The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-10-14
A coNDUcToR's QUESTION.


addressed a series of inquiries through the
Mobile Register, a BRYAN and SEwALL
advocate. to collection of Popocratic
speakers who came to his town TO particl-
pate in a Popocratic ratification meeting.
come is based on the unit OF days
wages, as one of the class, or, TO use Mr..
BRYAN's discriminating term, the
"mass, of the people who are in ma
jority in this country, who control its
policy and elect its Presidents, by con-
trast to whom the "money power" and
"Wall street" and the "plutocrais" are
but pigmies in influence, is, OF course,
most vitally interested in the present
campaign and most seiiou'ly concerned
to have it clearly demonstrated what ad-
vantage lies in the silverite proposition
realizing, as be does, as all do of the big
majority OF which he is one, that to him
as a man of fixed income, moderate In
amount. permitting Of no surplus to
draw upon aud fritter away in fnan-
cisl experiment, his Interests will be
closely affected, bettered or made worse,
as the case may be.
We find ooncretely expressed in the
questions that this workingman asks the
same questions that with less and less of
vagueness every day are developed with
in US all. Mr.. TIMBERLAKE declares
that he has no interest in any candidate
or in either party at this time. He real
izes that the issue touches himself criti-
cslly, and he wants to look out for him
self. His first three questions 60 plump
at the matter as follows:
!. Will the free coinage OF silver at a
ratio OF 10 to increase the rate OF wages
now paid the workingmen in the Unit ed
States? IL you say it will, please name
me some free-coinage country In which
the workingmen are paid wages as high
as they now receive In the United States.
2. We are not only interested in the
rate OF wages, but also in the purchasing
power OF the money In which wages are
paid. Is there free-coinage country in
the world where a workingman can buy
as much for o dollar as he can now in the
United states?
3. Mr.. BRYAN ana other advocates Of
free coinage claim that II will increase
the price OF all commodities. Ii it should
increase tn, price OF the Things which the
"A
respondingly increase his wages, Will he
not be most seriously affected by the
change?
Surely these are reasonable questions
to ask and ought not to be difficult to an
swer. OF course, IL they were answered
in the affirmative the evidence In support,
requested by the second part of the first
two questions, could not be adduced
because no such evidence exists. The
answers would thus become only on ex-
preston OF opinion, unsupported by
existing facts and withou, any founda-
tiop from experience.
Question is promptly answered in the
affirmative by reference to history. The
question reads: "Is It true that between
1850 aud 1865, when the currency was in
8ated with paper, that the price of all
commodities rose 1l6 per cent, while
wages only rose 43 per cent?" This is
true beyond dispute.
Question 8 again calls for an opinion,
the affirmative OF which would be at a loss
for any facts to support 1t. Mr.. TIMBER
LAKE asks; eli wages only increased
about one-third as much as the price of
things for which wages had to be ex-
chan ged pet tween 1860 and 1855, when
hundreds of thousands CT laborers were
in the field as soldiers, do you believe
wages would increase so much under
conditions that would follow MIR. BRYAN's
eleetion?"
Then this aggressive but perfectly
fair and reasonable questioncr, proceeds
10 the lutoEtsts VI IhliNOhu HeHs Ile
asks II the policy proposed would result
in an increase OF their wages by the rail-
road companies which would, at the
same time, be compelled to pay more for
their supplies? He inquiries IL the
policy will not make market by law for
the silver mine owners and thus create a
gigantic silver trust; II 1t is true:(as, OF
course II is) that on the Santa Fe Rail
road operated partly in the United Stat e
and partly in Mexico the laborer on the
American side receives an American sill
yer dollar, while just across the imagi
nary line, ON the Mexican side, the pay
master with the American silver dollar
buys two Mexican silver dollars with
which he pays for two days. work, and
- A, Il.