The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1896-09-24

OF ns who speak for the 'aborers. those OF
US who insist that the highest interests OF
the country are deeply concerned in main
tanning the rate of wages paid TO labor,
say that because we profess any
special affection for the man who tolls with
his hands. We make that statement be-
cause II contains IA great political proof and
because we ourselves, every one of US,
whatever may be our calling, are deeply
interested In Il general prosperity In which
we share whenever 1t exists. Now pros
perity cannot exist except when labor IL
active; prosperity cannot exist except
when wages are high. No man can main
tain wages at u high rate by any
Act of Philanthropy;
no government can fix the rate which Is
paid To toll. That depends on the amount
of production. If you make five tables a
day and you get a fixed rate OF compensa-
ton, If you cah double the number OF
tables don't you get twice as much com
pcnSltionI Your wages Will be twice as
high and at the same time you create twice
as large a demand for the materials out of
which that table is made. And what Is
true of tables Is true Of chairs; it is true
of farmers; ii is true Of every department
Of industry with which this whole indus
trial world is provided, and 1t Is because Of
that that ! declare the prosperity of the
laborer Is the highest aim OF statesman
ship and the chief purpose that the legis-
lator should always keep before his eyes.
Now when ] speak of labor i do not speak
of any particular department Of labor-I
speak OF labor in all its forms, l speak OF
agricultural labor as well as i speak Of the
labor of the great industrial work shops in
Minneapolis and the other great cities Of
the Union. There can be no prosperity In
one department OF industry II prospect
ty be not general. Wages never remain
high In one calling fo- any particular length
Of tin,n tnlnSa tlnv nra high in pyarV call
ing. Wages always seek a level. so that
when / declare that high wages Is a sign OF
general prosperity, ! speak OF wages In
every department Of industry, which Is but
another expression showing that l speak or
a general productions; a general abundance
Of the products of human labor, for album
dance means prosperity, and there can be
no prosperity in which all citizens must not
of necessity share. Mr.. Bryan In a great
many Of his speeches declared that the leg
~islation of this country has been In the IN
tereSts of the money classes and against
the laborers. Well, my friends. l deny that
that statement can possibly be true, be-
cause according to my conception the
monied classes of this country consist OF
every man included in its citizenship that
Is not an inmate of an almshouse. Every
man who works and has one dollar In his
pocket Is a member Of the mOnied class;
i: he has a small deposit in the savings
Dduh, IL III III al. upon ''S
life or any insurance against accidentally
the clothes on his back represent money.
and thank God, the men who are not mem
bers of the monied class In this country
are so few that it is scarcely worth while
to consider the exception to the general run
Of our citizenship. (Applause.) Now what
Is in the interest of the money class must
be in the interest Of the laborer, because
the laborer Is always "A member OF the
money class. He always has one days
wages coming TO him; he Is always a capi-
talist TO that extent. and since he Is always
a capitalist to some eXtent-and here ! am
taking the case of the labOrer who is in
the EXTREMIST condition of poverty, the man
who has no property, except the one days
work which he has earned, one days wages
which he has earned for one days work
that man and all other laborers are not
only members Of the money class, but they
are the creators Of the money power, they
are the money power, they are the archi-
tects Of the country's prosperity, and legis-
iation In behalf Of the monied class Is neces-
sarily legislation for the protection Of labor
In Its active moments. (Applause.) Now !
do not think II Is necessary for me to
elaborate the question which / have often
put to Mr.. Bryan as to the method In which
his scheme Is going to raise the rate or
wages. Nothing that l could say Is as elo-
quent as his silence on the subject. He tells
the farmer that he will raise the price Of
his commodities and leaves it to be under
stood that the price of other commodities
will not be raised in proportion.
Well, now, my friends, l have cautioned
you against the danger Of allowing the
Populist to get away with one or two vague
expressions. IL you allow him to confound
two expressions out of that one false prem
ise he will weave enough mystifying and
confusing questions to dazzle the intellect
of the most robust man in the world. ZAP
plause.) There is nothing that a Populist
Is so apt TO confuse a man about as by con-
founding the two expressions OF value ana
price. Let him once get away with the con-
fusion of those two terms and you can
never stop him. When. therefore, he says
to the farmer, The debasement of the coil-
age or remonetiZation OF silver or the
change OF standards will increase your
prices he tells the truth. When he goes
on In the next moment and speaks or nav
ing increased the value of the product. that
Is not true. But | do not think he knows
the difference between the terms himself.
Uaughter.) So 1t is about the remonetiza-
ton Of silver. You never hear this Ques-
ton OF the reconciliation or silver being
discussed as being a conspiracy to apply a
new standard to debts already contracted.
II you listen to Mr.. Bryan's speeches and
read the Populist newspapers you VIII be-
lievr that all that is contemplated Is a
change in the standard. that Is TO say. the
rcmonetization Of silver. | am one Of those
who believe that any metal is good enough
for a standard Of value.
All that is necessary for n standard Is
that you take some one metal, some one
commodity by which you can measure the
value of all other commodities. Silver Is as
good as gold for that purpose, so far rs do
nestle transactions ate concerned. When
we speak of a standard of value or a stand
ard Of height or measure, we necessarily
speak of n unit. We must speak of one.
There cannot be two. You can no more
have a double STANDARD than you can have
q double single. Tha very essence OF a
standard is a comparison of all things with
some one thing. 1t does not affect the value
Of the metal or the value of a commodity
to measure other commodities by 1t; that Is
to say. 10 compare the value of other com