The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-05
POWDERLY'S HARD SENSE.
The Labor Leader Refutes Some of
HrNan's Assertions.

NEW YORK, Sept. 4.-The World this
morning prints the following, signed by
T. V. Powderly:
These who make light CT what is termed
the silver craze cannoe Isimagine, have
given the subject a great deal of thought
FOR many years the silver men have been
active in spreading the gospel of free coin
age. By incessant labor these silversmiths
have succeeded in committing some indus
trial organizations to the advocacy of free
and unlimited coinage at the ratio of Is to
/. They have industriousy circulated
the story of the crime of 1873 that the
belief that silver was stealthily and
reptitiouSly demOnetiZed has gained great
headway, and the means of disproving
their statements are not accessible to
many
"A fact lost sight of is that those who
have exposed the alleged crime were them
selves criminals. They sat in Congress
when the bill was passed They took part
in the debates, and by their votes aided i'm
the passage of the act.
The free-coinage measure is not a la
bor measure, but by Skillful juggling with
industrial organizations many have been
broken up in consequence of other de-
mands being set aside for that of free coin
Had the men who discovered the crime
not been owners of silver mines, or did
they not wish to unload stock in silver
prop srtieS on the unwary, no one would
hays & heard anoa,,I more of tn the act, act Of 1873
anG you do not find a single labor measure
championed During my twenty-five years
connection with labor organizations | never
two or three years ago. He is vouched for
by no one; he nominated himself in
speech about crucifying labor upon a cross
of gold. but his only solution of the diff
Guilty is to break the bones of labor upon
a rack of silver.
''He says the purchasing power of the
gold dollar has doubled. Is not that a gain
to labor? If it will buy twice as much
wheat. corn or potatoes as before will not
the farmer buy twice as much of what he
requires with a gold dollar than with
53-cent dollar?
IL M mt vyb tba
dollar will buy 200 cents worth of produce,
the silver dollar and the paper dollar to
or. and the honor of every loyal citizen, to
maintain on a parity with gold will buy
just as much as the gold dollar
Mr. Bryan speaks only for the silver
men: He knows their wants, but has never
familiarized himself with the wants of the
industralists of the Nation. He suggests
no method of diffusing the products of the
land among the needy or of securing to the
needy the means of procuring what the
''He has not realized that through the in
PRODUCTION of electricity for horsepower,
and the loss to the farmers, in the lack of
demand for oats and hay, has gone into
hundreds of millions. How will free silver
create a demand for oats and hay?
He speaks of gold plutocrats lording it
over the people, but does not explain how
a gold plutocrat is any worse than silver
one He would exchange one set of pluto
Gratis for another, and in doing establish
the rule of the minority, who have already
been favored more than any other.
He would change the Constitution of
the United States in some particulars, but
if be ever succeeds in opening the door for
a change, the place to begin is in the State
of Nevada, the home of this agitation for
the elevation of the single silver standard
Nevada has population of less than
46 000. My home the city of Scranton. has
a population of 115, 900. Take 92 00O or
population of Scranton. and We have 23,-
900 people. or enough to make a good-siZed
city. Nevada has two Senators to shout
for silver while the city of Scranton has
our coal iron steel and demand of the
government to double the value OF either
Mr.. Bryan, If he has not been mis-
quoted. admits that If he is elected this
country will be plunged into a frightful
LAnic. I believe he speaks the truth for
there appears to be no way to avoid il
il free and unlimited coinage OF silver pre-
walls. | was one of the victims of the
others who have never recovered from its
effects. If the American people are wise
they will improve on the present monetary
standard without plunging the country in
TO another panic.
He must be poor statesman. indeed
who can reach the road to prosperity only
through panic, and unless the Americans
have lost their senses they will not in
vocating such unreasonable demands
Another Letter from, Herr Most.
DENVER, Sept. 4,-Mr. C. w. varnum a
prominent Republican of this city. recently
wrote HerrsAost. asking what his position
was on the silver question, ana has re-
ceived the following reply:
II have expressed the opinion that. at
present, gold only can be used as pro,
standard of value, because its cost of pro-
duction is staple and alike all over the