The evening times., 1896-07-07
WORkINGMEN MUST SUFFER.
History Teaches That Initiation of
ILL.,.

lHeH MOST.
Editor Times: Tie Times of July slys
editorially: Throughout every financial
disturbance in history the wages OF work
iEg people have been the first to fail in
times Of depression and tile last to rise in
times of prosperity."'
Nothing is mere needed Just now than a
knowledge OF history. That is all that is
needed to nlace every workingman in the
list of opponents to Initiation.
In tile sixteenth cantnry the Spa MIA rfls
discovered and exploited the mines of
Mexico and Peru. B.anGui. IN his His
tory of Political Economy" after referring
to this fact. says further: AT this very
time royal edicts. raised in France the
nominal value of the coined silver mark to
16 and 1S livres, instead OF the 8 to 10
livres at which 1t la been counted in the
first years of that century," (This was in
effect the same as if our government were
to take 80 or % cents worth of silver and
Bianqui continued: THE effect of these
two causes, which acted simultaneously on
the nominal price OF all provisions for gen
ernal consumption. produced a rise which
made them appear ten to twelve times
dearer than they were previously" He
adds that these uncOmprehe nded p!le-
OF tn inss" occurred without increase
in the rate of wages. This was the most
brilliant period OF the American mines:
each year gaiieons were returning from
theiess, poverty reigned everrwtere; and
was prey 10 ana misery.
About the middle of the same (sixteenth)
century, Henry VIII and his successor
tampered with the silver coinage of
England in Similar way. The result
| in his .'Six Centuries of Work and wages,'
as follows: page 345):
THE effect of Henry's and Edwards base
money, though it lasted only sixteen years,
| was potent enough to dominate In the
| history of labor and wages from the six
teenth century to the present time. Within
peri1d fSan OF sGHyy SIXTY years general prices were
percentage of increase was effee ted in the
wages of labor. certainly not more than
| 20 per cent Now tin 1881, 1.-THE pro-
\ three times the old rates: wheat nearly two
and one-han times: dairy products, two
and one-haf times; hut the rise of wages
| IS little more than one and one half times"
Tramps. we are told by some reformers,
| are modern invention. But such seems not
to be the case. Under the reign of Henry
historian Harrison. more than 2. 900 crimi-
| nails were put to death for highway rob-
berry. The historian Blanqui adds. regard
| ing those who were reduced tn beggary
| by the currency debasement already mem
| toned:
| These unfortunates. wandering bands
of hundreds. pilla ged farms, plundered
travellers. and from tile depths Of the for
| est brayed the prosecutions of the govern
meDt. After trying all kinds of punish
mepts, Elizabeth was Obliged to put the
L
| ishes, which was insufficient to main
tain them. or to prevent their Multiplying"
A page of The Times might be flied with
| quotations from reliable historians. show
| ing that never in any age, or any country
has coinage been debased or measures
taken to in crease aftific:aily the price
| of comm odities in general, without causing
disaster and measureless wretc,iedness 70
the working classes. Nevertheless. many
of them seem inclined to invite themselves
| to the same sort OF banquet yet again.
| j. L. McCREERY