Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1896-09-18
BOURKE COCHRAN ON BRYAN.
The Eloquent Ex-Conflressman Exposes
the Free Silver Fraud on w orking men

The Eloquent Ex-Conhressman Exposes
the Free silver Fraud on W orking men
In his great speech in Madison Square
Garden, New York city, ex-Congressman
Bourke Cochran said in reply to Presi-
Dental Candidate Bryan;
If everything in this world or In this
country, including labor, be increased
In value tomorrow in like proportion,
not one of us would be affected at all.
If that was Mr.. Bryan's scheme, he
would never have n populist nomination
TO give him Importance in the eyes of
this community. If that were all that
he meant, he would not be supporting
It, and would not be taking the trouble
to oppose it. If everything in the world
be increased ten per cent. in value, why,
we would pay ten per cent. in addition
for what we would buy and get ten per
cent. more for what we would sell.
What, then, Is 1t? II 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 that means a
cutting down of the rate of wages. IL,
| instead of dollar which consists of
given quantity of gold equal to 100
cents anywhere in the world, with the
| purchasing power of 100 cents, the la.
| borer is TO be paid in dollars worth so
| cents each, he can only buy half as much
with days wages as he buys now. II
the value of the populist scheme, then,
| is to be tested, let the laboring men OF
this country ask Mr.. Bryan and his
populist friends simple, common,
everyday question: where do l come
| in p"
Mr.. Bryan himself has glimmering
| idea of where the laborer will come in,
or, rather, Of where he will go out.
There is one paragraph in his speech
which-whether IL was the result of an
unconscious stumbling into candor or
whether IL was a contribution made Ia
| the stress of logical discussion | am ut
| terly unable to say-that throws floo~
of light upon the whole purpose under
lying this populist agitation. Wage
earners, Mr.. Bryan says, know that
while a gold standard raises the pur-
chasing power of the dollar 1t also
makes IL more difficult to obtain pos
session of the dollar They know that
employment Is less permanent, loss OF
work more probable and unemployment
| less certain.
If that means anything, 1t means
that a cheap dollar would give him
more employment, more frequent en-
| ployment, more work and chance to
get unemployment after he was dis
| charged If that means anything in the
world to sane man, II means that ~
the laborer is willing TO have his wages
cut down he will get more work.
| If IL were true that n reduction in the
rate of wages would increase the chance
Of employment, l would not blame Mr..
| Bryan COR telling the truth, because,
| however unpalatable the truth may be,
] conceive it the duty of any man who
attempts TO address his fellow-citizens
never TO shrink from a statement OF the
| whole truth, whatever may be the con-
sequences To himself But, rs matter
Of fact. n dminution in the rate OF
| wages does not increase the scope OF en-
| ployment.
| There cannot be an abundant product
unless labor is extensively employed.
| You cannot have high wages unless
| there is an extensive production IN
every department of industry, and that
is why | claim that wages are the one
sole test of a country's condition-that
high wages mean an abundant protcc-
| q; 4 81, In IL a ~
prosperity. Mr.. Bryan, on the other
hand, would have you believe that pros
perty is advanced by cheapening the
rate of wages, but the fall in the rate of
wages always comes from narrow
production, and narrow production
means there is little demand for labor
in the market. When, after the panic
of 1878, the price Of labor fell TO 30
cents a day, it was harder to obtain
work than when the rate of labor was
two dollars. and the difference between
the populist, who seeks 10 cut down the
rate of wages, and the democrat, who
seeks to protect II, is that the democrat
believes that high wages and prosperity
are Synonymous. and the populist wants
to cut the rate of wages i'm order that he
may tempt the farmer TO make war
upon his own workingmen.