The San Francisco call., 1896-06-08
Dr. YORK ON HARD TIMES
He Declares That the Honest
Dollar" Makes the Poor
Man Poorer.
" The Calls" Position on the Silver
Question Is Commended by the
Lecturer and Applauded.

DR.. j. L. York, who will soon start on q
lecturing tour through the north, delivered
his final lecture of the season in Scottish
American Hall last night. The subject
was political Salvation"
Previous to the lecture the audience
adopted series of resolutions compli-
mentary to the lecturer, thanking him for
his work in behalf of liberalism and wish
! ing him success on his journey and a
speedy return.
The lecturer said that whatever is
wrong in the country is not due to the
constitution, but to lack of understand
| ing what that constitution means. He
said that continual agitation as to hard
| times does not amount to anything unless
the agitators provide a remedy, and sug-
gested that the remedy for the evil be-
tween capital and labor is justice based on
equal rights. Such justice, he said, would
produce right here that happiness which
is promised in the sweet by and by in the
land beyond.
"That degree of happiness he said,
''wiiI be attained when others do unto you
what you would like to do unto others.
The political parties each have certain
principles, but as none are perfect we
should vote for the candidates of the party
that is nearest in accord with our prin-
cipies, which are: DO no wrong and sub
nit to no wrong We must not look to
power beyond to help US; we must help
ourselves
The speaker then gave his idea of gov
ernment, explaining that the reason we
have such is that many of the people
are too ignorant to govern themselves.
People must be educated to govern
themselves, for governments are terrible
things and they are very expensive. A
proper administration of affairs will bring
about good results but 1t is not by money
that reforms can be brought about, it is by
| the earnest desire of the people to be
with an increase of population by millions
| there would be decrease of taxation, but
| the contrary has been the result; our taxes
| are growing heavier and heavier and the
reason is that people cannot govern them
| selves.
The. top and bottom of society must
| come together in order that there may be
| an elevation of the common man and give
him an opportunity to elevate himself and
rise in intelligence, for brains and intelli-
gence, not force, must rule: The injus-
tice of taxation is manifest and no better
example is needed than what is being de-
veloped in our courts.
Democracy as advocated by Jefferson
was protection to the people, but Democ-
| racy of to-day has been twisted all out
| of that purpose, and it is only a
small minority that rules the people. In
| fact the Supreme Court is the Govern
ment. If the lower house of Congress
does something for the good of the people
the Senate may nuIlify it. If the Senate
afterward the Supreme Court can nulliiy
anything that the President may do for
the people"
The land policy and the monetary sys-
tenn he declared to be the dangerous rocks
on which the Republic is striking and that
| these two questions will be the leading
ones in the Presidential campaign. He
said "the demand of the people, all in
| telligent people, will be for free silver, and
if any broker or banker opposes free silver,
| hang him."
THE cry that the gold dollar is an honest
dollar is the wickedest lie ever uttered by
human lips, because the maintaining of a
! gold standard depresses the price of labor
and brings the laborer to the verge of
starvation?'
He spoke of the evils of landlordism and
advocated the ideas advanced by Henry
| George on lands and on single tax, and
added that it was the fear of poverty that
caused people to set aside their morals and
strive by all means to acquire wealth.
| He then said that the ruin of the country
is the gold bugs OF Democracy and the
gold bugs of Republcanism, and de-
nounced the demonstration of silver as
one of the greatest crimes ever committed
against the common people. He said that
what the country wants is a double
standard with silver at 16 to 1.
The lecturerthen said "The San Fran
cisco CALL is to be commended for its able
stand on the silver question. 1t speaks for
all. II Mckinley had the same ideas on
the silver question that THE CALL has he
could be the protector of the people of the
United States. THE CALLS articles on the
methods of Carlisle in keeping up the par
! ity of the metals are worthy of careful
study and consideration"
In conclusion he said: 1.-THE murder of
| two girls in church has been called The
crime of cen tury,' but the crime of the