Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-10-04

life; the boys and girls cannot be sent to
school, but must work to help support the
family.
What remedy do they propose for this
state of things? None whatever No
hope do they hold out to the suffering
people. They tell us that we must rec
oncile ourselves to the situation. What
does that mean? 1t means the perpetual
ton of a moneyed arstocracy in this
country while the great masses of the
of wood, and drawers of water"
The Roman empire decayed, says the
historian, because of the contraction of
the money of the nation. In the first
century that country had about the
amount of money we have now-about
seventeen hundred millions-but in the
ninth century the volume of money in
that country shrank to 100000, 000-one-
tenth of what 1t was in the first century.
This was the beginning of the dark ages,
and 1t was not until the discovery of the
new world, and the opening of new gold
and silver mines that the dawn Of our
modern civilization came.
Bottom of Prices and Wages Not Reached.
If we had reached the bottom of pricea
and of wages, the people of this coun-
try might adjust themselves accordingly,
though it would work a great injustice
to the debtor class. But the avowed
purpose of the opposition is to further
contract the currency by the retirement
of the greenbacks and treasury notes.
They say it is necessary for this to be
done, to keep them from raiding the
treasury. They are like the French doc
tor who took out mans heart to cut
the fat off of it. He succeeded in cut
ting off the fat, but he killed the man.
But whether the greenbacks and treas
ury notes are retired or not, we have
shown conclusively that constant con-
traction of money is going on, and con-
sequent lowering of prices, all property
being measured by the money in the
country.
1t is amusing to see the solicitude dis
played by the moneyed power for the
poor, laboring man, just before election.
They scatter fallacious arguments, think
ing that the laboring man is fool enough
to believe that prosperous times would
not advance his wages. They tell him
that free silver will put up the price of
products of the farmer, and that conse-
quently, he will have to pay more for
what he buys, without any advance in
wages.
In the first place, that is not true The
same law that will advance the price of
the products of the farmer will advance
the wages of the laborer. AS things now
exist, the laborer gets no advantage of
low prices produced by the gold standard,
because the money power, after reduce
ing the price of the farmers products by
forced to sell at low prices to them, by
means of their trusts and combines, put
up the price on these things, so that the
laboring man reaps no benefits there
from.
The common law, which still exists in
this country, that he who went outside
of town and bought up supplies that
were being brought in for sale, for the
purpose of putting up the price on the
consumer-forestallin the market as it
was called-was guilty Of a crime, for
which he was punished. But the attor-
ney-general of the money power Is now
too busy explaining how it is constitu-
tional to invade state by federal SOL
diers, to enforce the laws of the statute
books, against the great trusts and com
bines which exist in this country.
But the laboring man is not being
fooled by those who oppose US because
we declare in our platform for peaceful
arbitration between capital and labor, in
stead of arbitration by bayonet
They know that prosperous times will
Increase business and give more employ
.nent and better wages. They know that
When two laborers are hunting one job
hat the man with the job fixes the price,
ut that when two jobs are hunting one
aborer that the laborer fixes the price
We offer a remedy for the existing dis
tress-our opponents offer none.
Mr.. Mckinley, in his letter of accep-
lancet implicitly confesses that democ-
racy Is right in advocating bimetallsm
as best for the people, but asks the suf-
fering people to continue to wait for an
improbable international agreement,
which he must know is not wanted by
those whom he represents.
Any man who thinks for himself knows
that the holders of appreciated and ap-
preciating gold absolutely dominate the
European countries and consequently
will never agree, until forced, to any
,tx.I~ 4
becoming more valuable, as 1t is doing
day after day.
Why longer cling to a delusive hope for
the improbable? Why delay for that
which we know is not coming? Why
wait while the letters of financial serf-
DOM are being Fastened more securely on
the people?
They say this great country is not
strong enough. When will we grow
stronger? Already they are making
contracts payable in gold. And unless we
win in this great fight there is great dan
ger that the holders of appreciated and
approaching gold will as absolutely domi-
nate and control this country as they do
the countries of Europe and bimetallism
will never exist.
The way for the United States to Sc
cure International bimetalllsm is to go af-
ter 1t herself. Like the old darkey who
prayed for the Lord 10 bring him a tur-
key; he never got the turkey until he
prayed the Lord to send him after the
turkey
Bismarck says the way for this country
to get bime;allism is to lead off. Aren't
and Van Kardoff, who have thought 9TH
erwise until recently, now says that the
cause Of International b.metalhsm will be
advanced by this country declaring for
the free coinage of silver
Against the great reason of having a
money that cannot be ma nipulatcd by the
few, the little objections urged by the sec
ond-rate orators of the stump and street
corners against the free coinage OF silver