Kansas City daily journal., 1896-10-18
Tho Final Truth for w...-E.r.er..

AS the campaign is about closing, we in
vite all daily wage-earners to consider the
words Of a noted manufacturer, an ardent
champion of silver, who has had the hon
esty to tell frankly the true reasons for
the desire to make the change proposed
The silver men in this country, the Bryan
itcs have not dared to speak the truth re-
garding free slyer's effect on wag0s. but
1t has been told by an earlier silver. advo-
cate than Bryan, and 1t will be we'll to
hear his confession now.
little more than a year ago a great
English carpet maker, Sir Henry Meysey-
Thompson. observing the constant rise in
wages during the last twenty years and
the ever growing difference between wages
in gold standard countries, like England
and America, and in silver standard coun-
tries. like Mexico and China. offered u
prize for essays on the subject. The prize
was awarded to the British vice consul at
Shanghai. Mr.. George Jameson. The ker-
mel of Mr.. Jamiesons essay is the kernel
of the whole silver movement.
wages in gold using countries have be-
come, through the appreciation of gold,
said Mr.. Jameson, or, as he would have
said more accurately, through the depre-
citation of silver. "a hundred per cent
dearer than they were relatively to silver
wages. The manufacturer In the silver
standard countries can obtain his labor at
half the cost relatively to gold wages which
he formerly paid"
In gold countries wages have risen with
gold, and in silver countries they have
fallen with silver, until now the discrep-
ancy is so great that Oriental industry,
which is on the eve Of entering on serious
rivalry with that Of the West. is declared
to possess so tremendous an advantage
over the West that the latters only hope
is to cut wages also. Cutting them by d.
rect reduction being too difficult and too
disturbing. the only way is to make the
cut beneath the surface, by changing the
| money standard from the metal gold, of
| high value, to the metal silver, of low
value. That undoubtedly is the idea which
| inspires the majority Of the few, but much
multiplied. "bimetallists'' of Europe. 1t Is
| not surprising that it has been eXpounded
| by Bryan.
| The argument for thus splitting a gold
| country's wage figure is sound beyond dis
pute. For instance. If we should elect
Bryan and Bryan congress, and make
| silver coinage free, measuring the value
| of the dollar by its standard weight in
gold. thus cutting wages by 50 per cent, it
| would make this country an irresistible
| bidder for trade in every quarter of the
| globe. Think Of the effect of cutting
| United States wages so per cent! But a
| chance for vastly more startling in
dustrial revolution would still be LETT. What
| If the American workmen should go to
| their employers and agree to work for
| nothing, or to have their wages cut 100
| per cent. what other country could COM
| pete with the United States then in manu-
| featuring? We should undersell the earth.
/ The making of goods fit for expectation
! would experience boom undreamed of
| by the most sordid and oppressive capt.
| tallst ever known. Yet what Bryan ora
tor, from the boy himself to the most
worthless tramp who can be hired to talk
for him. will openly plead for the expert
| ment? t'.
That is the direction in which the free
| silver campaign leads. We don't wonder
| that the repudiation movement has ceased
! to rely mainly on the free silver craze
which daily is more and more mixed with
understanding of its practical results. and
| has turned to the agitation in the minds
| of wage-earners of malice and vindictive.
| ness against capitalists and all who believe
| in holding sacred the national credit and
| the first rule of business, that Is, honesty
| How many dupes can the boy agitato,
| persuade to vote against the honest money
| candidate, William Mckinley? The an
| swer to that pitiful question viii measure
| the now certain triumph Of honest money
How "Coercion. Talk Is Working.
From the Railway Age. Frt
r. o. Jeardeau, "a conductor on the Chi
| cago Milwaukee & ST. Paul, has been do
ing some excellent work in this campaign
! in behalf of sound money. In an inter
| view in the st. Paul Pioneer Press, he
| says:
'The movement is wonderfully success.
| full. 1t is safe to say that So per cent OF
the railroad employees of the United States
| will vote for sound money. There may be
| instances in the silver producing states
! where the silver sentiment is so strong
| as to influence the railroad boys. I want
| to say this is not entirely matter of self
| interest among the railroad men. 1t is a
| matter of patriotism. The loyalty and pa
triotism of the railroad men of the coun'
| try has been proved before. I remember
| when, in 1861, the Illinois Central road was
| practically depopulated, as 1t were, by the
| men enlisting in the service of the country
| and going to the front. The average In.
| telligent railroad man thinks this is time
| for conservative action on his part. and
| the craft can be depended upon to take
the safe and conservative end of this
| proposition. My work has been among the
| trainmen, the shopmen and the trackmen
IT hear. of course, good deal about CO.
| ercion among the railroad men. This non
sense is heard among people who have
| nothing to do with railroads or railroaders
| by narrow partisans. who are so deter
| mined that their cause shall win that they
| are willing to claim almost anything, how
| ever unfair unmanly or unreasonable II
| may be. 1t is an insult, gross and un'
| pardonable insult, to the intelligence an6
| independence of the railroad boys to say
they are being bulldozed and intfmidateo
or that they would submit to that sor'
of thing for a minute. The railroad mer
| of the country, as every well posted mar
! knows, are about as independent a clas:
| of wage-earners as can be found. l woulC
not be surprised If they were the mos
independent in their political action. There
| is not a prominent railroad official in this
country, so far as can learn. who does
| not insist that the men shall not be die
tated to when it comes to exercising the
| right of franchise. President Miller's posi-
ton on this matter has received the ap
| proval of every fair minded man who has
| read his circular letter upon the subject
| and this position represents the feelings
| of the great majority of the railroad Off
cials of the country. l have yet to learr
| of the first case of intimidS>ion among
4 the railroaders. I do hope the Bryanite:
will continue this sort of talk. 1t will in
| jure their cause, for the railroad men viii
| resent the insult. In fact, 1t Is acting a:
| a boomerang in Chicago. The employe:
of railroads think they will be favorinG
the farmer when they vote for Mckinley
sound money, reciprocity and protection
They think that it is not more money that
Is needed in this country, as it is for the
products of the farmer, and they believe
that with proper reciprocal laws in effec
this greater demand for farm products will
| come, and with the increase in demand
| will come an increase in price, necessarily