The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-08-04
A CONSPIRACY AGAINST WAGES.

No man has more wildly presented the
dangers which the Chicago platform and
ticket threaten than ex-Representative
Bourke Cochran. of New York. in an inter-
view published yesterday morning. In the
Democratic party Bourke Cochran is not an
unknown quantity. He is not only an orator,
but a man of wonderful intellectual grasp.
In the Houses Of which he and Speaker
Reed were members he was more nearly
than any other mar to his party what Mr..
Reed was to the Republican. No greater
tribute was ever bestowed upon a man by
a national convention than was accorded to
Mr.. Cochran by the Democratic national
convention Of 1892, when it listened to his
speech opposing Mr.. Cleveland's nomina-
ton During the last term Mr.. Cochran
served in the House he refused to obey
Tammany, and thereby sacrificed his fu-
ture political aspirations. In the campaign
Of 1892 the Cleveland leaders all over the
country regarded Mr.. Cochran as their
Depew had spoken here the
Cleveland managers demanded that
Mr.. Cochran come as an Offset. To-
day he is one of the very able and strong
men in New York, enjoying in a high de-
gree the respect of all except a few Tam
many leaders. No man has been more
loyal to his party and it's doctrines than
Mr.. Cochran, therefore he explains his hos
tility to the Chicago ticket and platform
on the ground that mo political convention
can issue a valid license to commit offenses
against morality The Chicago platform
has put Democrats where they must decide
whether they will or will not support the
forces of order" For himself he is against
the forces of disorder"
Every sentence which Mr.. Cochran ut
tered is worthy Of study, but the closing
sentences Of as much of the interview as
was telegraphed should be weighed, be-
cause they set forth the sources of pros
perity. Those words are as follows:
To my mind there is but one test OF pros
perity which can be applied to a country
There can be no PROSPERITY Where low
wages are paid. There can be no distress
where the rate Of wages is high. 1t can be
easily demonstrated that this whole free
silver movement is a conspiracy against
wages, and IL the campaign Is fought on
this line 1 have no doubt that every North
- - ~ a z = q III lllC
Union In which 1t is practicable to hold a
free election-will be carried by the intelli-
gence and morality of the American peo-
pie against the monstruos propositions sub
mitted to them by the convention which
nominated Mr.. Bryan for the presidency.
nat the test of prosperity is the rate
Of wages paid" Is a great truth established
by the worlds history. There is no real
prosperity for the masses in the nations
which use silver money, exclusively, be-
cause labor is so cheap hat ii practically
has no price. The conspiracy of the silver
mine owners to put the United States
among the nations using silver money
alone involves the reduction of wages by
aymen in dollars which will be but half
dollars. The silver Senators in an address
declared that in order to compete with the
products of Japan the country must have
the same money-a silver system. How
would this help America to compete with
Japan? Simply by paying silver dollars
with half the purchase power of the pres
ent dollars. Doubtless Mr.. Cochran had
this in view when he denounced 1.-The whole
free-silver movement as a conspiracy
against wages and. because il is such he
would have that issue pushed to the front.