Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1896-09-29
the woaklNoMAN's DOLLAR.
A.Iestsr From Andrew Csr.csie on THAT
Subject.
tFroIn The American Manufacturer and Iron
World

Subject.
tFrorn The American Manufacturer and Iron
world.1
In reply to your request that ] should
say few words to workingmen upon
the silver question, permit me to state
that the question, as far as concerns
workingmen and all others receiving
salaries. lies in nutshell.
First. To-day they are paid in dol
lars as good as gold, worth 100 cents
everywhere. These gold dollars, being
worth nearly two silver dollars of the
silver standard countries, buy two dol
lars worth of the ten, coffee, ETC., used
by workingmen. This is the reason
that these articles are now SO cheap in
gold.
Secondly The present dollars paid
workingmen, being gold dollars, buy q
all countries which are gold standard
countries. sB sMS
Therefore, if American workingmen
are paid in silver, the cost of everything
they use from lver-bearing countries
will be nearly double. This includes
tea, coffee, sugar. spices, etc.
Thirdly. The cost of articles pur-
chased by his gold dollars from gold
nsing countries will also be doubled, as
the silver dollar containing about SO
cents worth Of silver, will be taken by
the gold-using countries only as its
value in silver Today our dollars are
taken at 100 cents. The Mexican dol
lar buys in Brazil SO cents worth of
coffee; it buys in London 81 cents
worth of anything; but the American
dollar today buys 200 cents worth of
coffee in Brazil and 100 cents worth of
anything in London. No silver advo-
cate can dispute these facts.
If free silver coinage comes, which
Mr.. Bryan desires, the wages of the
workingman will be thus nearly cut in
half. The question he has to consider
is: Will wages under silver nearly
double? If not, he is loser by silver.
answer, No! Here is the fact upon
that subject:
Wages in silver-using countries have
not advanced as the value of silver has
fallen. The workingmen in Mexico,
Brazil, China, Japan and India get just
the same amount of silver. which is
now worth 81 cents ON the dollar, as
they did when silver was worth 100
cents on the dollar. These wages
range from 10 to 20 cents per day in
silver dollars worth only about one half
the American gold dollars.
Now, the workingman who desires
his revenue to be reduced nearly one
half should vote for Mr.. Bryan the
workingman who does not wish this
will make great mistake if he votes so.
1t may be asked why employers are
not in favor of debaSed money, when
they could pay their workingmen in it
and thus save about one-half the cost OF
labor. The reason is that employers
know only too well that debased money
has always resulted in disaster to busi-
ness. 1t shakes confidence, and bust
ness is based upon confidence. Employ
ers are never prosperous unless the
workingmen are prosperous 1t is when
labor commands the highest wages that
profits are highest. When labor can be
obtained at very low rates, because
many men are idle, the employer makes
no profit. He always loses.
should like workmen to look around
and consider the situation. We read of
millions of spindles standing idle in the
textile factories, of the iron mines
closed around Lake Superior. of the fur
naces blown out and almost every manu-
featuring concern in the country run
ming with reduced forces There is only
one reason for this paralysis in business,
and that is the threat of reckless, igno-
rant men to lower the standard of
money.
The day that the republic decisively
declares that its standard of value will
remain what it has been for so many
years-gold-will see the return of gen
uine prosperity Until that day comes
we have nothing to look for but such
depression as now prevails, and even
worse.
The question is to be decided by the
workingmen and those who receive sal
aries. If they vote for gold, they vote
for prosperity; if they vote for silver,
they will have themselves to blame for
reducing the value of wages and for the
hard times certain to follow.
This is question above party, and in
this contest ! am neither Republican
nor Democrat, but I shall vote and work
for the maintenance of our gold stand
ard as patriotic duty. Labor in the
republic shall never be reduced to the
level of China and Japan by any vote of
mine. ANDREW CARNEGIE.