Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1896-08-21

The basis Of sound trade is souud money
money which ie intrinsicaily valuable. money
which, like the gold coinage Of this country,
the government cannot Affect II II tried 70.
can take $40 Eoldpiece, and can defy all the
power OF OIL the governments Of this earth 20
take oents OF value from n. Having earned
u by the sweat Of my brow, having earned ~
by the exercise Of my brain, having earned 10
by the exchange Of my commodities, can go
10 the uttormost ends Of the earth, and wher
ever present Il is value will be unquestion-
ed and uHchallenged. That gold dollar this
meeting. the Democratic party, the honest
mas8es Of this country, without distinction OF
party divisions, denand shall be paid TO the
lnborer when he earns IL, and that no power
on earth shall cheat him Of the sweat Of his
brow.
Il Is perfectly clear that the purpose Of the
Populist a. 10 put up The prices Of certain
commodities Mr.. Bryan language Is that he
is going TO improve the condition Of the peo-
pic Of this country. do not suppose he claims
he can multiply the number Of chairs upon
this platform or upon this hooF, although he
has shown his capacity 10 empty them. II he
is going 10 work any change In the conditions
Of men, he must increase the material posses
sion Of some part OF the community. Now, n
he got possession Of the government tomor-
row, he could not create one single thing OF
vniue by any exercise Of governmental power
IN the world No power ever yet exercised by
tyrant or by constitutional monarch can cause
barren field 10 become fruitful, can cause
two blades Of grass TO grow where one grew
before, can bring together the stones that com
pose this building Hnd raise them into state
" tempie dedicated 20 political discussion.
No. u requires the labor Of man and the inbcr
of man alone 70 create wealth,
ssseEnmsnts aCaaaot fts Gsneroas.
II Mr.. Bryan Is going TO enrich somebody,
the thing which he means b bestow on him be
must take from somebody else. Who is 70 be
despoiled, and who is 70 be enriched by the ex-
eFcise Of this new schemeo Of Rovernmentf Bov-
ernment mover can be generous, because II II
be generous TO one II must be oppressive 10
another. But his financial scheme contom-
plates an increase in the price Of osrtain com
modities, We are coming NOW prstty close 70
She woodpile behind which the African is con.
ceaied. Now, II everything in this world or In
this country, including labor, be increased IN
value tomorrow In like proportion, not one Of
as would be affected at all. II everything be
Increased 10 per cent In value, we would pay
10 per cent In addition for what we would buy
and get 10 per cent more for what we would
sell, and we would be exactly IN the same
place we occupied before. Therefore IL is fair
70 assume that Is not the lame and impotent
conclusion which this Populist revolution con-
templates What. then, is itf IL Is On Increase
In the price OF commodities and allowing labor
70 shift for itself. II the price Of commodities
be increased and the price of labor be left sta.
the rate OF wages. II instead Of a dollar which
consists Of q given quantity Of gold equal &c
100 cents anywhere In the world, with the puT-
chasing power of 100 cents, the laborer Is 10
be paid In dollars worth 80 cents each, why.
he can cnIy buy half IS much with days
Wage Gamers, Mr.. Bryan says know that
while a gold standard raises the purchasing
power Of the dollar it also makes IL more diff
cult TO obtain possession Of that dollar. They
know that employment Is less permanent. loss
Of work more probable and unemployment
less certain. n that means anything. It means
that a cheap dollar would give him more EN-
pioymeDt, more frequent employment, more
work and a chance 20 get unemployment after
he was discharged. If that means anything. II
means that II Bhe laborer IL willing to have
his wages cut down he will get more work.
But q diminution in the rate Of wages does
not increase the scope Of employment. The
more abundant the product the higher the
wages. There cannot be an abundant product
unless labor Is extensively employed Mr.. Bry-
an would have you believe that prosperity Is
advanced by cheapening the rate Of wages, but
the fall In the rate OF wages always comes
from a narrow production, and narrow pro
duction means there Is little demand for labor
in the market. When, after the panic of 1873.
the price OF labor fell to 90 cents day, 1t was
harder 10 obtain labor than when the rate of
labor was 81, and the difference between the
Populist who seeks TO cut down the rate OF
wages and the Democrat who seeks to protect
II is that the Democrat believes that high
wages and prosperity are synonymous, and
the Popuiist wants to cut the rate Of wages in
order that he may tempt the farmer to make
war upon his own workingmen.
Says He Is After the Creditor.
Mr.. Bryan leads the van in saying that IL 81
the creditor he is after. In order that you
should understand Just how q change in the
standard Of value enables men TO cheat their
creditors you have to consider the function
which money plays in measuring debts, II
had paid $40 for ten yards ~ cloth 10 be de.
livered TO me next week and in the Interim
the government should pass law declaring
| that hereafter the yard measure should CON
aist OF Is inches and that all existing contracts
| should bo settled in that system Of measure,
| would be cheated ont OF half tho cloth for
which had paid. II, on the other hand ]
owed cloth merchant for ten yards Of cloth,
which he had delivered 10 me and which was
payable next week, and IN the meantime the
| government should change the standard Of
| value and cut down the unit Of coinage one
half. then would settle that debt with So and
the cloth merchant would have been cheated.
Now. the Populist loves TO say that the cred
farmer. The creditors Of this country are not
the bankers; they not the 80 called capital
lists; they are the laborers, and 10 Is at The ex-
pense Of labor that this charge 10 made. The
laborer Is always creditor for at least one
days work. When any man can show me la
borer who has been paid In advance for a
days work, viii show him a laborer who is
debtor. The laborer. by the very law OF his
being, must be q creditor for at least one day q
work and IL generally q creditor for week 4
work or two weeks work. Every great indus
trial enterprise has for its chief creditors lie
own laboreFs. The heaviest account IN every
| department of industry. whatever II may be, Il
i always the WaQea account
Tho pretense that the farmer Of Nebraska ID
suffering under the weight of q mortgage oon-
tfactea under q metal which has steadily In
creased in valus is but Popuiist metaphor.
! Two-thirds Of the farmers have no mortgage
debts whatever do NOT believe there Is per
cent Of them that owe q mortgage over thres
years old, during which time there has been
no change In the value Of the metal This pro,
posni Of the Populists Is an intent 20 enlist thu
farmer In a conspiracy % Feauce the wages
/ paid 70 labor, that he may have larger pro
portion Of his own produots. and they ars
willing 70 cut down the wages Of every man
who works IN cities. who tolls at the bench,
who digs IN the mines. who manages the train,
IN tho hope that they can ride into power on !
wave Of orpidity and greed awaksned in the
breast Of the voter, But. my friends it Is q
/ triumphpnt vindicatiou of American citizen
ship that this attempt to enlist the farming
and agricultural members Of this community
into this conspiracy has failed missrAbly, ut
/ tefly. Absolutely. HNh
Men Of New York tollers Of America, guard.
tans Of your own homes. wiil you allow your
rate OF wages 70 be affected by any man who
never has paid wages ct all II be could get out
Of itP VIII you submit 20 this conspiracy be-
| tween the professional farmers. the farmsEl
who oultiyaes tAe quarrels Of thair nsiehhors,
farmers who labor with their jaws. Populist
agitators Of ths Weat and thu unrOooncllod
slaveholders Of the southY This is 3 conspiracy
] batWoon Professional farmers who want 10
/ pEy low wages and the unreconcilsd slavahold-
| en- who vyodld ike 10 nav no vacea