty them. II
he ls going to work any change in the
conditions he must increase the material
possession OF some part OF the commune
ty. Now II he got possession OF the gov
ernmeDt Tomorrow he would not create
one single thing OF value by any exercise
of governmental power In the world. NO
power ever yet exercised by tyrant or by
constitutional monarch can cause bar
ren field to become fruitful. can cause
two blades OF grass to grow where one
grew before, can bring together the
stones that compose this building and
raise them into stately temple dedlcat-
ed to political discussion. No. 1t re-
qulrcs the labor OF man md the labor OF
man alone to create wealth. II Mr.. Bry-
an is going 10 enrich somebody the thing
which he means to bcstOw upon him he
must take from somebody else. Who Is
to be despOllGd and who Is to be en-
rlchcd by the exercise OF the new scheme
OF government? (Cry OF "silver mine
OwnCrs.D ..e
Ny friends. the silver mine owner will
get cheated with the rest
Prices Go Up, Wages Go DoMn.
a government can never be generous.
because if II It be generous 10 one 1t
must be oppressive to another. But
his financial scheme COntemplates an
increase In tho price OF certain COM
moditlcs. We are coming now very
close TO the wood pile, behind which
the African Is concealed. Now. II
everything In this world or In this
country, Including labor. be Increased
In value to-morOw in like proportion,
not one Of us would be affected at all.
II everything be increased ten per cent
In value. we would pay ten per cent In
addition for what we would buy and
get ten per cent more for wh;E VIC
would sell, and We would be exactly In
thc same place wetoccupicd before.
Therefore, II Is fair TO assume that
Ia nat tho lame and lmp0tCnt C0nClu-