The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-08-19
character OF the money which is paid
to him. (Applause).

to him. (Applause).
CONSPIRACY OF POPULISTS.
Now when We come to find out just
how Mr.. Bryan expects to increase the
wages OF labor We find ourselves lost In
a maze of contradiction and In a haze
OF obscure expressions. No man can
tell how or where or when the wages OF
the workingman are to be Increased,
but any one who examines the scheme
can see that the inevitable tendency,
the inevitable consequence Of a de-
basement in the standard Of value must
be reduction In the rate Of wages
and that is the conspiracy in which the
Populists are engaged. (Applause).
Now.Mr. Bryan tells us that he wants
to cheaper the dollar. that he wants
to increase the volume Of money. l
do not believe that any man whoever
lived could quite understand Popu-
lists notion of what money is.-(Laugh-
teri further than that he believed 1t
Is desirable thing to get Uaughter)
and that he is not very particular
about the means by which he can get
his hands on it. Uaughter). Nothing
Is more common In Populist oratory
than the statement that the volume of
money must be increased for the bene-
mt Of the people-which means that
part OF the people that run and man.
age to address Populists' meeting.
Naughter). I remember that In one OF
the speeches which Mr. Bryan deliv-
cred on his way east he declared that
any man who objected to too much
money ought to vote the other ticket.
Now, my friends, will ask you to in
dulge me for a moment while / state
to you here the only conception that an
honest man can form Of money, In or
der that in discussing this thing here
after We will be able to understand
the economic expressions which the
Populist uses for the delusion of man
and for the confusion of his Judgment.
Nothing is more common than the
statement that money and property are
Identical They are not. A redundant
Cy of money does not prove any pros
perity. There may be a very large VOL
ume Of circulating medium and very
great poverty. The issue of paper
money simply Is no more an increase
of wealth than the issue by an indiv-
idual Of his promissory note would
show an increase of his property. Cap
plause). As a matter Of fact an in
crease in the coinage is no proof of an
increase in property. but may be a
strong proof of decrease in wealth.
Let us take for instance this watch
case. That Is worth its bullion value
plus the labor that has been expended
on it. If, now, melt that down into a
ten dollar gold piece, it Is worth moth
Ing but the bullion value. Here then
has been an increase In the quantity
of money, but decrease In the vol
ume of national wealth. I could not
buy watch case with the coin which
would be coined out of this unless I
added something to 1T, and the pretense
that men can be enriched by swelling
tho vOltlYna IF the 10 the
oldest delusion which has affected
mankind since the very beginning Of
civilization applause. The volume Of
money plays but q small part even In
the ordinary transactions Of life. 1t Is
not the volume Of money but the ac-
tivity Of money that counts. Cap
plause). If any person wants to see
just how a dollar works in the ordinary
exchanges In what might be called
retail business. he has but to take
dollar out OF his pocket and go into the
street and buy some fruit. Now the
fruit dealer would take that dollar and
buy some vegetables. The green gro
Ger, with the same dollar would buy
neck ties. The dealer in neck ties,
with the same dollar, could buy meat
and so on, that one coin passing from
hand to hand might circulate twenty
dollars worth Of commodities In the
course of single day. That one dallar
circulating twenty dollars worth of
commodities makes more business and
more trade than two dollars could
make If they circulated between them
only ten dollars worth Of commodities.
(Applause). Money never can circu-
late freely and actively unless there be
absolute confidence In, its value. Cap
plause). If a man doubts whether the
money in his pocket will be as valuable
tomorrow as It is today. he will de-
cline to exchange his commodity
against it. and this Populist agitation
threatening the integrity Of money has
been the cause Of the hard times
through which this country is passing
and from which it will not escape until
the time the heel of popular cOndem-
nation is placed upon the Populist agi-
tation which undermines the founda-
ton of credit. Applause). Now. my
friends, in the larger transactions of
life little or no money Is used at all.
The comparison of value with money is
purely mental operation.
BASIS OF TRADE.
The basis of sound trade Is sound
money. (applause), money which Is in
trinsically valuable. money which like
the gold coinage Of this country the
government cannot affect If 1t tried to.
(Applause).
1t is perfectly clear that the purpose
of the Populists is to put up the prices
Of certain commodities. Mr.. Bryan's
language is that he is going to improve
the conditions Of the people Of this
country. Not Of all of them, but of the
greatest number. Well, now, I don't
suppose Mr.. Bryan pretends to any
miraculous power. I don't suppose he
claims he can multiply the number of
chairs upon this platform or upon this
floor, although he has shown his cap
acity to empty them. Naughter). If
he Is going to work any change in the
conditions of men he must increase the
material possessions of some part Of the
community. Now If he got possession
of the government tomorrw he could
not create one single thing or value
by any exercise of governmental power
going to enrich somebody. the thing
which he means to bestow on him he
must take from somebody else.
Who is to be despoiled and
who is to be enriched by the
exercise Of this new scheme of gov
ernment (cry of silver mine owners)?
My friends, the silver mine owner will
get cheated with the rest Gaughter).
If ever the Populist has his way nobody
will be benefited, not even Mr.. Bryan.
Uaughter).
We see that he can't enrich one man
without impoverishlng another. But
his financial scheme contemplates an
increase in the price of certain COM
modities. { Cry of except gold).
TO INCREASE COMMODITIES.
Mr.. Bryan proposes to increase the
price Of commodities. II he means any
thing. he means that. and I am not
quite sure that he means anything.
Now. II everything in this world or
in this country. including labor be in
creased in value tomorrow in like pro-
portion, not one of us would be affected
at all. II that was Mr. Bryan's scheme