The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-08-19

else of this new scheme of government.
"a cry of silver mine owners.)
My friends, the silver mine owners
will be cheated with the rest. A gov
eminent can never be generous, be-
cause if it is generous to one it must
be oppressive to another But this
financial scheme cOntemplates an in
crease in the price of certain conmodi-
ties We are coming now pretty close
to the wood pile behind which the At
rican is concealed. Now If everything
in this world or in this country, includ-
ing labor. be increased in value to-
morrow in like proportion, not one of
US would be affected at all If every
thing be increased 10 per cent in value
we would pay ten cents in addition for
what we would buy and get ten per
cent more for what we sell. and that
would be exactly the same place we Oc-
cupied before. Therefore, it is fair to
assume that is not the same impotent
conclusion which this POpuliSt revOlu-
ton contemplates. What, then, is it?
1t is an increase in the price of commo-
dities and allowing labor to shift for
itself.
IF the price of commodities be in
creased and the price of labor be left
stationary, why. that means a cutting
down of the rate of wages. If, instead
of a dollar which consists of a given
quantity equal to a hundred cents, the
laborer is to be paid in dollars worth
50 cents each, why he can only buy half
as much with a days wages as he
y
says, know that while a gold standard
raises the purchasing power of a dol
lar it also makes it more difficult to
obtain possession of that dollar They
know that employment is less perma-
nent, loss of work more probable and
complement less certain. If that
means anything, it means that g. cheap
dollar would give him more employ
nent, more frequent employment more
work and a chance to get re-eTnploy-
ment after he was discharged. If that
means anything it means that if the Ia
borer is willing to have his wages cut
down, he will get work. But a dim
mutton in the rates of wages does not
secure employment. The more abund-
ant the product the higher the wages.
There can be no abundant product I'M
less labor is extensively employed.
Men of New York, toilers of Amer
lea, guardians of your homes, will you
allow your rate of wages to be affected
(Cries Of Never neverD by any man
who never has paid wages at all if he
could get out of it? viii you submit
to this conspiracy between the profess
sional farmers, the farmers who cult
vate the quarrels of their neighbors?
Wherever you find Populists assembled
you viii find discussions proceeding
upon the theory that we are hostile to
each other in our interests; that the
condition Of life is one of contest. So
Mr.. Bryan declared: When you come
before US and tell US that we shall dis
turb your business interests, we reply
interests CA voice: He was right.O
He was, my friend; when q man
loses all sense, he has a right to defy
those that possess any. (Laughter) In
a convention of extremists the most ex-
citable will always be selected for
leader Your prospects are not bad.
merely desire to call the attention of
this gathering to the character of that
speech, TO the underlying spirit that
pervades it, and to ask the working
men of this country, to ask the citizens
of this nation, if the government should
be trusted to the hands of men whose
conception of civilized society is one
of warfare and strife?
I'VE believe that the very essence of
civilization is mutual forbearance, mu-
tuaI cooperation. We believe the
world has got past the time when mems
hands are at each others Threats. We
believe today that men should stand
shoulder to shoulder, working together
for a common purpose, beneficial to all
(Applause), and we believe that this
attempt to assail wages, which means
an attempt to attack the prosperity of
ALL will be resisted, not by a class, but
by the whole nation. What labor has
gained that shall it keep. The rate
of wages that is paid to it today is the
lowest rate we will ever willingly ac-
cept. We look forward to a further
and further increase in the prOSp erity
of worlingmen, not merely by an in
crease in daily wages, but by a further
increase in the purchasing power of
wages
THE silver movement is a coalition
of men who labor with their jaws, the
Populist agitators and the unreconciled
Shareholders of the south. This is a
conspiracy between professional farm
ers, who want to pay low wages, and
the unrec0nciled STAKEHOLDER, who would
like to pay no wages at all. (ApplauSe.)
Here is the real root of this conspiracy.
Mr.. Bryan did not create it. No man
can create movement like this. The
forces that created it are active and
have been working in a thousand differ
emit directions. Mr.. Bryan, represent
ing this theory, is but like a drop of
water on the crest of the wave, more
conspicuous but no more important
than the millions of drops that form
its base. The PopuIistic movement is
he attempt of these professional farm
ars, of these men who are unwilling to
share with the laborer to appeal to
their greed. He is en- enemy of pub
tic order. He is an obstacle to prog
ress. He is a conspirator against the
peace and prosperity of the Industrial
/ masses of the country.
Il do not regret this campaign. The
| time has come when the people of this
| country will show their capacity for
lf-government. They will prove that
he men who kept the world in the
pathway Of progress viii be jealous