Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1896-08-27

~ chr1?r- tAA 6ng.ar. THAR he ~anix ~
increase the volume Of money. I do not
quite understand a pep.list-s notion OF
what money Is. further than tha. he be-
iieves IL Is a desirable thing 70 get and
that he Is not very particular about the
means by which he can get his hands on
II. Nothing is more common than the mis-
a X thar money and property are identicai.
The Issue of paper money simply is no
more an increase Of wealth than the Issue
by an individual OF his promissory note
would show an Increase OF his property.
As a matter Of fact. an increase in the
coinage is no proof Of an increase In prop
erfy. b=t may be a strong proof OF a de-
crease In wealth. IL is not the volume OF
money. bur the activity OF money that
colnts.
The basis OF sound trade Is sound money
tappiause): money which is intrinsicaliy
valuable. money which like the gold coin
age OF this country the government cannot
affect IL IL tried 10. I can take a ten-dolIar
gold piece and | can defy all the power OF
az the governments Of this earth TO take
nve ceEts OF value from IL. Having earned
!, TX by the sweat of my brow. barring earned
X by the exercise OF my brain. having
earned IL BY the exchange of my commodi-
ties. ! eal go 10 the utfermost ends OF
the earth. and wherever I present Ii. Its
value will be
Unquestfoned and Unchallenged.
That gold dollar this meeting. the Dem
ocratic party. the honest masses OF this
country. without distinction of party divis-
ions, demand shall be paid 20 the iahorer
when he earns IL. and that no power on
earth shall cheat him of the sweat OF his
brow Ii IS perfectly clear that the pur-
pose Of the Populist is 10 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.
i do not suppose he claims he can multiply
the number OF chairs upon this platform
or upon this floor. although he has shown
his capacity 10 empty them. IL he is going
10 WORK any change in the conditions OF
men he must Increase the material pos
session of some part of the community.
Now, II he got possession of the govern
ment Tomorrow he would not create one
single thing Of value by any exercise OF
governmental power in the world. No
power ever yet exercised by tyranf or by
1 constitutional monarch can cause a barren
field 10 become fruitful. can cause two
blades OF grass 20 grow where one grew
before, can bring together the stones that
ompose this building and raise them into
a stated? temple dedicated 10 political dis
cusslOn. No, IL requires the labor Of man.
and the labor OF man alone 10 create
wealth. Ii Mr. Bryan is going 10 enrich
somebody. the thing which he means 10
bestow on him he must take from some
body else. Who is TO be despolled and who
] - ~ bf thE4E1fA Bs -Aur EArENl-r oi AEAs
new scheme OF government? "a cry OF .sil-
yer mine owners.'1
Ny friends, rhe silver mine owner viii
get cheated with the rest. A government
never can be generous. because II Ii be
I generous 10 one. IL mpst be oppressive Ia
another i'1t his faanrfai scheme cnntrui-
plates aa Increase in the price OF certain
/ commodities. We are coming nov pretty
| close 20 the wood pile behind which the
African Is concealed.
Now. III everything in this world or In
this country. including labor. be ncrea sed
In value tomorrow in like proportion. not
one OF us would be affected at all. III every
tking 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. Z is fair 10 assume
that is not the lame and impotent con-
clusion which this Populist revolution con-
templates. What, then. is In it, IL Is an
increase in the price Of commodities and
allowing labor 10 shift for Itself. IL the
price Of commodities be increased and the
price Of labor be left stationary. Why. that
means a cutting down Of the rates Of wages.
If, Instead Of a dollar which consists OK a
q given quantity Of gold equal TO a hundred
/ cents any where in the world. with the par-
chasing power OF a hundred cents, the
iab0rer il 10 be paid in dollars worth 80
cents each. why. he can only buy half as
much with a days wage as he buys low.
Wageearuers. M BRYAN says. know that
while a gold standard raises the purchas-
ing power OF the dollar. IL also makes IL
more difficult TO obtain possession Of that
dollar. They know THAI employment is less
permanent. loss Of work more probable
and unemployment less certain. IL that
means anything. IL means that
4 Cheap Dollar
would give him more employment. more
frequent employment, more work and .
4 chance To get unemployment after be was
discharged. IL that means anything il
means that If the lalsorer il willing TO have
HIS wages cut dowa he win get more work.
But a diriinuTIon IN the rate OF wages does
not Increase the scope OF employment. The
more abundant the product. the higher the
wages. Taere cannot be an abundant
product unless labor is extensively en-
ployed Mr.. Bryan wonld have ron believe
that prosperity is advanced by eheapenin;
the rate OF wages. but the fall in the rate
Of wages always comes from q narrow pro-
dnction. and narrow production means there
Is little demand for labor in the market
When. after the panlc OF 1872. the price OF
labor fell TO ninety cents a day. liz was
harder 10 obtain labor than when the rate
OF labor was So and the difference between
the Popu.ist who seeks to cut down the
rate Of wages and the Democrat who seeks
TO protect il. Is that the Democrats be-
lieve that high wages and prosperity are
4 ~ Ag-E @@N@NH F~AA N-E t-N10 " &&A ~ -
the rate OF wages in order that they may
tempt the farmer to make war upon his
own workinynen. Mr.. Bryan leads the van
In saying thar IL t. the creditor he Is after.
In order that yoB should understand just
how a change IN the standard OF value en-
ablss men 10 cheat their creditors. you have
TO consider the function which money plays
in measuring debts. IL i had paid SO for
ten yards of cloth 20 be delivered 70 me
next week. and In the interim the govern
men should pass a Law declaring that here
after the yard measure should consist OF
eighteen inches and that all existing con-
tracts should be settled In that system of
measure 7 would be cheated out OF half the
cloth for which | hsd paid. IL. an the other
hand, l owed a cloth merchan; for ten yards
Of cloth. which he had delivered 10 me.
and which zas payable next week. and ia
the meantime the government would change
the standard Of value and cut down the
unit Of coinage one-half. then I would settle
that debt In s. and the cloth merchant
would have been cheated. Now. the Pop
uAst loves 10 say thar the creditor Is a
person who Expresses the Western farmer.
The creditors of this country are not the
bankers: they are not the so-calied capital
lists; they are the iaborers, and IL Is at the
expense Of labor that this change Is made.
The lab0rer Is always a creditor for al least
one days work. When any nan can show