Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-12

believes that II the election were held To-
day Bryan would be elected But: he re-
VIII turn the tables in November / think
tie result Of Bryan's election would be
financial disaster. 1t might not. perhaps.
be felt SO seriously here where so mnch
money Is received by the people direct from
the government. but 1t would be felt. and
much suffering would, fear, follow. One
q, thi NJ, 1 am certain OF. however. and that
Is that the success of Bryan would result
IN the decentralization Of the civil service
system of the government. Bryan and his
followers are after the fat, and il he Is
upon him that, even If he were otherwise
inclined, he could not resist it. and all that
Mr. Cleveland has done. to preserve and
extend the system would be undone.''
LABOR AND SILVER,
views OF District WOrkfnRmeu On thu
Currency Question.
Many conspicuous leaders of Organized
labor III the District of Columbia favor free
coinage. as was indicated in the interviews
WIN number Of them printed in The Star
al the time OF Mckinleys nomination
Some well-known labor men at the head
of influential organizations are Sound mon
ey' men and believe free coinage Of silver
at IL to means disaster to the working
ran.
The interviews given below with we'll
are considered as representative.
Mr.. E. M. Blake, first vice president and.
dnrffg the absence OF Mr.. James F. Nc
hugh acting president of the Federation
OF Labor, was delegate from the District
TO the populist convention at ST I,o,ts
Wien asked by an Evening Star reporter
MS opinion Of the effects of free coinage
ana the elec ton Of w. J. Bryan as the
President of the United States. he said: II
am always ready to accommodate The
Evening Star. for The Star has done more
10 a.d tire workingmen of the District in
securing a hearing before Congress for
their grievances and measures than the
rest of the press CT Washington Notwith-
standing my reluctance to appear in print.
l do not feel that / can refuse to give Thu.
evening Star my opinion Of the agitation
Tor free and unlimited Coinage of silver at
the ratio of 16 to I. without waiting for
the consent Of other nations. and how
"orkfngmen may be benefited through free
coinage and the election of Bryan
AS Knight of Labor i have been stand
ing on the following plank Of that order
for years, to wit: XIV The establishment
OF a national monetary system, in which a
circulating medium tn necessary quantity
shall issue directly to the people, without
the Intervention of banks; that all the ma
tionaf issue shall be full legal tender in
payment OF all debts. public and private,
and that the government shall not guaran-
tee or recognize any private banks or Gre
ate any barking corporations
nights OF Labor have for years con-
tended that the manipulation OF the money
by the banks has been the chief cause OF
the distress Of agricultural and mechanical
labor. and they have viewed with alarm
the workings of the banks in forcing the
continual and gradual appreciation of gold
and the contraction Of the currency bring
Ing about the falling of the prices Of
products. the steady fall Of wages and the
increase of the army of the idle. The OBJ
5eet lessons taught in the last bond issues
and in the patriotism (?l of the banks in
preventing another bond issue until after
the election I think has about convinced
~ per cent Of the membership of the Or
der that tt Is not to their interest to con-
tlnue system that gives the bankers the
power of cornering and controlling all
co.n-redeemable paper. thus enabling them
at any time to make a raid on the gold re-
serve ana force the government to increase
the public debt.
1.-The knights believe that the free coin
age of silver will force the commercial
value of the bullion to its coinage value;
that a silver dollar will buy as much as a
gold dollar In our markets: that free coin
age Will increase the per capita circulation
to equal the demand for money; that gold
Will not be driven out Of the country, for
the reason that gold always seeks the best
market. and the resources of our country
furnish unlimited fields for prosperous In
vestments' while foreign countries ofler
but few such opportunities: that more
money being IN circulation. more men Will
be employed, thus relieving labor of the
burden of the support Of the millions VINO
are now Idle.
while 1t is true that portion Of the
necessaries Of life can be bought for less
money, because of the increased purchas-
ing value of the dollar. 1t Is also true that
the tax on labor employed for the support
of labor unemployed. makes the actual
value of money very much less Bear this
fact ever III mind, labor employed and not
capital, supports labor unemployed
There are three causes assigned Tor ths
stagnati Cn of industries and the plumber of
unemployed: the effects of the tariff. the
effects of machinery in cheapenipg produce
ton, and the contraction of the currency.
Knights have about agreed among them
selves that the fault Hes mainly With the
contraction of the currency and the appre-
citation of gold. and they believe that the
support Of the Chicago platform Is step
toward the establishment Of a monetary
system. in which a circulating medium in
necessary quantity shall issue Directly to
the people, without the intervention Of
banks. The knights are also of the belief
that we are great people of great and
powerful country, and can establish and
maintain a monetary system of our own in
defiance of England and 9th r countries, as
our fathers believed they could and did es-
tablish republic in defiance Of all ma
lions. The knights further believe that the
quickest and most direct way Of bringing
ing the way.
There Is not member or an ex-member
OF the order In this country today. IL he
ever held to the principles taught by the
against Mckinley. Workingmen will fol-
low Morgan, Vest. Bryan, Teller rather
than Hanna, Quay, Mckinley and Hobart"
Mr.. Dent for Free Silver.
Mr. F. NJ. Dent. chairman Of the executive
board of the Street Railway Assembly. said:
1t Is a fact that cannot be disputed that
large percentage Of the population of WASH
iDston are surrounded by conditions that
are deptorable In the. extreme. And the
minds or all fair and observant people are
filled with the dfrest forebodings for the
near future Of skilled and unskillet labor.
TO satisfy the most skeptical that these
are cold and incoAtrov ertible facts. let him
spend few hours in the reading room Of
the Workfngmen's Library each day, where
gamer large number OF skilled. energetic
and sober mechanics. who for weeks and
months have utilized every effort. embraced
every opportunity. to procure employment.
without success AMI by the knowledge
that will there be thrust upon him of the
condition of the building trades and or.
ganized crafts. some idea can be formed Of
what must be the condition Of those en-
gagged In the unskiled and unprotected IN
dustrieS
Since was SO unceremoniousiy usiered
out or the service of the Matropolitan Rail.