The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-11
He Shows ConcIusively that Working
men Have Nothing to Gain by
Free Coinage of Silver.
WARNER MILLER ALSO TALKS
STRONG RESOLUTION ADOPTED AT
CLOSE OF THE MEETING.
Gold Standard vigorously Supported
by Hon. William A. Lynch in "a
Speech at Canton.

| NEW YORK, Sept. 1O.-A mass meeting
| was held in Cooper Union tonight under
| the auspices of the campaign committee of
the Mckinley League. Terence V. Pow
derby, late master workman of the knights
| of Labor, and ex-senator Warner Miller
| were the chief speakers. The meeting was
| planned for wage earners, and very large
| audience was present early, and when the
speaking began the large hall was crowded
| Several Bryan men were present and made
| their presence known by loud cheers Tor
| their candidate. This interruption was
| speedily stopped by the police, after which
| the programme of the evening was carried
out Mr.. Powderly was the first speaker.
He said, in part:
Mr. President and Friends-Did L be-
| lieve apology for my presence on TINS
platform necessary L wound say that l am
| here because L believe the right OF the
| American wage Garner to receive the nigh
est rate of compensation for service rem
| dered, and the right 10 claim ana receive
| the best kind of money in exchange for his
| labor should not be interferred with.
Mr.. PoWderly then took up the Chicago
| platform and compared it with previous
The platform OF four years ago pledged
the party entering into power TO the over
throw OF the American system OF protec-
ton and with ali his and their power, with
ali the force and influence al his and their
command the man and party upon Wnom
the power was conferred lapored to place
the Foreign Workingman on a higher plane
than his American competitor, and that
platform was anything but meaningless.
-Four years ago the pivotal point around
which the Democratic platform swung was
free trade. When that Congress assembled
there was no deficit; the revenue was
amply sufficient for the needs of govern
ment and there was no income lax law
come tax law was an after consideration;
it was no part of the Democratic pla tform
6f lS92. ana Mas only tnought oil whe MI IT
they had sawed off the revenue limb on
which they had been sitting in their mad
attempt; to undo what their Republican
predecessors had SO well Planned and SO
| faithfully executed. To make amends for
bIunder they would perpetrate crime,
and the income-tax law was no less than
a crime. l may be charged with opposing
one of the cardinal principles of the
Knights of Labor which demanded that a
graduated income tax be levied That sec
ton was adopted by the Knights of Labor
protest. l never believed in it, and have al
ways opposed it.
When. Congress assembled in 1888 there
was no income tax law upon the statute
books. Under the provisions of such a
law no revenue accrued to the government,
and it is unfair, well as dishonest to
charge a falling revenue to something
which had no existence when the agitation
for a change in our economic laws began
Does it not appear inconsistent in the de- a
tenders of the Chicago platform to assert
that they are opposed to English rule in
America on the finance question after they
have opened our ports to the product of
the English factory and mill? Our chief
is England; and he must be an ignorant
man indeed who will demand the abolition
OF our tariff laws and not know that the
gamer by the abolition of these laws will be
England.
They tell us that the manufacturers are
robber baronS and that the tariff which
protects them and those who work for
them is robber tariff. Well what of it?
If workingmen will not organize, as the
window glass trade and railroad workmen
are organized to unite with employers in
protecting their trades and callfngs they
hnrr 1Cn1y RI n
all the advantages of protection.
GREAT LOSS TO FARMERS
THE fact that $3.50, 900 worth of agri-
cultural products was imported to this
country in year and that it was bought
and consumed by Americans proves most
conclusively that to that extent at least
the agriculturists of this country were the
losers, and had they been protected in their
industry by judicious tariff law, the con-
sumers of the land would have bought that
product of their hands instead of that
which came from foreign lands and that
vast sum of money would be circulating
among the people of the United States
paying taxes and debts in the United
States, instead of enriching the producers
of foreign landS-the robber barons of
Europe. The farmer is told that the cause
of his ills is because he had not been
blessed with free silver, but who ever tells
him that deceives him to his injury. Those
who advocate free silver tell the farmer
that the crime of 1873 is responsible for
the ills he bears Since 1873 farming in the
United States has undergone radical and
almost total change. and causes other than
the characterization of silver have combined
to cheaper his product
Mr.. Powderly then compared the work
possible to be done with modern agricul-
tural implements with that under the old
methods and said us 1t any wonder
then that the prices of wheat. corn and
other grains have fallen and does it not
seem plain to the observing man that the
agencies which l have pointed out have
than the decentralization of silver? The
farmer needs market, and he should have
a market in which to sell sell at fair reason
taught that he should buy in cheap mar
ket and sell in a dear one. but if he
wishes for high prices for himself he
should interest himself in obtaining high
prices for others.
mac i III had dispaeed hand labor in
cities well, and called attention to the
ereat ihtiuA VI WIZ set.le ~
Here then are two causes, the introduce
ton of improved machinery and immigra-
tiOn--Which combine to lower the prices of
products and deprive the farmer of his
market, and the crime of 1873 has had
remedy does the Chicago platform offer
for this condition of affairs? That it recog-
nTs such i o lead d9r the con- n
thinking into the belief that they would
abolish one of these evils. 1t reads: We
hold that the most efficient way of pro-
tecting American labor is to prevent the
importation of foreign pauper labor to COM
pete with it in the home market, etc
There is a sample of craftsmanship for
YOU They pitch their tents where the
knights of Labor extingushed their camp
fires twelve years ago In those days we
demanded that the importation of foreign
labor under contract-not pauper labor,
mark you-should be abolished. Those
laws were passed in 1885. and to-day such
a thing as the Importation of labor is
hardly known. Had these patriots who af-
feet to talk in the name of labor been sin
cere, they would have inserted fmmigra-
ton where they haunt the word importa-
ton
THE MONEY QUESTION.
Taking up the question proper, Mr.. Pow
derby said: They tell US that we lack mon
ey that there is not enough in circulation.
and that. the mints should be started to
coin silver in unlimited quantities for the
good of labor. But just how the man who
has no silver to be coined is to be bene-
fitted has not been made clear to US yet,
and l believe it will do the country more
good to open mines mills and factories to
the unemployed than to open our minis
to the unrestricted coinage of silver at the
ratio of 16 to l. That there is not enough
in circulation may be true, but il so it is
because labor has not been employed il is
be cause we have been importing more than
exporting.
when it is asserted that our per capita is
not sufficient IL must not be forgotten that
abor itself is in no small share RESPONSE