The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-04-16
them tho advantage Of paying for .A.!,

: labor In deprecated silver. The theory =
, yer. the wages of labor In this country
! would be paid in silver dollars worth
about half as much as. gold dollars, but
the products OF labor, which would belong
TO the employer, would be sold for gold
IN the markets abroad. and that the gold
thus obtained could be exchanged for sill
yer at about the ratio of one holar in gold
Tor two dollars III silver, and thus the
process would 20 on. the employer getting
gold Of ran value and tho laborer getting
of these gentlemen, would be a most
happy solution of this question. II tho In
forests of labor are to be left entirely out
of consideration. and If 1t were not rca-
sonably certain that II sudden revolution
in our monetary system would ut once
| arrest the progress of all our Industries,
ana produce almost universal bankruptcy,
this scheme to make the employer very
rich and the labcrer very poor might he
| worthy OF serious consideration: but the
American laborer has right To demand
pay for his work In ns good money ms
the employer receives for Us products In
| any part OF the world, ana when he sur
renders this right he Is doomed to the
| same fate that has already overtakcn his
| brothers In the silver standard countries.
| Ii Is but simple justice TO say In this con-
noctlon, that the great body of employers.
II vast majority OF the men who have
embarked their carital In industrial cn,er-
| prses and ara relying for success upon
| their skill ana energy in tho prosecution
OF their business. do not want the present
| standard OF value ovcrthrown, because
I they know that the establishment OF sill
Vor tnonomotnllism would be rninous TO
them and to MI who are dependent upon
| them for employment. or fer the supply
OF commodities at reasonable prices.
| Al the solution of this question affected
| only the character and amount and pur-
| chasing power OF the future earnings OF
| tho American lubor,r. II would still he a
| subject of the RruNest Importance to him,
| but it's Importance Is greatly increased by
AZ. q. t.at. utaE les ..f
very considerable rort of his past earn,
ings nre alao involved. The thrifty and
proNideut workinEman, anticipating tlmc
when he nny he disabled or deprived OF
employment, mas cidcnvorcd to save some
thing ont OF his cummings, In order TO pro-
vide FOR the comfort of his wife and chill
drou in the future. and hns laid It away
Mt homr, or deposited II In a bnnk or
building association, or Invested II in "A
life Insurance. policy. or loaned 1t to some
friend in whom he hus confidence. lie Is
not n, debtor but creditor and the cor
porntons and Individuals hHving the Gus
tody of bis earnings are indebted to him.
aud ought 10 pay what they owo him IN
just MS good money ma he put into their
hands
THE PEOPLES SAVINGS.
According to the latest reports. the snv-
ines banks In your own Stntc hold ssi.-
81 400 ON deposit for 81. SOL people, OF an
average of S-6' for each deposition. and in
ihc whole country they hold N.slo.Ss., 90
for 4S'o,alo people, or an average OF 'S'l
companies, and private tanks hold ST.. D.,
sss.o,a for about l,5Oo.00 people. and Nh
tionm banks hold Si.'oi,6J5.52l FOR i,s2s,Sio
dcpositors, of whom l,.2ir, have less
thnn $1,000 10 their credit. Besides these
Institutions there are GOO building and
lonn dissertations IN the United States.
having about l.SVoVo0 Shareholders male
and female, who have paid dues in good
money amounting to moro than ssooe1V
600 There are nearly 700 of these aasocia-
,iona In tho State OF Illinois alone, and in
those institutions many aborers. men. wo-
men. aud even children. have deposited
every dollar they could spare. often de-
nylng themselves sum,, OF the comforts of
ne, In order to lay up something for
time of uord.
More than 100000 OF our people have
taken out fe Insurance policies, which
ar" now in force. amounting to N..D2, $685.
~ aud have paid TIA" premiums ON them
Nonr after year in good money. while tho
mutual benefit ana assessment and CO.
one ralivo and fratcrnal companies and AS
sucihtions have j,a0o,Wp members. whc
earnings to the funds held 10 reimburse
losses sustained by sickness or death,
The obligations of theso companies and
associations to Their members amount TO
S.. IN. biVn3d. and the Industrial companies
IN the United States have membership
OF 6al9 aqS with Insurance amounting ~
ssl5l50.6,s In addition to all the foregoing.
nnd II Is constantly increasing. How
many laboring men and women have
ited from their earnings to insure ihem-
selves against loss by accident while en-
gagged In the prosecution Of thoir work.
AN not be truly 1sc"r 9ino'l, but the num-
Der is known to lie very large
The banks. trust companies. building A.
and other similar Institutions,
We The people OF tho United States today
& 1888 .l3s, 52 for money actually deposited.
sum nearly eight times greater than
he total capital of AL the National banks
II the country while the III. Insurance
olicios held by t.hA people In the various
nls of corporations aud associations and
u force today amount to alo,203 soi ,3bi. Il
UNI lprgrr than has been actually invest
d in al our railroads. and about fifteen
latlonal banks. In Wow of these facts.
'hich can not hc successfully disputed.
submit that YOU ought seriously 10 con-
dcr all the consequences to yourselves
nd your fcllow-c,izeus before you agree
. tn" free and unlimited coinage of legal
lat ihose great corporations aud Assoc
htiOus may have the privilege of dis
hnrging their debts TO the people by
aging n or 80 cents on the dollar, for
iat Is exactly what II mcuns.
II Is n low estimatc to say that each ono
the dcposilors, IN savings aud other
anks and Ia bulliiBH associations. md
ach holder of n life insurance policy and
,cmber or a mutual beneht and assess-
icnt association. has dependent upon him
her an average of at least two 9th r.
orsons and. II 90. II majority of all our
soplc are directly or indirectly creditors
these corporations and associations ana
re- interested in the preservation of
andard of value, which Will insure the
iymcnt of their claims in rs good monny
they parted with when they mnde their
ms or deposits or paid their nsscssmrn,s
premiums. Every dollar the people put
to these banks and trust companies and
her Institutions. and every dollar they
nd for insurance was worth 100 cents and
ould procure 100 cents worth of COM
oiitics in the market when they earned
and when They invested H. and they
lyc an inquest ionablc right TO demand
at It shall he refunded To them In dol
rs worth 100 cents everywhere. The
loption of any policy that would deprive
en- of this right would not only iniiict
enormous loss upon them but would
seriously impair thcir faith In the iidcl-
and utiliiy OF such Institutions that at
npts 10 accumulate and save surplus
rnings would be abandoned. or at least
eatly discouraged, FOR "A long time TO
me.
WOULD PRECIPITATE A PANIC.
But II free and unlimited coinage OF
gal tender silver nj the ratio OF IL to
established In this country. a very
..ft 3 nI It, q