The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-07-26
How Free Silver Would Affect Million Rail-

IL can't argue the case like yoJ."
said the hired man, but / know that
If Bryan is elected you will have 20 pay
mc sixteen dollars for moving this lawn.
instead OF the one dollar you pay me
now"
FOR many years We Americans have
beea plumins ourselves ON the fact that
the schoOmasfer is abroad II this
hired man were the representative of
any considerable class OF laborers We
might well wish that the schooimas'er
would come home and attend TO busi-
ness in TIE agricultural districts during
this presidential campaign.
IL would. however, be an insult 10
the Intelligence of the working masses
FOO assume that their type is 10 be found
in this thick-skulied mower Of lawns
About a per cent of all the productive
laborcrs OF this country are directly
dependent upon the cultivation OF the
SOIL and these people. II they are male
90 fairly understand the issue. may Doe
trusted 20 vote Tor what is honest ara
right.
Next 20 tillcrs Of tie soil the largest
group of workers IS made up OF these
engaged I'm the transportation industry
the railway employees. In the state OF
New York alone there are about sixty
thousand of these. and. taking I'm the
whole country, they number about
million. or rot far from DO per cent. Of
the entire voting population. Tho Narl-
GUS grades Of railway workers have their
several organizations. and these are
studying the effects OF free silver. as is
evident from the numerous letters that
reach the Herald asking for miorma-
ton. ard We will state here few sug-
gesiiye facts 10y way OF general r'pF
The vast army OF railway toilers would
suffer more hardship than perhaps. any
other class by unlimited coinage OF N'y-
thrce cent dollars. All wage-earners. or
course Womb De distressed because all
the ne,ossat.es Of life would immediate
~ nearly double in price. while WAGES
would DO slow 20 rise. and would proph-
BIS FEVER 20 high enough 70 NAVE up
for ths inc,tased cost OF living Put the
railway worker would find IL particular
~ hard TO secure an advance OF wages
because his employer, the railway cor
poraton. would itself te so hurt by the
change I'm the currency that IL might
be unable 10 comply with the reasonable
demand Of its employees.
"But whv?" asks the brakeman why
would the railway company not be IN as
good A position 10 advance wages rs any
other onplpver2" For a very simple reas-
on. The merchant and the manufactures
can Instantly mark up the price OF their
goods TO offset the lowered value or the
dollar but you. as DidkeHth' nave
no goods 10 sell. What You sell is your
service. your labor. and you kno" from
experience that this cannot be marked
up as q merchant can reticket a piece
OF cloth Non. your employer the rlll-
way company. Is like yourself. person
an artificial person. created by law-and
like yourself IL has nothing 10 sell but
its services In transportating passengers
More than this. II IS under control of the
State that created ir, and cannot. Ike
yourself. quit work II II doesn't IKE the
pay: il is compelled to keep on working
or forfeit it's very existence. WIN my
three cent. legal tender dollar I'm circula
ton the railway would naturally have 10
accent its nav in those dollars. and its
income would thereby Dee cut down nearly
one-half. But when 1t attempted to double
its charges in order TO even up the
dollar you know what a tempest Of op-
position would arise. particularly ~ 49,
cultural communities, ana the ieslsld-
lures would make the company palhtul-
" aware that IL Is under control OF inc
Statese II traverses. The railway, IKE
yourself. would ind the cost or an us
supplies nearly doubled. but II would nave
II FIGHT for every fraction or a cent IN
advance In its rates for transportation:
When YOU and your fellow workers ma
that the cost Of living has doubled you
will naturally demand doubled wages
but how will YOU get them? You can't
get blood out OF a turnip..
a vote for Bryan wouId DO 'o'e W