The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-08-19
BRYAN SCORED
BY COCHRAN
Continued from First Page

support him here and now. [Great applause
and cheers.] l do not make this statement
through any pretense of special affection for
the man who works with hands. Such q pre-
tense made in the heat of Presidential can
yass would merely insult and discredit the in
telligence to which it is addressed. [Applause.l
repeat that would support any measure cal
culated to increase the rate of wages. because
know OF no test of prosperity absolutely in
fallible except the rate of wages paid to labor
ers. [Applause.] Where the rate of wages is
high there must be prosperity. Where the
rate of wages is low there must be distress.
If then Mr.. Bryan can show me that by the
enforcement of any portion of his programme
wages will be increased in this country will
not only support him but will recognize him
as the wisest orator that ever opened his
mouth on a platform since the beginning of
the world. [Laughter.l will be ready to con-
fess that the rhetoric which do not under
stand is really the language of inspiration.
[Laughter.1 ] would regard his administra-
ton of the Presidency as the Bindling of
great light before the footsteps of man, show
ing him broad pathway to endless happi-
ness and measureless prosperity. But in
searching through his speech, in reading
through whole reams of Populistic literature
with which this country has been flooded for
four years, have never yet found one syllable
which showed me how Populist expected to
increase the rate of wages. Laughter and
applause.1
When we come to find out Just how Mr..
Bryan expects to increase the wages of labor
we find ourselves lost in maze of contraoic-
ton and In a haze of obscure expressions. No
man can tell how or when the wages of the
workingmen are to be increased, but any one
who examines the scheme can see that the in
evitable tendency, the inevitable consequences
L 1f dab L
be reduction in the rate of wages, and that is
the conspiracy in which the Populist is en-
gagged. [Applause.]
Mr. Bryan tells us that he wants to cheaper
the dollar, that he wants to increase the
volume OF money Nothing is more common
In Popul1st oratory than the statement that
the volume OF money must be increased for
the benefit of the people--which means that
part OF the people that runs and manages and
addresses Populist meetings. Laughter and
applause.l Nothing Is more common than the
statement that money and property are identi-
CAL They are not. redundancy of money
does not prove any prosperity. There may be
very large volume of circulating 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 bis promis-
sorry note would show an increase of his prop
erty. [Applause.1 As matter of fact, an in
crease in the coinage is no proof of an increase
in property, but may be strong proof Of q de-
crease in wealth.
Let us take, Tor instance, this watch case.
That is worth its bullion value, plus the labor
that has been expended on it. If now l melt
that down into $40 gold piece it is worth
nothing but the bullion value. Here, then,
has been an increase in the quantity of money,
but q decrease in the volume OF National
wealth. could not buy watch case with the
coin, which would be coined out of tins un-
less added something to it; and the pretense