The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-09-03
GUARDIANS OF THE PEOPLE.

The best part of Mr.. Bryan Speech-
es in his tour through New York was
his appeal to the plain people to unlIik
for themselves, after impressing upon
them that every voter ought to cast
his vote in this election with sense
of his responsibility to his family ana
his children. More than that, Mr..
BRYAN has so simplified the money
question that the average voter can uii-
| derstand what the financiers nave
tried to mystify. 1t has been the pur-
| nose of the men who have controlled
the financial policy for their individual
benefit, to tell THE people: None but
financiers can understand the imam
cial question. 1t is too deep for the
average voter. He oughtt to listen to
the experts on finance and be govern
ed by their advice"
Many of the employers of labor IN
this campaign are assuming to act as
guardians for the men they employ
The president of one of the Ohio rail
roads, who is asking his employees
how they are going to vote, says he
considers it the duty of employers Ito
protect their own people from incompe-
tent financial and political quacks."
This is a new idea of the duty of the
employer, and one which will be justly
resented. A reply to this assumption
of guardianship, made by a railroad
a nJ1sn sSIYhnny
drive horse to water, but they can't
| make him drink will be as widely
applauded by the employees every
where as it was when uttered on Tnes-
day.
The railroad employers are not the
only ones who think they ought ITO
be the guardians of others. The bank
ers entertain the same modest estimate
of their own wisdom and OF
the inability of the great
bulk of the people of the
United States to take care of them
selves" In the recent gold bolter's
convention at Syracuse, N. Y, Hon. G..
S. FairefuId. ex.Seeretary of the Treas
! ury. used these. words:
E"I hasenet saida harsh word of
sstbe 9res9t bulk ofgthe Democratic &
party and sKeh of the Ropukist q
party. l believe they are sincere,
but / also believe that they are -ut~.-.-
terly and profoundly wrong. We
are their self-sacrificing friends.
1T would be very easy for many
/ of as to remain silent. have often
said to myself, Why trouble your
self about this? You can take care
of Yourself. And so / can, and
most of the men that | see about
me can take care of themselves.
But / know the great bulk of the
/ people of the United States can
/ not take care of themselves, and
/ would be a coward and a craven
l and false to my citizenship did
not rise up and try to prevent dis
| asters even at my own cost and eX-
| pense,
This is richness. Mr.. Fairchild, Mr.
Belmont, Mr.. Flower, Mr.. Whitnew,
| and other millionaire bankers and
| owners of trusts and monopolies pos
ing as the ''self-sacrifcing friends" of
''the great bulk of the people of the
United States who cannot take care
of themselves, is a spectacle to make
angels weep Do these men, Mark
Hanna and his candidate, believe the
people are such idiots as TO believe that
there is any 'self-sacrifice' involved
| for the interest of the laborers in
spending their time and money TO en-
hance the value of the dollar? Do they
not know that the voters resent such
guardianship, coupled with the insult
that they cannot take care OF them
selves?" The truth, as every toler
knows, is that Whitney and Hanna
want to get-more muscle, more sweat,
more products and more land for their
dollar. The continued increased pur-
chasing price of the dollars increases
their fortunes, They are alarmed lest
their dollars shall be worth only 100.
cents in lbpyiug6 labor and products.
Rfmy wantsthem to be worth 200 and
I 200 cents Just as it is their interest
to enhance the value of the dollar
and reduce the number of dollars, it
is to the interest of the laiborers and
farmers to have a dollar that neither
appreciates nor depreciates, and
steady, increasing volume of good dol
lars. With interests Numerically OPP
posed. the millionaire gold spectators
and trust operators will find it difficult
to convince the people that it is any
sself-sacrifice'' for them to continue to
run the government for their own
benefit.
THE VERMONT DEMOCRACY.