The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1896-09-19

profitable assertion 10 make before q labor
day demonstration. on the other hand' "
the dollar weuld increase the rate OF
wages paid TO labor in a degree exceeding
the increase IN the price OF eommod,l lilies
just where he came In In that scheme or
benencence.
so, there are Just three different posi-
lions which Mr.. Bryan can take, and each
one OF them being uncomfortable, he dis
poses Of this entire question by saying
that the men who propounded IL are the
agents OF syndicates. friends OF trusts, ana
generally contemptible characters. Now.
that may be an answer according 10 the
light of the populist. IL never w1s an an
ss mai wh1 hut mT frisnds II wages Were
question OF philanthropy, IL wages were
feature OF charity. then the motive OF the
person who discussed them might have an
important bearing upon the whole char
acter and language or the argument
But wages. as l have explained IN an
other place are hnea 6yh ,cb law ISs1 as tbe
progress OF the seasons or the state or
the weather. Wages depend upon produc.
ton and on nothing else, and declared
night. that TO me there Is no test
OF prosperity except the rate OF wages
Increase that would support. no mat
ter by what political means.
II do not mean to be understood as max
affection for the man who works with his
hands. l merely meant then, as / mean
now, 10 say that since wages cannot ex-
list except as a feature OF abundant pro-
duction, and as abundance means prosper
| ity, / believe I'm high wages, because i
believe II indicates condition OF gen
| eral happiness and general wealth, In
which / and all the rest OF the community
| will share the happiness, the wealth and
the prosperity OF Americans.
MIseonceIves Economic Laws.
And, my friends, II is hardly necessary
70 explain to yop that Mr. Bryan enters
| OF the laws which govern the rate or COM
| pensaton paid the toiler, with a total mis-
| conception OF the circumstances under
which wages rise and the adverse condi-
| tions snder which they fall. In that
| speech at Madison Square Garden he prac-
| tically declared that IL the laborsr would
accept a cheaper dollar he would get more
| opportunities to work and a better chance
| OF unemployment after he had been dis
Now, did any OF you, my friends, who
| happen 10 be laborers, ever know OF Q
| man who sought TO reduce the wages OF
his workingmen who did not say about the
same thing as that DO you think that
statement In original with Mr.. Bryan7
IL shows exactly the same mistaken con-
| ception OF the laws governing that branch
| OF production that he shows wherever he
attempts TO discuss logically and clearly
the relations OF men 20 each other in a
/ civilized community.
| HE has said, as far as I can make out,
| two things-that Is TO say he has made two
| important assertions one Is that the
workingmen have been inundated by
| their employers The other IS that Eng
! land controls our financial policy. and that
| the time has come when the people OF the
United States as ar, an act OF patriotism
| nations upon their financial system. My
| friends. let us take those two questions ur
| In their order:
Should Drnounoe Coercionists
First about the intimidation OF work
| 1 believe "a
| Dental candidate would go from state 10
state and platform TO platform making an
had the information In his possession
| which would Justify II, ] do not believe
that Mr.. Bryan would make statement
| OF tho labor I'm this country and Hmpugn-
| ing the independence OF the American
worlNngman unless he had information
/ TO Justify the assertion But II he knows OF
one employer who attempts to corrupt the
| suffrage by intimidation OF voters then he
| knows criminal who should be denounced
/ before the laws OF tho nation.
| "If there be within the knowledge OF Mr.
| Bryan a crime so hideouB as this, com
/ mitted in some civilized state where law Is
| administered by impartial tribunals, he has
i no right TO shield the criminal by his 81
| lence II he does not want TO prosecute
| him himself. as no ought 20 do. then let him
| give his name 10 honest democrats who VIII
| see that he is prosecuted j believe that.tt
/ IS the privilege OF an American citizen,
i believe that am well inside the line OF
1
when / summon Mr. bryan TO do his duty
| 20 the laws OF this country. not az presi-
| Dental candidate. but as private citizen
| IF he hestates TO discharge this plain
| duty OF citizenship, how I'm the name OF
| common sense can he expect the people OF
this country TO trust him with the greater
/ duties and power OF leadership lii a crusad,
against the experience OF all mankind.
Nothing Dimcuit In Economics.
Now, we have heard him talk OF stand
| ards OF value. We have heard him say tina
the gold standard was conspiracy
against humanity. l don't myself quite
| know how a standard could be a con.
| spiracy any more than horse could be Q
conspiracy. But Mr.. Bryan said a. ant
economics that justlhes the assertion
| And let me say right here to you, my
friends, that I'm the discussion Of this cur
rency question and kindred subjects FOL
the last four years populist orators have
| 50 perverted economic expressions thai
they have become the terror OF the ordi
| nary man.
when any gentleman undertakes {,
| speak TO you about the battle OF the stand
ards, about an approaching dollar, abou
the woes OF the debtor and the hopeless
cruelty OF the creditor. and reads 10 yoi
| extracts from speeches which often meai
| nothing, and adds TO them a few NOR
| nonsensical observations OF his own-don'
be scared. and don't fancy that your intelli
! gence Is Inferior because you can't Away
grasp his meaning, In the moments Q
your deepest mystlfcation you are In cx
actly the condition OF your fellow citizen
including that OF the orator himself
Now. In economic science there ought q
| be nothing difficult. and think IL Is a fai
| suggestion 20 make TO intelligent peOp
that when a man has n scheme OF be
neficence that is really merltorlous he vii
present II 20 YOU IN language that you cal
| grasp and understand
when any man asks YOU 20 abandon
conditions with which you are familiar
whose harshness you know how 20 soften
whose asperities you can anticipate wit
the worst OF which you have learned q
deal be sure that the specific which he I
prescribing for you Is something that yol
can apply 20 your own experience. and hav
ing applied tho test OF experience 20 n
that you can be sure II Will work bench
20 YOU. have never yet known anywher
IN the world whore q man could bring any
thing TO me that did not earn, and bring
20 me honestly. Usually N man offers m
n gold brick or n wcll-flled purse. neither o
which ! am entitled 20, the dictate OF pru
dence Is 20 call n policeman
Standard OF value Defined.
when the populist orator asks you q
discard all tho experience OF years 10 TAX
up some experiment which you do not quit
understand yourselves, and which yo
have n suspicion that he IL a little haz
about himself call TO your aid the dis
ID