Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-10-29

Il
made absolutely no account o.
the advance of civiifzation Of
the achievements Of human in
ren,itx in cheapening articles of pro-
a,,ot;on m the consumer. He asserted
over and over again that the fall in the
nrices of commodities is due entirely
10 the Recommendation" of silver way
haek in '73, and that since that time
prices have followed silver down.. :
Following this line of discussion he has
insisted that the only way to restore
prices is to open our minis to the free
and unlimited coinage of silver at a
ratio of Is to !. There has been dis
position to excuse, if not condone, Mr..
Bryan's placid ignoring of the facts Of
human progress upon the assumption
that he has never had time in his brief
| and tortuous existence to think about
| this phase of the economic situation
In this way Mr.. Bryan's sincerity has
| been bolstered up at the expense of his
intelligence. But, as matter of fact
Mr.. Bryan has considered this most
powerful factor in the cheapening of
production, and the consequent fall of
prices. Ina speech in the National House
of Representatives in 1892 he said: TO
| the inventive genius that has multi
piled a thousand times, in many in
stances. the strength of a single arm,
enabling us to do today with one man
what so men could not do so years ago,
should be attributed the fall of prices.
That said Mr.. Bryan, who is now
talking about a fall in sympathy with
silver. lis what has brought down
Here was the truth of the matter
uttered by Mr.. Bryan in 1892 Why, il
he is honest and sincere in his present
| crusade. has he sedulously avoided all
reference to it? Why has he persisted
in ignoring the great achievements of
| inventive skill, and in telling the people
that the characterization" of silver 90
years ago is responsible for all the sub
sequent fall in prices? The answer is
obvious. Mr. Bryan is not sincere in
his present assertions. He is resorting
to evasion and Misrepresentation for
the achievement of personal ends. The
result has been inevitable. He has
been driven from the field of argument
to prejudice and passion. He has en-
deavored to arouse class hatred and to
array one section of the country
against another. Now the reaction is
upon him. and, in a few days more, he
will be swept into political oblivion.
1t may be we'll to ask ourselves seri-
ously whether low prices of commodi-
ties are indeed an evil. Have the Won
derful achievements of inventive skill.
in the past two decades, accomplished
nothing for the benefit of the people?
Do our dollars indeed buy for us more
luxuries of life than they ought :?
Should we be better off to return again
to the ways of our fathers when nearly
all commodities were the direct result
of human drudgery? Shall we unhar-
ness the energy of steam, and let our
water powers run again unvexed to the
sea? Shall we turn back the progress
of quarter of a century? Mr.. Bryan
thinks we should, but the indications
are that he will not get many of the
American people to agree with him.
Let us remember that this increase in
the purchasing power of the dollar
which Mr.. Bryan insists is due not to
cheaper methods of productions; but to
the decentralization of silver and
what he is pleased to call the 'appre-
citation" of gold. for he cannot bring
himself to acknowledge that the value
of silver has been constantly depre-
ciating for the past 20 years-is coin
cident with an increase in wages all
| over the country. The famous report
of the Aldrich Senate committee, which
was signed by Senator Jones of Neva-
da, the great free silver leader and by
John G. Carlisle, showed that labor
| was better paid year by year from 1873
to 1891 than it was before 1873, putting
| the figures for the war currency period
on a gold basis.
Mr.. Bryan does not undertake to
deny the facts set forth in this report
for the simple reason that he cannot.
| He insists, however, that it was a
great calamity to the country that,
along with this increase in wages.
there went an even greater increase in
the purchasing power of the dollar.
Most people are inclined to want their
dollars to buy all the things possible.
They are never disposed to grumble be-
cause they buy too much for Them and.
in this respect Bryan, the private in
dividual, reporter, lecturer. press agent.
actor and lawyer probably does not
differ materially from the rest of his
fellow citizens.