Omaha daily bee., 1896-09-18
THE LABOR VOTE.

THE LABOR VOTE
Trustworthy advices from Washington
and elsewhere state that the Bryan
managers are concentrating their efforts
on the w~orkingmen, particularly of those
states which they regard as doubtful
and in which the labor vote is large
enough to be decisive. The speech made
by Mr.. Bryan in Chicago on Labor day
was Il carefully considered appeal for
the support of the working class, be-
ing adroitly framed to incite among
them distrust Of employers and
hostility to capital. Utterances of
the popOcratic candidate since then
have been III the same line
and he and his managers may be cX-
pected to continue this course to the
II Of the campaign. They will 90 on
telling the producers on the one hand
that the free coinage of silver will
largely advance the price of everything
they have to sell. which if true means
higher prices to the wage worker and Il
reduction to the extent of the advance
in the purchasing power of his earnings,
while on the other hand telling the
~workingman that free silver will not
affect the purchasing power of his
wages because it will make an ounce of
silver The world over worth S1.29 in
gold and therefore the silver dollar will
be worth 100 cents. This effort to
deceive one or both of these classes is
ROW being industriously made and will
be kept up to the end. It's thorough
dishonesty ought to be apparent to all
men of ordinary Intelligence.
American labor has II great stake in
his years election. A considerable
| proportion of it has been long idle or
but partially employed. A greater
number of working people have suffered
hardship and %privation during the past
three years than ut any other time in
our history. -Four years ago there was
work for all and prosperity was general.
The assault on protection and the agita-
ton for free silver created depression
and distrust, which have been ag-
gravated by the action of the
political element that controlled the
Chicago convention. There are many
thousands more idle people now than
before that convention met. There are
symptoms Of impending panic on
every hand. No rational man
can doubt that the election of
William j. Bryan would be
Immediately followed by the severest
financial convulsion this country has
cver experienced, accompanied by al
most complete industrial stngnation.
Hundreds of thousands of men now at
work would be thrown out of employ
mapt and at Il time of year when they
most need work. The coming winter
would be one of unparalleled suffering
among the wage workers Of the United
States and the outlook would be hope
less. for no one could tell when the
necessary reimbursement would be eff
fected. What but sheer madness could
lead II w%orkingman to support Il policy
that threatens such consequences?
1t is perfectly safe to say that no
wage Garner thinks he is now getting
too much pay for his labor. 1t is also
perfectly safe to say that non such
thinks the purchasing power of his dol
lar too great. ON the contrary all men
who labor would like to receive higher
wages and have 1t Of greater value as
measured in the commodities he must
buy. lie could then feed and clothe
his family better and enjoy more of the
comforts and pleasures of life. Why,
then. should II "workingman vote to re-
duce his pay by cutting down its pur-
chasing power? His labor is his capital.
He has nothing else To sell. Why should
he support n policy that would diminish
the value of that capital and probably
deprive him altogether of n market for
is deluded with the idea hat opening
the minis would open the mills, let him
ask the most intelligent free silver ad-
yOcate he knows how his would be
accomplished. Let him inquire by what
method the coming of the bullion of n
few silver mine owners would operate
to start up the factories and the various
industries all over the country which
give employment to labor. Would these
mine owners employ any labor not re-
quired in their own business, or buy
any of the products of the factory or
farm they do not need, or invest in
building and industrial enterprises?
Not at all. Their money would be in
vested in stocks and bonds and banking
institutions, as heretofore. They are
not philanthropists. They have no in
terest in the common people" of whom
their champion, Mr.. Bryan, SO glibly