Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-10-27

ipulate markets with the skill of q ma
gician; who permit a temporary rise
in prices only as means OF realizing
profits, and whose steady policy is to
depreciate the value of everything but
gold.
Pick up your Republican or sold
standard Democratic paper and read
what they are telling you. Open the
envelopes Mark Hanna is sending you
and lead the inclosed pamphlets What
do they tell American wage-earners?
Here are some of the things they tell
you:
That the purchasing power Of a dol
lar has enormously increased.
That the wage-earner is more pros
porous today by reason of the Increased
purchasing power of his dollar than
ever before in the history OF the coun-
try.
That things are cheaper than ever
before and that any change which will
raise prices will he at the cost Of the
wage-earner.
cent dollar. the wage worker is the
greatest gamer.
That falling prices are q national
blessing; that a dollar which does not
rise in value is a dishonest dollar.
They are attempting to prove to
workmen and wage-earners that they
are oyer-prOsperous; that this wonder
full prosperity is the result of the gold
standard and that a return to the use
of silver and gold will be disastrous.
What is the effect of this? They are
mr. ripo 70, N
duction in wages. When the election
is over they will inform you that capi-
tai is entitled to some of the blessings
which follow the adoption of the gold
standard. They will assure you that
the wage fund is absorbing all the
profits of production, and prove by
their books and by stock quotations
that such a readjustment in wages
must be made as to permit the profit
able employment of capital in order
that it may continue production and
| the employment Of labor.
And when you strike you will lose.
And when you lose. and when the vast
army of the now unemployed have
| taken your places at reduced wages,
you will have then received the benefit
of an object lesson showing the inev-
| liable result of the gold standard and
falling prices. And then you will have
plenty of time to study this question.
A few years later, when prices have
yet further declined. when gold has yet
further advanced, the same thing will
happen again, with the same result.
| and wages will have tended downward
by that natural law which proclaims
| that under competition all things seek
| 4 common level And it will
hn mi
| es the plane in the wage scale OF gold
| standard Italy and Portugal.
BY the election of Mr.. Mckinley this
reduction in wages will be enforced by
all the power of the military and the
| unrestricted use of that new and sci
entitic weapon of gold monopoly. gov
eminent by injunction" Congress will
convene upon the election of Mckinley
in special session and grant new pow
| ers to the judiciary and carry into ma
tional effect those methods SO success
fully employed in private use by Mark
Hanna. H. c. Prick of Homestead and
II. c. Payne of Milwaukee,.
The election Of W. J. Bryan will de-
| feat the proposed reduction in wages
| ton of a congress opposed to English
| monometallism. with its falling values
| and wages. will act as a tonic on the
American people. The steady depre-
| citation of values will cease; the rise
in the selling price of manufactured
| and farm products will act as a ma
| tional stimulus. Gold will fall in
\ price. The International pawnbrokers
will lose money, but the people will
| live. When the firm of Heidelbach,
Ickleheimer & Co. suffers a loss every
| farmer and workman in the United
States will be a distinct gamer.
| By the election of w. J. Bryan no in
crease in the army will be made neces-
sary. Arbitration will take the place Of
| coercion.
When congress passes the bill re-
| monetizing silver, and when that prec-
ious metal again assumes it's function
| as legal and constitutional money,
wages will steadily rise. The decline
in values will cease, and slowly but
steadily rise to point where an
| honest bushel of wheat can look an
honest dollar sqarely in the face. And
in this operation the pawnbroiSer Will
so out of business.
| MI COulu not Walt uEt1l
after the election. Read this telegram:
"Pittsburg, Oct. 1.-tSpecial to the
| Chicago Record. Notices have been
| posted at the Homestead mill of the
Carnegie company of readjustment
| OF wages to take effect Jan. !, 1897.
Under the agreement with the work
men each side is required to give nine
ty days notice Of any change desired
in the wages paid. 1t is not known
how many departments will be affected
by the proposed change. or whether
the day men or only the tonnage men
Will be subject to a reduction in paw.
"The men say = readjust.uent always
means . reduction, and that IL was a re-
adjustment that caused the big strike Of
1894"
That ninety-day notice clause was
an unfortunate thing for Mark Hanna's
plans. In the Carnegie mills all new
scales go into effect the first or the
year. In the improbable event of Mr.
Mckinley's election. Mr.. Carnegie will
reduce the wages of his 10000 en-
ployes not less than $500 for the
coming year and that is a larger con.
tribution than he cares to make To the
! <1ey ann i<rv. f,,v IT,,