The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-09-14

against the standard of value and the
threat of debased currency has still
| more to do with it, (Cheers.)
| You cannot have SOod business unless
| the standard of value is fixed and i'm
mutablc, and every business man knows
it. If we are to adopt the silver stand
ard we are to make an experiment, but
| 1t Is not an unknown experiment. 1t has
| been tried for two thouSa nd years-yes
| for three thousand years. 1t has been
| tried under all conditions, in all coun-
| tries, with all civilizations and all kinds
| o. people, and wherever there was fluc-
| tuating standard of value there was there
a paralysis of business or destruction of
| business and employment. Our friend
| who Is running on the Chicago platform
ON silver and populistic platform, Il
platform as full of holes and supported
with wind as no platform ever buit--is
| constantly proclaiming that he does not
understand what people mean by conf
| denCe and lack OF confidence: he Is con-
| stantly proClaiming capital against labor
and the employe against the employer.
| Well, what is capital and labor but mutual
| confidence in each other and mutual as
| sistance to each other? Neither can live
| without the other any more than can
| the head get along without the stomach.
| Npplause.) My head workc because my
| digestion is always good. U4aughter)
| >
! fectly plain. There is no mystery about
! it. Any man or woman can understand
| it. No man is going to lend his money
| unless he knows he is going to get it
back, nor will he put it in enterprises
unless he knows he will make money by
! it. He Will not manufa cture goods unless
he knows he will have market for those
goods, and out of the money he receives
for the goods he has to pay for the raw
! mo terial and for the manufacture of the
goods. Now, when you have a good,
| sound currency, and you have standard
! of value good all over the world, where
| the dollar Is good for a hundred cents
anywhere, then the manufacturer knows
| what he is about. He can calculate what
! the market will want. what his constitu-
ents will take and the public consume,
| and on that calculation he can base how
much ha can sell and distribute to the
community. When these conditions ex-
! iSt we can have good times. Then the
! commercial traveller finds himself
! ccived by the merchant with open arms.
! Then he walks around the town and re-
CARDS himself as sort of public bcne-
| factor, and he goes down to the hotel at
nights, and the entire hotel knows that
he there. cloud iaughterD
| When he goes into a town now and
| goes into store he must bear q letter
Of introduction and n certificate of char
actcr. He goes in during the hottest day
| in the week with a summer suit on, but
when he gets in there he feels sorry that
he had not brought his fur coat with him.
| Glenewed laughter) Now, we all of us
are working as best we can, primarily
| for ourselves and families, in the belief
that what promotes the best good of the
! family promotes the best good of the
| state and country. We hear so much in
these days under this constitution which
begins. we, the people, of the masses
| and classes and employees and employers.
| This antaTonism, what is it? I have been
on the stump for thirty years and I have
| ncvef discussed that question before, but
| wnen a candidate for the presidency of
the United States raises such a question
and creates conditions, which do not ex-
| list. it becomes necessary to discuss the
| question for moment. What is capital
that it should he antagonized and hated?
| Capital is primarily money which must go
in the building of railroads, or factory,
or store. or must go into some enterprise
before there is employment for the brains
ana hands. when brains and hands are
tho only capital that these men have. If
the conditions are such that money can
confidently be invested in a country like
this. it is active. Money dead is like
| brains and hands dead--it yields nothing.
| l5ut let money be active and you have
! touched the life blood Of this nation. If
| If is constructing railroads and big build
ilif5, StGITlNG nlnFS, factories, nlllS ana
furnaces the architect has his capital,
| and 1t IS wanted the designer and build
crs have their capital, and it is wanted:
the artisan has his capital, and it is
! wanted; the journalist has his capital,
and 1t is wanted: the commercial traveller
has his capital and it is wanted, and this
| universal distribution of capital is what
makes good business prosperity and hap
piness for the families of the United
States. Yet Mr. Bryan in his Labor day
| speech saws there are two great classes
| in this country the toiling masses and
their oppressors, who do not belong to
the toiling masses.
According to this idea, the masses are
only the people who work with their
hands. But what becomes of the men
| who work with their brains? These re-
| porters here, according to Mr. Bryan are
| every one of them nonopolistic oppres-
sors. and the editors who will revise their
work are oppressors of the toiling Masses
as are the commercial travellers, who have
nothing but their legs and brains Uaugh-
ter and applause) According, again, to