The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-07-21
CAUSE AND EFFECT.
Editor of The Tribune.

Editor or The tribune
Sir: National Chairman Jones says:
"The country repudiated Mckinleyism
once and anybody who knows the temper
of the people knows that there is no pop
ular demand for another era OF tremend-
ously high prices. with enormous profits
to the manufacturer. in which the WORK
man did not share" The above IS false
In every particular. The country did not
repudiate so-called McKinleyism, mean-
ing "a protective tariff; nor did several
melhbers of the Democratic party, or else
the senate would have passed the Wilson
tariff bill clean cut as 1t came from the
house instead of tacking on protection
to certain interests ana making the bill
an "act of pertidy and dishonor.'
This country has always been the most
prosperous when high prices prevailed
And today there Ia everywhere u desire
for the prevalence of higher prices. Tie
farmers want higher prices for the prod
ucts of the farm, but they will not get
them by the free coinage of fifty cent dol
lars. The merchant and the manufacturer
want higher prices to prevail as they
know full we'll that business is always
best when good living prices prevail. The
wage earners everywher. want higher
prices 10 prevail in order that they may
have sufficient wages to enable them 10
live comfortably and decently, and not
like cattle-enough wages To provide a
respectable home. and to provide, not
only the bare necessities of life. but
some of the many comforts also. as We'll
as to lay a little by for sickness, u DUH
spell. and old age.
4 wage Garner receiving two dollars a
day for his services with correspondingy
high prices for what he consumes,
can save more money than a wage Garner
receiving but one dollar per day with corr
respondingly low prices for what he needs.
The higher the wages the greater the pur-
chasing power OF the wage Garner, the
greater the consumption of the products
of labor, the greater the volume of bust
ness to be transacted everywhere. The
wage earners are the masses. and the
masses consume more than the few who
are not wage earners. When you reduce
the wages and the purchasing power OF
the toieis, you damage the farmers. the
manufacturers and the merchants.
In 1872 the people were fooled by the
falsehoods and misrepresentation of the
Democratic organs. Their hue and cry
was 'the people are overtaNed." or taxed
to death, and who pays the duty on tin
followed by the lie that there was no tin
plate being manufactured In the United
States. If the voters who voted for
and realized what has happened to this
country since the change was made there
would have been no change. As soon as
the country became fully aware of the
fact that the next administration would
be Democratic the shrinkage of values
and stagnation Of business which fol,
lowed was unlike any ever before known
Up to that time business was about as
good as could be reasonably desired
wages, In the main, were all right: the
currency was all right; the treasury was
all right; the gold reserve was all right
and there was income enough to pay the
expenses of the government. But "a
change came over the spirit Ut our
dreams" And this Is the way the thing
worked. Here Is single example:
In the middle Of 1898 friend had his
salary reduced. which was soon followed
by short time, SO that up to the present
date his net loss in wages and forced idle
ness amounts to over $500. He could have
purchased many of the comforts of life
with that loss and made business better
and saved something, too. During that
time his employers lost many thousands
of dollars. That Is the way it has been
going on all over the country.
Why is it that the Democratic organs
and leaders are so bitter against manu-
facturers, a few OF whom get rich? They
never denOunce importers and merchants
who get rich. and who pay their help less
wages In many cases than an ordinary
day laborer gets. What would wage
earners do II there were no manufacture
ers? AS general rule the wage earner
does receive u fair share Of the products
of his labor. A manufacturer employing
IL thousand workers in a permanent and
profitable business Is bound to get rich,
even If his profits were but one dime
day for each employs.
The something that happened when IL
became known that Democratic admin
istration. with u free trade plank, was
going TO take possession of the govern
ment. would be repeated perhaps in
different form, and vastly worse, II the
country should be so unfortunate as to be
handed over to q free silver adminstra-
ton. One thing IL certain, there would be
a run on the savings banks. and deposit
ors IN all banks would demand gold for
their deposits. And everybody who had
any savings would try to secure gold
for it. Before any act authorizing free
coinage of silver could be passed all of
our foreign Indebtedness would be piled
in upon us and we as a nation would be
financially swampel. The Demoea attic
party will probably never admit that the
threat of free trade and the denuDciation
of the tariff as unconstitutional was the
cause of the run which followed their
election TO power. but 1t was.
II. Il. Van Benthuysen.