The evening bulletin. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1887-1905, 1896-08-22

NOW Mr. Bryan Tells us that he wants
to cheaper the dollar; that he wants to
increase the volume OF money. 1 do not
/ believe that any man who ever lived could
quito understand u Populist's notion of
what money Is, further than that he be-
lieves it is desirable thing to get and
I that he Is not very particular about the
means by which he can get his hands
on 1t.
Nothing is more common than the mis-
take that money and property are identi-
cal. They are not. There may be q 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
his promissory note would show an in
crease of his property. AS matter of
fact, an increase in the coinage Is no proof
of an increase in property but may be u
strong proof OF a decrease in wealth. 1t Is
not the volume of money but the activity
Of money that counts.
The basis of sound trade Is sound
money, money which is intrinsically valu-
able, money which, like the gold coinage
of this country, the government cannot
affect if 1t tried to. l can take u $40 gold
piece and can defy all the power of the
governments of this earth to take cents
of value from 1t. Having earned it by the
sweat of my brow, having earned it by the
exercise of my BRAIN having earned it by
the exchange of my commodities, can go
to the uttermost ends of the earth, and
wherever present 1t, its value will be un-
questioned and unchallenged. That gold
dollar this meeting, the Democratic party,
the honest masses of this country without
distinction of party divisions demand
shall be paid to the laborer when he earns
IL, and that no power on earth shall cheat
him out of the sweat of his brow.
1t is perfectly clear that the purpose Of
the Populist is to put up prices OF certain
commodities. Mr.. Bryan's language is
that he is going to improve the conditions
of the people of this country. lido no sup
pose he claims he can multiply the num-
Der of chairs upon this platform or upon
this floor, although he has shown his
capacity to empty them. If he is going to
work any change in the conditions of men
he must increase the material possession
of some part of the community. Now il
he got possession of the government to-
morrow he would not create one single
thing of value by any exercise OF
governmental power in the world. No
power ever yet exercised by tyrant or by
constitutional monarch can cause barren
field TO become fruitful, can cause two
blades of grass to grow where one grew
before, can bring together the stone that
compose this building and raise them into
statery temple dedicated to political
discussion. No; 1t requires the labor of
man, and the labor of man alone to create
WedlGh' ii MI bryan is gong TO enrlCn
somebody, the thing which he means to
bestow on him he must take from some
body else. Who is TO be despoiled and
who Is TO be enriched by the exercise of
this new scheme of governmentY "a cry
of "Silver mine owncrs.")
My friend the silver mine owner will get
cheated with the rest. A government
never can be generous because if it be gen.
erous to one IL must be oppressive to an
other, But his financial scheme contem-
plates an increase in the price of certain
commodities. We are coming now pretty
close to the woodpile behind which the
African is concealed. Now If everything
in this world or this country, including
labor, be increased in value tomorrow in
like proportion, not one of us would be
affected at all. If Everything be increased
10 per cent in value, we would pay 10 per
cent in addition for what we would buy,
and get 10 per cent more for what we
would sell, and we would be exactly in
the same place we occupied before.
Therefore, it is fair TO assume that is
not the lame and impotent conclusion
which this Populist revolution contem-
plates. What then is it, 1t is an increase
in the price of commodities and allowing
labor TO shift for itself. If the price of
commodities be increased and the price of
labor be left stationary, why that means
the cutting down of the rate of wages. If
instead of dollar which consists of
given quantity of gold equal to 100 cents
anywhere in the world, with the purchas-
ing power of 100 cents the laborer is to be
paid in dollars worth 90 cents each, why
he can only buy half rs much with IA days
wages as he buys now. Wage earners,
Mr.. Bryan says, know that while gold
standard raises the purchasing power of
the dollar 1t also makes it more difficult
TO obtain possession of that dollar. They
know that employment is less permanent,
loss of work more probable and re- en-
plOyment less certain.
II that means anything 1t means that
cheap dollar would give more employ
mcnt. more frequent employment, more
work and chance to get unemployment
after he was discharged. If that means
anything IL means If the laborer is willing
to have his wages cut down he will get more
work. But diminution in the rate of
wages does not increase the scope of en-
ployment. The more abundant the pro-
duct the higher the wages. There can not
be abundant product unless labor is ex-
tensively employed. Mr.. Bryan would
have you believe that prosperity is ad-
but the fall in the rate of wages always
comes from narrow production, and mar
row production means there is little de-
mand for labor in the market.
When, after the panic of 1873, the price
OF labor fell TO 30 cents day, it was harder
to obtain labor than when the rate of
labor was & day; and the difference
between the Populist who seeks to cut
down the rate of wages and the Democrat
who seeks to protect it is, that the Demo
crat believes high wages and prosperity
are synonymous, and the Populist wants
TO cut the wages in order that he may
tempt the farmer To make war upon his
own workingmen. Mr.. Bryan leads the
van in saying that it is the creditor he is
after. In order that you should under