Birmingham state herald., 1896-10-30
OUR LETTER BOX.
"A LABoR1NG MAN WRITES.

IaTeIy aTIlVbU bITIIIIIIs5 York City, and have, previous to thls year. always voted straight repupncah ticket.
 I am a union man, and am firm be- .lieyer in the principles of organized lapor, and was. up to the time 1 deposited my travelling card with Birmingham Typo. graphical union, No. 1O4 member or New York Typographical union, No. 6. more commonly known as Big Six one of the largest and strongest labor or ganizations in the world.
 I attended the populist meeting at the park and heard Tom Watson speak on the political issue of the day, namely, the financial question. His arguments were very good and very logical.
 I also attended the democratic meeting at Magnolia hall and heard some red hot arguments by MT. Blackburn and another gentleman, which were backed up by facts and statistics, such as ex- tracts from the treasurer's reports, quo- tations from former silver mems speeches who have now joined the Sound moneyD party, etc, also a good plain and detailed statement, spoken in plain words, which any man could understand, of the effect that the free and unlimited coinage or silver would have upon the wages of the working class of people.
 Although a republican, l have felt TOT some time past that it was not exactly for the interest of organized labor to have a man who is bankrupt and has $10O,000 in promisory notes in the strong box Of the syndicates, and whose campaign IS run solely and mainly by money put up by Wall street. the trusts, syndicates, corporations, railroads and money kings in general throughout the country, elec- ted as the chief executive of our coun- try. It struck me that if such man were put in office that the people who hold these notes and who paid for that mans election would have a string on such an executive and could make him dance to any tune they saw fit. In such case all legislation would be in the interest Of few people who "held the string" which is, and always has been, certainly and decidedly against the interests of organ ized labor.
 After hearing the arguments to which I have previously referred, and at the same time being of the above opinion, which circumstances forced me to be- lieve, I was about ready to admit that was on the wrong side, but l attended the national democrats" "sound mon- ey(O" meeting Wednesday evening ex- pecting, of course, to hear great num- Der of arguments statistics facts, figures, etc., which would in a measure, if not wholly, alleviate the hard knocks that my republican views had previously sus- tained. But I was sadly disappointed Here is what I heard:
 First: A (speech) by some gentleman who acted a trifie nervous. He read the speech from paper. He did not say who wrote it, and there were no arguments or facts or figures quoted in it.
 Second; Three cheers for Bryan.
 Third: Address by the charman-no facts or figures.
 Fourth: A gentleman, who said he was an attorney for the Louisville and Nash vile railroad, gave a long and detailed eulogy of himself and the Louisville and Nashville railroad.
 Fifth: More cheers for Bryan.
 Sixtb. A66rpgS Inv HOn C,aOrpp D Har- rison, who said that they were the only democrats. The Bryan crowd were all populsts, even though he was nominated by the national convention and placed on a platform selected according to the die tation of the consciences of majority of the delegates, and who acted as the agents of the people and their party.
 He also advanced the argument that the reason that some of Birmingham's industries were at standstill was be- cause the money kings, who control all the money, would not invest it here be- cause we are liable to vote for free sil yer, which I think was most excellent argument in favor of Bryan. Because. if money is so scarce in this country that a few millionaires have a corner on it and can dictate how me must vote, I think that instead of letting Ii Hung Chang amuse himself by burning up our green backs it would be policy to issue more, and also coin all the silver there is in the country. lnen we mlSHI De aDle 10 open up the workshops without turning the reins of legislation over to the money grabbers.
 He also argued that if the free and un- limited coinage of silver went into effect that any one who happens to have 50 cents worth of silver could take it to the mint and have it coined and returned to him, and would make 50 cents by the transaction. This argument knocks his 53-cent "bugaboo" all in the head and ad- mits that a silver dollar would be worth 100 cents, because if a man has 50 cents worth of silver and by having it coined he makes profit of 50 cents by the trans action, then the only conclusion to be reached is that 50 cents worth of silver can be turned into 100 cents of good, hon. est, sound money.
 And, again, even if a silver dollar should only be worth 53 cents, I think 1t would be policy to put enough of those 53- cent pieces in circulation so that it would be impossible for a few men to corner them and consequently be able to say to us: You vote as we say or we will starve you out"
 And, again, if the corporations, trusts, syndicate, railroads, etc., thought for a minute or had the slightest hopes of re- ducing their pay roll to the extent of 47 per cent by paying us off in 53-cent dol lars, you would hear them all shouting for Bryan. If such were the case I most certainly should vote the republican ticket But being that 1t is not the case, and that the arguments set forth in de- fense of single gold standard are ridic- ulous in the extreme and contradict themselves, henceforth I shall be an ar- dent advocate for the free and unlimited coinage of silver and an admirer and sup porter of the plank that says no labor leader shall be sent to jail without jury trial, and shall continue to stand in de- fense of organized labor regardless of all party ties, and l appeal, in the name of our country, our homes our wives and our children, to all my fellow craftsmen and to the laboring classes in general, to consider the matter well and vote accord ing to and in the interest of organized la- Dor, regardless of any and all party con- nections. Fraternally yours,
 JASON w. WARREN
 611 North Nineteenth street, 1T
 Birmingham, Ala