Evening star., 1896-08-21

of which promises to be 80 profitable.
Here. then labor will haye it's innings and
Sna'sss Sa asserns y a., as e 7ae sns susns sam
Of the Rockies to the flock masters of Ohio,
and the wheat growers Of Nebraska. and
the unemployed Of our great cities to come
out and share In the blessings of this re-
vived industry. at least to the extent of
receiving miners wages for miners work.
Who can deny that to this extent the free
and unlimited is also working to the ad-
vantage of the laboring class?
What John VIII Do.
But John Smith will doubtless be willing
to invest portion of his gains in cotton
mills in Georgia. and woolen mills in Da-
kota, and In street railways in our cities.
and in other profitable enterprises in our
own country, unless, indeed, he shrewdly
concludes that to build mills and railroads
in China and Japan will be better invest
ment, for capital Is cosmopolitan. in it's
feeling rather than patriotic. Why should
not it care for heather Chinee as we'll as
for civilized American workman and
draw from the foreign rather than from
the domestic labor market, If the profits
are only somewhat enhanced thereby? And
John Smith is nothing If not a shrewd CAPT.
,aiist ta,ist- re Is, however. not the only CAPT.
tai1st- Brown and Jones, his neighbors,
nave also their millions. but these millions
are being boarded" that is, invested in
government and other gilt-edge securities,
and deposited in safety vaults.
Brown. Jones & Co. are not going to risk
their capital just now by putting 1t into
manufacturing plants, railroads, etc. Why
should John Smith take risks which his
neighbor will not? Capital is proverbially
''tiinid.' Why should John Smiths capital
be more venturesome than Browns? Is 1t
on the principle that some one else is at
tread?" Besides, if John Smith looks
around him. and capitalists usually do
this. he will find manufacturing plants of
almost all kinds in all parts of the country
there are more Of these establishments al
reaGy than are required to meet all de-
mands. Our own domestic plants are now so
supplemented by those Of England, G Germany
and France. our friendly" rivals, that
there really seems to be no occasion for
John Smith to invest in this direction. 1t
does not seem probable that the opening
Of the mints to this bullion will result in
the opening of more mills for the employ
ment of labor-at least, not in this country.
Nor is it yet clear how the common peo-
pie are to become sharers in the benefits
OF the free coinage of this bullion.
Industry and Prices.
But. assuming that John Smith issues
his silver dollars. and that they gradually
set into circulation, how are the poor the
destitute, the unemployed, farmers, me-
chanics. etc, for whom the promoters of
Tree silver are so concerned, to get pos
session Of these shining tokens of relief?
They must. of course. buy them. and that
with the sweat of their brow, for they have
nothing else to give. They are assured,
however. that this addition to the crcula-
tion will set the wheels Of industry revolv-
ing. and stimulate activity in all depart
ments of labor: and SO every one will have
opportunity for work and wages, and that
prices OF all commodities will at once begin
to rise: the farmers produce, the miller's
Hour the weavers cloth, the output of all
manufactures, etc, and SO good times will
come again. Undoubtedly and inevitably
prices will rise. They always do when gold
goes to d premium or when the paying me-
dunn is deprecated in value. Higher prices
are, of course. a good thing for those who
have more products to sell than they are
obliged to buy. and SO. without doubt, those
who own or lease farms will be benefited.
and those who own manufactures. But
what of the great army of wage earners
who comprise the mass of the laboring
population of the country? How will free
silver" benefit them. when the increasing
prices, as all advocates of free unlimited"
claim it will. it compes them to pay more
fo- every morsel of bread and meat and for
every article Of clothing, for every neces-
sity and every luxury required for the sup
port and comfort of themselves and their
families?
Things Are So Cheap Now.
How is one. even a laboring man, great
ly benefited by being obliged to pay more
for everything he needs? BY what logic
VIII one convince the mill workers of New
England the miners of Pennsylvania, the
employees of our great railroads, the toll
ing masses of our great cities, the wage
earners of the land. who greatly exceed
in numbers all other classes combined, that
higher prices for everything they need for
themselves and those dependent on them
are good thing for them? And yet this
Is the task which the advocates of free
silver set themselves to accomplish and
this with apparent hope of success. 1t is
evident that they are counting largely up-
on finding the laboring class either
thoushtless. or dull. or stupid. The proof
Of such stupidity would surely be found in
the acceptance of this logic.
An. but wages will Increase also! Will
they: Be sure of this before you "go
ahead and vote for free silver" They
say so, but who fixes the price of laboro
DO the advocates of free silver" or even
the laborers themselves? Who does not
Know that the price of labor is the very
last to rise? That only after weary and
prolonged delay does it tardily follow the
rise in prices of products? That the price
of products will rise Is absolutely certain
1t Is also certain that the price of labor
VIII not rise except by slow degrees. and
bitter experience Of strikes and lockouts
Ii VIII take long time for the rise in
wages to overtake the rise in products
WHICH tne laDOrer must have for his SlS-
tenance. 1t Is comforting to think of re-
ceiv1ng double wages, and this is the com
fort that Is held out to the iaboring man:
but what If he must pay treble for all he
has to buy? Is 1T not worth while for the
laboring man to ponder this question?
The BOndholdera and Widows.
Then. what of that large class whose de-
pendence Is on fixed incomes. annuties,
dividends from bonds. interest on deposits,
ETC.: widows and orphans, and others hav-
ing no other source of support? Can these
also be persuaded that free silver will
bring blessings to them because it will In
crease the price Of commodities, though 1t
will not add one penny to their incomeso
1t Is possible that the Establishments of
the white metal may effect even this. 1t
Will indeed be a sad and humiliating dis
appointment to the exploiters of free sill
yer II, In the end. 1t shall be found that it
mas wrought incalculable damage to that
largest of all classes of our citizens, those
who are dependent upon their daily toll
for tReig daily bread and to that other,
though lesser class, whose reliance is on
small fixed incomes, which must remain
the same, though prices continue to rise
higher and higher. For are not these the
classes for WHICH the exploiters feel the
largest concern? Ia naf Tho yor1, col,