The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-08-19

feSseS. L say this not in critici SIN of his
ability, but in justice to his morality. l
believe if he himself understood the in
evitable consequences of the doctrine
which he breaches that his own hands
would be the very first to tear down the
platform on which he stands. We must
all remember that lurid rhetoric which
glowed as fiercely in the Western skies as
that sunlight which through the past
week foretold the torrid heat of the en-
suing day. Here on this platform we
find that same rhetoric as mild, as insipid
as the waters of q stagnant pool. He is
candidate who was swe pit into the NOM
nation by wave of popular enthusiasm
awakened by appeals to prejudice and
greed. He is n candidate who, declaring
that this was a revolutionary movement,
no sooner found himself face to face with
the American feeling than he realized
that this soil is not propitious to revolu-
ton, that the people of this country will
not change the institutions which have
stood the tests and experiences of n Cen
fury for institutions based upon the fan
tastlc dreams of Populist agitators-that
the American nation will never be content
to substitute for the republic of Washing
ton, of Jefferson and of jackson, theA re-
public of Altgeld, Tillman or Bryan.
Whatever change may have come over his
manner as Il candidate, however much
the vehemence of his eloquence may have
been reduced, two things for which he
stands remain unaltered. On this plat
form he defended the most revolutionary
plank of the Chicago convention in
speeches vehement but not less earnest
than that in which he supported their
adoption. On this platform he defended
the E0pulist programme of overthrowing
the integrity of the supreme court. In
the time into which 1 must confine myself
tonight can do nothing but examine
that one question which Mr.. Bryan him
self declares to be the overshadowing
issue of this campaign. / am little
puzzled when l read this speech to decide
Just what MIR. Bryan himself imagines
will be the fruit of IA change in the stand
ard of value throughout this country. I
do not believe that any man can follow
wholly with the speech; because if he dis
sents from one set of conclusions he has
got to read but a few paragraphs and he
will find another. If Mr. BRYAN could
show me that by any means known to
Heaven or on earth wages could be in
creased, will be ready to support him,
because know of no test of prosperity
absolutely infallible except the rate of
wages paid to laborers. When we come
TO lind how Mr.. Bryan expects to increase
the wages of labor we find ourselves lost
tell how or where or when the wages of
the worklngmen are to be increased; but
any one who examines the scheme can see
that the inevitable tendency, the inevita-
Die consequence of q debaSement of the
standard of value must be reduction in
the rate of wages-and that is the conspi-
racy in which the Populists are engaged.
Nothing is more common than the mis-
take that money and property are identi-
90 Utn,-, IL.
large volume of circulating medium and
very great poverty. The issue of paper
money is simply no more an increase of
wealth than the issue by an individual of
his promssory note would show an in
crease OF his property. AS a matter of
TACT an increase in the coinage is no proof
OF an increase in property, but may be
a strong proof of II decrease in wealth. 1t
is not the volume of money but the activ-
lty OF money that counts.
The basis of sound trade is sound
money-money which is ihtrinsically
valued money which like the gold coinage
of this country the Government cannot
affect if it tried l can take ten dollar
gold piece and / can defy all the power of
the governments of this earth to take five
cents of value from it. Having earned it
by the sweat of my brow, having earned
II by the exercise of brain, having earned
1t by the exchange of my commodities,
can go to the uttermost ends of the earth
and wherever L present it, its value will
be unqueStioned and unchallenged That
gold dollar, this meeting, the Democratic
party, the honest masses of this country,
without distinction of party divisions,
demand shall be paid to the laborer when
he earns & and chat no power on earth
shall cheat him of the sweat of his brow.
1t is perfectly clear that the purpose of
the Populists is to put up the prices of
certain commodities. Mr.. Bryan's Ian
guage is that he is going to improve the
conditions of the people of this country.
do not suppose he claims that he can
multiply the number of chairs on this
platform or upon this floor, although he
has shown his capcity to empty them. If
he is going to work any change in the
conditions of men, he must increase the
material possessions of some part of the
community. Now if he got possession of
the Government tomorrow he would not
create one single thing OF value by an eX-
erclse OF Governmental power in the
world. No power ever yet exercised by
tryant or by constitutional monarch can
cause barren field to become fruitful,
can cause two blades of grass to grow
where one grew before, can bring to-
gether the stones that compose this build
ing and raise them into stately temple
dedicated to political discussion. No,
1T requires the labor of man, and the
labor of man alone, to create wealth. If
Mr.. Bryan is going to enrich somebody
the thing which he means to bestow on
him he must take from somebody else.
Who is to be despoiled and who is to be
enriched co Of h Oh %