The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1896-08-26

fruit of change in the standard Of
value throughout this country. l do
not believe that any man can quarrel
wholly with the speech, because if he
dissents from one set of conclusions he
has got to read but a few paragraphs
and he will find another of different
variety. (Laughter)
Now, will imagine that Mr.. Bryan
! himself may believe that in some way
or other he is going to benefit the toll
ers of this country. He says he is, but
| he declines TO show us how. daughter
and applause.) For my part, | am will
| ing to state here that if Mr.. Bryan
could show me that by any means
known to Heaven or known on earth,
any means revealed to the comprehen-
sion of man, that wages could be in
creased l will be ready to support him
here and now. Great applause and
cheers.)
l do not make this statement through
any pretense of special affection for the
man who works with his hands. Such
a pretense made in the heat of presi-
dental canvass would merely insult aud
discredit the intelligence to which it is
addressed (Applause) l repeat that
| would support any measure calcu-
lated to increase the rate of wages, be-
cause l know of no test OF prosperity
absolutely infallible except the rate of
wages paid to laborers. (Applause.)
Where the rate of wages is high there
must be prosperity. Where the rate of
wages is low there must necessarily be
distress.
A CONSPIRACY TO LOWER WAGES.
When we come to find out just how
Mr.. Bryan expects to increase the
wages of labor we find ourselves lost in
a maze of contradiction and in haze
of obscure expressions. No man can
tell how or where or when the wages
of the workingman are to be increased;
but any one who examines the scheme
can see that the inevitable tendency,
the inevitable consequence, of de-
basement in the standard Of value must
be reduction in the rate of wages,
and that is the conspiracy in which the
populist is engaged. (Applause.)
Mr.. Bryan tells us that he wants to
cheaper the dollar; that he wants TO
increase the volume of money. | do
not believe that any man who ever
lived could quite understand populist's
notion of what money is Qaughte),
further than that he believes it is de-
sirable thing to get Oaughter), and that
he is not very particular about the
means by which he can get his hands
on it. Naughter.) Nothing is more
popular in pOpulist oratOry than the
statement that the volume of money
must be increased for the benefit of the
people that lun and manage and ad-
dress populist meetings. Uaughter)
WHAT DOES PoPULIsM OFFER?
Now let us see how Mr.. Bryan pro-
poses 10 deal with this question. have
looked through his speech to find out
Just what he thinks he is going TO do
for the laboring man, aud find that he
dismiss es him with il very few and some
very unsatisfactory phrases, But it is
perfectly clear that the purpose of the
popuists is to put up The prices OF GER
tain commodities. Mr.. Bryan's lam
guage is that he is 2oing to improve the
condition of the people Of this country.
Not Of all of them, but of the greatest
number.
don't suppose MIR. Bryan pretends
to any miraculous power. L don't sup
pose he claims he can multiply the
number of chairs upon this platform or
upon this floor, although he has shown
his capacity TO empty them. (Lau5h-
ter.) If he is going TO work any change
in the conditions of men, he must in
, crease the material possessions OF some
part of the community. If ne got pos
. session of the government tomorrow
he could not create one single thing Of
, value by any exercise OF governmental
power in the world. If Mr.. Bryan is
going to enrich somebody, the thing
, which he means to bestow on him he
, must lake from somebody else. Who
, is to be despoiled ana who is to be en-
, riched by the exercise OF this new
r scheme OF government?
My friends, we are coming now pretty
, near to the wood pile behind which the
} African is concealed. Mr.. Bryan pro
poses to increase the price of com
: modities. If he means anything be
A means that, and | am not quite sure
that he means anything.
\ If the price OF commodities be in
0 creased and the price of labor be LEFT
Q stationary, that means a cutting dowr
/. of the rate of wages. If instead of {
o dollar which consists of given guam
" tity of gold equal TO hundred cent,
i anywhere in the world, with the pur
s chasing power of hundred cents, The
- laborer is to be paid in dollars wortl
t fifty cents each, he can only buy hal
as much with days wages as he buys
now. If the value Of this populisti,
scheme, then, is to be tested, let th'
e laboring men of this country ask Mr.
: Bryan and his populist friends simple
= common everyday question: "Wher
n do | como in?" Iaughter)
4. THE PROBLEM FOR LABOR.
l. Mr.. Bryan himself has gil inner
ing idea of where the laborer will com
Is in-or rather, of where he will 90 out
Il There is one paragraph in his speecl
c, which-whether it Was the result of al
is unconscious stumbling into candor o
l. whether ii was contribution made il
e the stress of logical discussion | an
70 utterly unable TO say-throws a flood o