The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1896-08-26
COCHRAN SPEAKS.
He Makes Reply to Mr.. Bryan's Letter OF
Acceptance.

He Makes Reply to Mr.. BryaR's Letter ot
Acceptance.
New York, Aug. ia mass meeting
was held Tuesday evening at Madison
Square garden under the auspices of the
Democratic Honest Money league. Maj.
John Byrnes, president of the league,
called the meeting to order, and Hon.
Perry Belmont was made permanent
chairman. The glee club sang the
star Spangled Banner" after which
Hon. Bourke Cochran was introduced
as the speaker of the evening.
The issue Of this campaign, said Mr..
Cochran, was well stated by Mr.. Belmont
when he said that, stripped of all verbal
disguise, 1t is an issue of common honesty.
I'VE would look in vain." the speaker
continued, through the speech (Mr.
Bryan's) delivered here one week ago. to
mo true statement of the issue involved
IN this canvass. Indeed, I believe it is
doubtful If the candidate himself quite I'M
derStands the nature of the faith which
ne processes. say this not in criticism of
ms ability, but in justice to his morality.
l believe that if he himself understood the
inevitable consequences Of the doctrines
which he breaches that his own hands
would be the very first to tear down the
platform on which he stands"
show him that by any means wages could
be increased he would be ready to support
Mr.. Bryan then and there. Where til e rate
OF wages is high there must be prosperity.
Mr.. Bryan's language is that he is going
TO improve the conditions of the people of
this country. Now, said Mr.. Cochran If
ne got possession of the government to-
morrow, he would not create one single
thing OF value by any exercise of govern
mental power in the world. If he is CO.
ing to work any change in the conditions
or men he must increase the material pos
session of some part of the community.
"a government never can be generous
because If 1t be generous to one it must be
oppressive to another. But his financial
scheme contemplates an increase in the
price of certain commodities. Now, II
everything in this world or in this coun-
try, including labor, be increased in value
tomorrow in like proportion, not one OF
us would be affected at all Therefore, ii
is fair to assume that is not the lame and
impotent conclusion which the populist
revolution contemplates. What, then, is
1t? 1t is an increase in the price of COM
modities 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 rates of wages. If, instead of
a dollar which consists of given quantity
of gold equal to hundred cents anywhere
in the world, with the purchasing power of
100 cents, the laborer is to be paid in dollars
worth so cents each, why, he can only buy
half as much with a days wages as he
buys now.
The pretense that the farmer of Nebrask
is suffering under the weight of a mortgage
contracted under metal which has stead
lily increased in value is but populiStic
metaphor. Two-thirds Of the farmers have
| no mortgage debts whatever. 1 do not
| believe. there is five per cent of them that
| owe a mortgage over three years DID, DUR
| ing which time there has been no change
| in the value of the metal. This proposal
| of the populistS is an intent to enlist the
] farmer in a conspiracy to reduce the wages
| paid this labor that he may have a larger
proportion of his own products; and they
are willing to cut down the wages of every
man who works in cities, who tolls at the
| bench, who digs in the mines, who man
| ages the train, in the hope that they can
! ride into power on wave of cupidity and
greed awakened in the breast OF the voter.
But, my friends, it is a triumphant vindi-
cation of American citizenship that this
! attempt to enlist the farming and agricul-
| tural members of this community into this
| conspiracy has failed, miserably utterly,
| absolutely. Every western state which in
| 1890 and in 1892 fell into the hands of the
populists and went into the farmers al
| lance, before their real purposes were ex-
ecuted, was purified and the populisuic
i
| the farmers of this country understood
precisely what the populists meant for
his welfare was really for his ruin.
Underlying the whole scheme of civiliza-
ton is the confidence men have in each
other. Confidence in their honesty; con-
fdence in their integrity; confidence in
their industry; confidence in their flu
ture Anything that attacks the basis of
human confidence is crime against CIV
ilization and blow against the foundation
of social order.
Wherever you find populists assembled
you will find discussions proceeding upon
the theory that men are hostile to each
other in their interests; that the condi-
ton of life is one of contest. AT Chicago
Mr. Bryan declared: when you come be-
fore us and tell us that we shall disturb
your business interests, we reply that you
have disturbed our business interests"
1 merely desire to call the attention of this
| gathering to the character of that speech,
to the underlying spirit that pervades it,
and then to ask the workingmen 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
ri