The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-09-11
HONESTY IN WAGES
RELATION OF FREE SILVER To
LABOR DISCUSSED By TER
ENCE POWDERLY.
NO DOLLAR IS TOO GOOD.
MEN WHO TOIL HAVE THE RIGHT
TO =, DEMAND THE BEST
MONEY.
NOTHING TO GAIN BY RRYANIsM
To POwderIy's Mind Even Cavern
ment by Injunction Is Better
Than by IncOmPetency.

NEW YORK, Sept. 10.-A mass meet
ing was held in Cooper Union tonight
under the auspices of the campaign
committee Of the Mckinley league.
Terence V. Powderly, late Master
Workman Of the Knights of Labor.
and ex-senator Warner Miller. were
the chief speakers. The meeting was
planned for wage-earners A very
large audience was present early, and
when the speaking began the large hall
was crowded. Several Bryan men were
present and made their presence known
by loud cheers for their candidate.
This interruption was speedily stopped
by the police, after which the pro-,
gramme Of the evening was carried
out Mr.. Powderly was the first speak
er and said:
Did believe an apology for my presence
on TINS PLATFORM necessary, / would say that
l am here because l believe the right of the
American wage Garner to receive the highest
rate Of compensation for services rendered
and the right to claim and receive the best
kind of money in exchange for his labor
should not be interfered with
Mr.. Powderly then took up the Chicago
platform and compared it with previous plat
forms OF the Democratic party saving:
The platform of four years ago pledged the
president entering into power to the over
throw of the American system Of protection
and with all his and their power. with all
the force and influence at his and their com
mand, the man ard party, upon whom the
power was conferred labored to place the
foreign workingman on higher plane than
his American competitor and that platform
was anything but meaningless. Four years
ago the pivotal point around which the
Ia
Wnen that congress assembled there was
no deficit; the revenue was amply sufficient
for the needs of government, and there was
no income tax law upon the statutes of this
nation. The income tax law was an after
consideration; it was no part OF the Demo-
cratic platform of 1892, and was only thought
of when 1t became manifest to its originators
that they had sawed off the revenue limb
en- which they had been sitting in their mad
attempt to undo what their Republican pre-
decessors had SO well planned and so faith
fully executed. To make amends for
blunder they would perpetTate crime, and
the income tax law was no less than crime
| may be charged with opposing one of the
cardinal principles of the Knights of Labor
that demanded that gra 1uated income tax
be levied. That section was adopted by the
knights of Labor in opposition to my earnest
and emphatic protest. l never believed in it
and have always opposed it..
When congress assembled in 1893 there was
no income tax law upon the statute books.
Under the provisions of such law no rev.
unfair, as we'll as dishonest, sto charge a fall
ing revenue to something which had no ex-
istence when the agitation for change in
our economic laws began Does it not ap-
pear inconsistent of the defenders of the Chi
cago platform to assert that they are op-
posed to English rule in America on the
financial question after they have opened
our ports to the product of the English fac
tory and mill? Our chief competitor in the
domain of manufacture Is England, and he
must be an ignorant man indeed who will
demand the abolition of our tariff laws and
not know that the gamer by the abolition of
these laws will be England. They tell US
that the manufacturers are robber barons,
and that the tariff which protects them and
those who work for them Is robber tariff.
Well what of it? II workingmen will not
organize, as the window glass trade and rail-
employers in protecting their trades and call
ings, they have themselves to blame for not
Se gct a taf f a eoTb " ef
tural product was imported to this country in
one year, and that is was bought and con-
sumed by Americans, proves most conclu-.
sively that to that extent at least, the ag-
riculturists OF this country were the losers,
and had they been protected in their industry
by judicious tariff law the consumers of
the land would have bought that product
of their hands instead of that which came
from foreign lands and that vast sum Of
money would be circulating among the peo-
pie of the United States, paying taxes and
debts in the United Stats instead of enrich
ing the producers of foreign landslide rob
Der barons" of Europe. The farmer is told
that the cause. of his ills is because he has
not been blessed with free silver. But who
ever tells him that deceives him to his in
jury. Those who advocate free silver tell
the farmer that "the crime Of 1873" is re-
sponsible for the Ills he. bears. Since 1873
farming has undergone a radical almost
total change, and causes other than the de-
monetization of silver have combined to
cheaper his product.
Mr.. Powderly then compared the work pos
sible to be done with modern agricultural i'm
plements with that under the old methods,
and said
Is 1t any wonder, then. that the prices of
wheat corn and other grains have fallen
and does it not seem plainsto the observing
man that the agencies which / have pointed
out have been far more potent In ieveling
prices than the demonetization of silver?
The farmer needs marked. and he should
have market in which 30 sell at a fair
reasonable price Unfortunately, he has been
saught that he should buy In a cheap mar
ket and sell in q dear one. but II he wishes
for high prices for himself he should interest
himself in obtaining high prices for others.
Mr. Powderly then told Of how improved
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