The Republican journal., 1896-08-27
of wages. And that is the conspiracy i


to cheaper the dollar; that he wants to
increase the volume of money. do not
believe that any man who ever lived could
of what money is, further than that he
believes it is desirable thing to get, and
that he is not very particular about the
means by which he can get his hands
on it.
Nothing is more common than the mis-
| take that money and property are identi-
cal. They are not There may be very
large volume 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 individual of
his promissory note would show an in
crease of his property. AS matter Of
| fact an increase in the coinage is no proof
| OF an increase in property, but may be a
strong proof of decrease in wealth. 1t
is not the volume of money, but the ac-
tivity of money that counts.
The basis of sound trade is sound money
(applause), money which is intrinsically
valuable, money which, like the gold coin
age of this country, the Government can
not affect if it tried to. | can take ten
dollar gold piece, and l can defy all the
power of the Governments of this earth
| to take five cents of value from it. Hav-
ing earned it by the sweat of my brow,
having earned it by the exercise of my
brain, having earned it by the exchange
of my commodities, | can go to the utter
most ends of the earth, and wherever
present it it's value will be unquestioned
and unchallenged. That gold dollar this
meeting, the Democratic party, the honest
masses of this country, without distinc-
ton of party divisions, demand shall be
paid to the laborer when he earns it, and
that no power on earth shall cheat him of
the sweat of his brow
1t is perfectly clear that the purpose of
the Populists is to put up the prices of
coin commodities. Mr. Bryan language
is that he is going to improve the condi
tons of the people of this country. l do
not suppose he claims lie can multiply the
number of chairs upon this platform or
upon this floor, though he has shown his
capacity to empty them. If he is going
to work any change in the conditions of
men he must increase the material posses
sion of some part of the community. Now
if he got possession of the Government
tomorrow he could not create one single
thing of value by any exercise of govern
mental power in the world. No power
ever yet exercised by tyrant or by consti-
tutlonal monarch can cause barren field
to become fruitful, can cause two blades
OF grass to grow where one grew before,
can bring together the stones that com
pose this building and raise them into a
stately temple dedicated to political dis
cussion. No; it requires the labor of man.
and the labor OF man alone to create
wealth. If Mr.. Bryan is going to enrich
somebody, the thing which he means to
bestow on him he must take from some
body else. Who is to be despoiled and
who is to be enriched by the exercise of
this new scheme of Government?
"a cry of ''silver mine owners.
My friend, the silver mine owner will
get cheated with the rest.
a Government never can be generous,
because if it be generous to one it must
be oppressive to another. But this tinan-
cial scheme contemplates an increase in
the price of certain commodities. We are
coming now pretty close to the woodpile
behind which the African is concealed.
Now if everything in this world or in thfs
country, including labor be increased in
value tomorrow in like proportion, not
one of us would be affected at all. If
everything be increased 10 per cent. in
value, we would pay 10 per cent. in addi-
ton for what we would buy, and get 10
per cent. more for what we would sell,
and we would be exactly in the same place
we occupied before. Therefore, it is fair
TO assume that is not the lame and impo-
tent conclusion which this Populist revo-
luton contemplates. What then is it? 1t
is an increase III 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, why,
that means a cut down of the rate of
wages. If instead of dollar which CON
sis1s of given quantity of gold equal to
a hundred cents anywhere in the world,
with the purchasing power of a hundred
cents, the laborer is to be paid in dollars
worth fifty cents each. why he can only
buy half as much with days wages as
he buys now.
Wage earners, Nh Bryan says, know
that while gold standard raises the pur-
chasing power Of the dollar it also makes
it more difficult to obtain possession of
that dollar. They know that employment
is less permanent. loss of work more prob
able and employment less certain. If
that means anything it means that cheap
dollar would give him more employment,
more frequent employment, more work
and chance to get unemployment after
he was discharged. If that means any
thing it means that if the laborer is will
ing to have his wages cut down he will
get more work. But diminution in the
rate of wages does not increase the scope
of employment. The more abundant the
product the higher the wages There
cannot be an abundant product unless
labor is extensively employed.
Mr.. Bryan would have you believe that
is advanced by cheapening the
rate of wages, but the fall in the rate of
wages always comes from narrow pro-
duction, 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 80 cents day, it was
harder to obtain labor than when the rate
of labor was 50, and the difference be-
tween the Populist who seeks to cut down
the rate of wages and the Democrat who
seeks to protect it is that the Democrat
believes that high wages and prosperity
are synonymous, and the Populist wants to
cut the rate of wages in order that he may
tempt the farmer to make war upon his
own workingmen.
CHEATING ONE CREDITORS
Mr.. Bryan leads in the van in saying
that it is the creditor he is after In order
that you should understand Just how