The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1896-09-17
SOUND TRUTHS,
Uttered by Former Master
Workman Powderly.
WOULD NOT HELP woRK1NaMEH,

4 Panic Would Certainly Follow Bryan's
Election, and q Panic, Truly says Mr.
Powderly, Is a Poor Path to Prosperity.
The Popocrat Candidate IL NO Friend
Of Labor-His Ideas, II Carried Out.
Would Enrich silver Kings Only.
Mr.. T. V. Powderly, the former able
leader Of workingmen and ex-master
workman, writes as follows to the New
York World Dem.):
To the Editor Of The World,
Those who make light Of what is
termed the silver craze can not, imag.
inc. have given the subject a great deal
Of thought. For many years the silver
men have been active in spreading the
gospel of free coinage. By incessant
labor these silversmiths have succeeded
in committing some industrial organic
ations to the advocacy Of free and un-
limited coinage at the ratio Of IL to l.
They have so industriously circulated
the story of ''the crime Of 1878" that the
belief that silver was stealthily and sur.
reptitiously demonetized has gained
great headway, and the means Of dis
proving their statements are not acces.
sible to many.
A fact lost sight of is that those who
have exposed the alleged crime were
themselves criminals. They sat in con-
gress when the bill was passed, they
took part in the debates and by their
votes aided in the passage of the act.
The free coinage measure is not labor
measure, but by skillful juggling with
industrial organizations many have been
1,~.N1yon ~, Nf -
mands being set aside for that of free
coinage. Had the men who discovered
the "crime" not been owners of silver
mines, or did they not wish to unload
stock in silver properties on the un-
wary, no one would have heard more Of
the act of 1873.
Go carefully over Mr.. Bryan's
speeches and you do not find single
labor measure championed. During my
~ years connection with labor organi-
cations never heard the name of Mr..
Bryan until about two or three years
ago. He is vouched for by no one he
nominated himself in speech about
crucifying labor upon cross of gold,
but his only solution of the difficulty is
to break the bones of labor upon rack
of silver. He says the purchasing power
of the gold dollar has doubled. Is not
that gain to labor? If it will buy
twice as much wheat, corn or potatoes
as before, will not the farmer buy
twice as much of what he requires with
gold dollar than with 53.cent silver
dollar. He does not say that while the
gold dollar will buy 200 cents worth of
produce. the silver dollar and the paper
dollar which this government has
pledged its honor, and the honor Of
every loyal citizen, to maintain on q
parity with gold, will buy just as much
as the gold dollar.
Mr. Bryan speaks only for the silver
men. He knows their wants. but has
never familiarized himself with the
wants of the industrialists Of the ma
ton. He suggests no method Of diffus.
ing the products OF the farm among the
needy or of securing to the needy the
means of ppocuring what the farmer
produces.
He has not realized that through the
introduction of electricity as q substi-
tute for horsepower millions Of horses
have been disposed of, and the loss to
the farmers, in a lack of demand for
oats and hay, has gone ints hundreds of
millions. How will free silver create q
demand for oats and hay? He speaks
of gold plutocrats lording it over the
people, but does not explain how gold
plutocrat is any worse than silver one.
He would exchange one set of pluto.
Gratis for another, and in doing so estab.
Gsh the rule Of the minority, who have
already been favored more than any
other.
He would change the constitution of
the United States in some particulars,
hrt ~ ha aver succoods in onopiu0 khn