Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1896-10-08
SOUND TRUTHS,
Uttered by Former Master
Workman Powderly.
WOULD net HELP woRKINGMEN.

A Panic Would Certainly Follow Brynn's
Election, and q Panic, Truly Says Mr.
Povderly, Ia n Poor Path to Prosperity.
The Popocrat Candidate Is NO Friend
of Labor-His Ideas, IL Carried Out.
Would Enrich silver Kings Only.
Mr.. 7. V. Powderly, the former able
leader of worl1ingmen and ex-master
workman, writes as follows to the New
York World Oem.): -"
To the Editor of The World, W 9
Those who make light of what is
termed the silver craze can not, imag-
inc. have given the subject great deal
of thought. For many years the silver
men have been active in spreading the
gospel of free coinage By incessant
labor these silversmiths have succeeded
in committing some industrial organic
ations to the advocacy of free and un-
limited coinage at the ratio of IL to 1.
They have SO industriously circulated
the story of "the crime of 1878" that the
belief that silver was stealthily and sur.
reptitiously demonetized has gained
great headway, and the means of dis
proving their statements are not acces.
sible to many.
A fact lost sight of is that those who
have exposed the alleged crime were
themselves criminals. They sat in con-
gress when the bill was passed, they
took part in the debates and by their
votes aided in the passage of the act.
The free coinage measure is not labor
measure, but by skillful Juggling with
industrial organizations many have been
broken up in consequence of other de.
mands being set aside for that Of free
coinage. Had the men who discovered
the "crime" not been owners Of silver
mines. or did they not wish 10 unload
stock in silver properties on the un-
wary, no one would have heard more Of
the act Of 1878.
Go carefully over Mr.. Bryan's
speeches and you do not find single
labor measure championed During my
~ years connection with labor organi-
cations never heard the name of Mr..
Bryan until about two or three years
ago. He is vouched for by no one he
nominated himself in speech about
crucifying labor upon cross Of gold,
but his only solution of the difficulty is
to break the bones of labor upon rack
of silver He says the purchasing power
of the gold dollar has doubled. Is not
that gain to labor? If it will buy
twice as much wheat, corn or potatoes
as before, will not the farmer buy
twice as much of what he requires with
q gold dollar than with 53-cent silver
dollar. He does not say that while the
produce. the silver dollar and the paper
dollar which this government has
pledged it's honor, and the honor of
Inva1 pltiunn RI maintain
parity with gold, will buy just as much
i as the gold dollar.
Mr.. Bryan speaks only for the silver
men. He knows their wants, but has
| never familiarized himself with the
wants of the industrialists Of the na-
| ton. He suggests no method of diffus-
| ing the products of the farm among the
| needy or of securing to the needy the
means of procuring what the farmer
| produces.
He has not realized that through the
| introduction of electricity as q substi-
| tute for horsepower millions of horses
have been disposed Of, and the loss to
the farmers, in a lack OF demand for
oats and hay, has gone into hundreds OF
millions. How will free silver create O
demand for oats and hay? He speaks
of gold plutocrats lording it over the
people, but does not explain how a gold
| plutocrat is any worse than silver one
He would exchange one set of pluto.
Gratis for another, and in doing so estab.
lish the rule of the minority, who have
!, already been favored more than any
other.
He would change the constitution o1
the United States in some particulars
but if he ever succeeds in opening the
door for change the place to begin il
in the state of Nevada, the home of this
agitation for the elevation of the single
silver standard. Nevada has a popula.
tion of less than $4,000. Ny home, the
city of Scranton. has a population oi
10000. Take $4,000, or double the pop
ulation of Nevada, from the population
of Scranton and we have $4,000 people
or enough to make good sized city
Nevada has two senators to shout TO,
silver, while the city of Scranton has NJ
representative in the senate to boon
our coal, iron OF steel and demand Of
the government to double the value Of
either.
Mr.. Bryan, if he has not been mis-
quoted, admits that if he is elected thi!
country will be plunged into frightfu
panic l believe he speaks the truth
iOi piCiO oPpCdio W DC hO way W dNOlt
it if free and unlimited coinage of silvel
prevails.
was one of the victims of the panic
of 1878. know hundreds of other
who have never recovered from its eff
fects. If the American people are wis
they will improve on the present none
tary standard without plunging tn,
country into another panic.
He must be poor statesman indeed
who can point out-the road to prosperit,
only through panic. And unless tn,
American people have lost their sense
they will not entrust power to so inex
perienced man advocating such unrea
Eonable demands.