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


a five-year-old son, and, suppose In order
TO make a double standard. according 10
The notion q the populhls,ts: we declare tns,
and II should consist OF the chairman and
hts llve-year-oid son. do you think anybody
could make very much OF a statement that
a person was above or below the Standard
Double Standard Illustrated
Now, that is precisely what the popu-
! list wants 10 do when he asks you TO make
a soluble standard OF value; That Is, 70
arbitrarily fix 80 cents worth or silver 10
make 100 cents worth OF gold, and TO say
there should be a double standard by which
commodities should be measured cd III you you
that, and you can measure the value OF
commodities IN silver just as well as YOU
| can by gold, but you cannot measure the
value OF commodities by both any more
than you could measure the height ot a
man by the height OF the Chairman or this
| meeting and the height OF his hve-year- old
SON. calling both a double standard OK
height, -. oou,,rv we Inv. established
years ago. In 1884 and not in 1873. the gold
standard, and the gold standard was
established hy the d. concurrence eartS OF
s sns ie tbe biz 9li which Viii Creates It and
| established n was fathered and cham
pioned through the senate by Thomas Ben
ton. the friend and spokesman OF Andrew
"Now. II IS well that we should under
| stand what the issue is between the popu-
list and the democrat in this campaign
! on the money question. Mr.. Bryan woufu
| tell YOU IL is the reconciliation OF silver.
/ IL is not anything OF the KIND. ~ the prop-
| osition was merely 10 renon4tizo silver
and 10 make silver standard by which
/ future debts could be measured. very
/ different proposition would De p,easentsu
/ from that which is involved IN this can
vass.
Dishonest Change Coutsm plated.
'"The question here IS not a change In
| the standard OF value applicable 20 future
| transactions, an honest change, bet ~ Is
| a change In the standard, and the max
| ing OF that standard applicable TO existing
| contracts, and accomplishing the robbery
| OF ones fellow-citizens. IL IL just as VOL
! that we should bear these distinctions In
| mind, because the distinguishing feature
Of populistie oratory is th "a Win ~, NesS
| a confusion or argument that the intellect
! OF man cannot unravel Nothing Is more
common. for instance. than for popu.
the expression value and yet nothing
Is more distinct than these two express
! slons. Any man may change the price
OF things by legislation No man can
change the value OF things except through
the labor OF man and the concurrence OF
| God Almighty A change I'm the standard
| OF value applicable 10 future contracts
| would hurt nobody seriously II would
present question OF con r;d,
men might differ. but IL would not present
a question OF morals or. which honest men
| cannot differ and on which democrats are
| bound by their consciences.
Now. 10 show you Just what the ef-
| feet OF a reduction OF tho standard OF value
on future contracts might be. and how
little ~ would affect the trade OF individ-
uals, you have but TO liken II 10 change
! in the standard by which lengths are
measured. the standard OF lineal measure
ment Suppose somebody should pass a
law through the legislature OF the state
OF Illinois decreeing that in future tho
| yard measure should consist OF ~ inches.
That would not hurt anybody particularly.
When you want. certain quantity Of
cloth you Just order twice as many yards
| "a The
! same for II. Where ten yards would suf-
flee under the present Measurement you
| would order 20 yards. and you would have
just exactly the same amount OF cloth, and
/ you would probably pay exactly the same
price for 4 But, on :he other hand. n
| 20 ~ inches, where YOU order ten yards OF
| cloth now you would order five yards Of
cloth then. and you would pay about the
| same for ~. and you would get exactly the
| same quality OF cloth
How Laborers Would suffer.
Nobody would be hurt further than IN
the disturbance I'm the measurements.
But II you contracted a debt FOR ten yards
OF cloth with the existing measurement,
and before the cloth was delivered the legis-
| laturc OF Illinois should change the yard
measure from SO inches 10 iSinches and de-
clare that all existing contracts should be
| settled according TO that measure. then In
| stead OF ten yards for which you paid you
| would get FIVE yards from the dealer. and
! you would have been cheated by the law
which changed tho contract you had made.
| II. on the other hand, they provided that
the yard should consist OF OF " inches and
| make the new measure applicable 20 cx-
listing contracts why then you would get
twice as much cloth as you had paid for
and the cloth dealer would have been
| cheated out OF just one-half the cloth which
the law had compelled him TO deliver 20
you.
THE same thing f. exactly true n you
| change the standard OF value by which
debts are measured Ira man owes YOU for
/ Or 10
and before that debt became payable the
government OF the United States debnsed
worth one-half what they are worth
to-day. you would be cheated out
OF Just one-half the debt that was due you.
And since every laborinK man Is always a
creditor for one days work at least usually
for a week or two weeks or months
work, and all the laborers OF this country
are creditors every year 20 the amount OF
over 81 000. 900 900, a fraud practiced upon
the creditors OF this country will fall with
the heaviest hand upon laborers and pro.
ducers, who are always tho chief creditors
More Currency Not Needed.
Now Mr. Bryan will tell you that Il Is
very necessary TO Increase the quantity OF
money, that you must have more money
more dollars than arc circulating to-day
Well i don't exactly see why. l would
rather have one active dollar than ten idle
dollars. Just look at the way money works
according 20 your own experiences, my
friends. Take little village where the
operation OF economic laws are plainly WIS.,
ible 10 everybody. where the population IS
so small that we oil see just how every man
does his business. There you find. for I'm.
stance. that the railroad company pays OF
it's men on Saturday night. Those men 20
20 the grocery store with the dollars which
have been paid TO them and settle THEN
bills.
Next week the grocer pays freight bill
10 that railroad, ana that grocer uses tho
aamo money which the railroad paid 10
tho laborer ana the laborer paid TO the
grocer, and within another week that same
money is paid out 10 tho laborCr again
and IL COOS the same road and comes back
again, and Il Is great deal better that
the grocer should need more freight and
force the railroad 20 employ moro money
and men and make those dollars NOR,
active than II would be 90 swell the cur
| rcncy and leave the Vaults OF tho treasury
choking with unused money, while trade Il
| frightened from the market, labor Is un.
employed, and business inactive
when Mr.. Bryan tells you he wants tC
reduce the value OF n dollar, or he wants
10 circulate a cheaper dollar thar il the
standard OF value In the country to-day
does he tell you how we are going 10 get
any more dollars than we are getting now
Does he propose that these extra dollars