Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1896-08-27
tried to- can take $40 goldpiece and

Urleu 10. CaH tithc a TlU ROluIleCe anu
1 can defy pll the power of all the govern
ments of this earth to take 5 cents of value
from it. H,,ying earned it by the sweat
of my brow, having earned it by the exer-
else of my brain, having earned it by the
exchange of my commodities, l can go to
the uttermost ends of the earth and
questioned and unchallenged. That gold
dollar, this meeting, the Democratic party,
the honest masses of this country, without
shall be paid to the laborcr when he earns
it and that no power on earth shall cheat
him of the sweat of his brow
Mans Labor Creates Wealth.
Now let us see how Mr.. Bryan proposes
to deal with this question. l have looked
through his speech to find out just what he
thinks he is going to do for the laboring
man and / find that he dismisses him with
very few and some very unsatisfactory
phrases. But it is perfectly clear that the
purpose of the Populist is to put up tie
prices of certain commodities Mr.. Bry-
an $ language is that he is going TO i'm
prove the condition of the people of this
country; not of all of them, but of the
greatest number Well, now, DON'T sup
pose Mr. Bryan prctcnds to any miracr
lous power. don't suppose he clans he
can multiply the number of chairs upon
this platform or upon this floor, although
he has shown his capacity to empty them,
If he is going TO work ANY change in the
conditions of men, he must increase the
material possessions of some part Of the
community. Now, if he got possession OF
the government tomorrow, lie could not
~.
ercise of governmental power in the world.
Money and Property Not Identical.
Nothing is more common than the mis-
take that money and property are iden
tical. They are not redundancy of
money does not prove any prosperity.
There may be Il very large volume of cir
culating medium 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 matter of fact an increase in the coin
age is no proof of an increase in property,
but may be II strong proof of decrease in
wealth.
The volume of money plays but Il small
part even in the ordinary transactions of
life. 1t is not the volume of money, but
the activity of money that counts. II n
person wants to see just how ~ dollar
works in the ordinary exchanges, in what
might be called retail business, he has
but to take a dollar out of his pocket and
go out into the street and buy some fruit
Now, the fruit dealer would take that dol
lar and buy some vegetables. The green
grocer with the same dollar could buy
neclties. The dealer in neckties with the
same dollar could buy meat, and so on.
That one col. passing from hand to hand
might circulate $50 worth of commodities
in the course of II single day. That one
dollar circulating 500 worth of commod-
ties makes more business and more trace
than two dollars could make if they CIV
culated between them only $40 worth OF
commodities
Money never can circulate freely and ac-
! lively unless there be absolute confidence
in its value. If Il man doubts whether the
money in his pocket will be asyaluable to-
morrow as it is today, he will decline 10
exchange his commodity against it, and
this Populist agitation threatening the i
tegrity of money has been the cause of the
hard times through which this country is
passing and from which it will not escape
until the heel of popular condemnation is
| placed upon the Populist agitation which
undermines the foundation of credit.
Basis of Trade Is Sound Money.
If, then, Mr.. Bryan is going to enrich
somebody, the thing which he means tc
| bcstow on him he must take from some
| body else. Who is to be despoiled and who
| is to be enriched by the exercise of this
| new scheme of government
My friends. the silver mine owner will
| get cheated with the rest. If ever the Pop
| ulist has his way, nobody will be benefit
| ed, not even Mr.. Bryan. will venture t.
| say here now that if the face of Providence
| should be averted from this land and such
calamity as Mr. Bryan's election were
| permitted by it, the man who would suffer
most by that event would be the false
prophet, who, having torn down the ten
| pie of credit and of industry, would be
torn to pieces by an outraged public whose
prosperity he had ruined Let us follow
this argument a little Let us see what he
means to do, according to his own lights.
| We see that he can't enrich ono man
without impoverishing another. Cover
ment never m be generous, because if il
be generous to one it must be oppressive tt
another. Mr. Bryan does not pretend thot
! by any power given him from heaven Inc
| can find anything on the surface of this
earth that has not got an owner, and, there.
lore, he can't honestly bestow it upon q
| favoritc.
But his financial scheme contemplates
an increase in the price of certain com.
modities l do not think that anythine
Mr.. Bryan can do with reference to goia
will eyer affect it.
Cutting Down of Wages.
| But, my friends, we are coming noy
pretty close to the wood pile behind which
the African $ concealed Mr.. Bryan pro
poses to increase the price of commodities
If he means anything, he means that, AND
am not quite sure that he means any.
thing.
Now, if everything in this world or i1
this country, including labor, be increased
in value tomorrow, in like proportion, no,
| one of us would be affected Mt all If thai
was Mr.. Bryan's scheme, lie would never
have Populist nomination to give hin
Importance in the eyes Of this community.
| If that were all that he meant he would
not be supporting it, and would not be
taking the trouble to oppose it.
If everything in the world be increased
| 10 per cent in value, why, we would pay 1C
| per cent in addition for what we would
buy und get 10 per cent more for what we
would sell, and we would be exactly in the