The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-08-16
THOUGHTS FOR woRKINeMEN.

THOUGHTS FOR wORKINGMEN.
workingmen sometimes ask why. IL free
silver IL to reduce their wages. so many
manufacturers who employ labor and who
would presumably benefit by Q reduction
Ia wages. are opposed 10 free silver. The
answer TO this Is that some manufacturers
are In favor OF free silver: but the more
astute among them realize thai they would
lose far more than they would gain In
additional profit by the utter wrecking of
national credit. Manufacturers have been
already crippled by depression IN business.
and they see that ruin stares them in the
face IL at such time the currency should
be contracted 10 the extent Of ssz5. 0,o. ooo~y
tho withdrawal OF that amount OF gold
from circulation. which would inevitably
follow free coinage.
It may be asked how We know that gold
viii be withdrawn-how anybody can tell.
It needs no oracle to answer the question.
Every man who has even 500 available
would hasten TO get that amount into his
possession while gold could be had. He
might De Q free siiverite, yet he would
say; 1T Ii true I believe in free silver.
but an not sure Of It: Il might turn out
all right. but on the other hand, 1t might
not: there Is no such doubt about gold. /
win make sure Of that"
Every deposftor In savings banks. fear
DEPRECATED silver. would take his money
out The banks. In order to pay him,
would be compelled to call In their loans.
and this would embarrass business men.
The people. as Carlisle says. who owe
debts and are unable to pay them would
be tho ones to suffer most. while the people
who owe no debts and have money on
hand would DO the ones to profit most
But again the workingman asks, how
is the calling in OF loans by banks going
furnish the means. TO q large extent. by
which labor Is employed. Suppose firm
OF contractors IS awarded a contract for
the construction of a building TO cost $780,
00o. II cannot be completed. and the con-
tractor get his money. for six months
lie borrows the money from the banks
and pays his labor every week or every
month. and repays the bank when the
work is finished and he gets his money.
There is hardly any large enterprise which
IL not carried out in this way. That money
IL 10 a great extent made Up OF the saw
fngs Of those who deposit their money in
the banks.
But there are some manufacturers who
favor the free coinage OF silver T1Ssy say
they want 10 push their products into all
the markets Of the world. and the only
thing which stands In their way Is the high
prise Of labor. They point 10 thu pros
perlty of manufacturers In Mexico and
China and Japan, and argue that there
Is no hope OF successful compe-
titlon on our part so long as wages
remain high while everything else has de-
ollned in price II Is not that one who
now receives s. day would only receive
S.: but that II would take two OF those
dollars to buy as much az # does today.
Sound money men say that would be the
result because silver Is worth only half
say II Is becaus. gold Is twice as dear as
II shoaiS be. and free coinage would re-
ducs Il one-half or course the conse-
quenc. Is the same; It does not matter
whether you have 20 pay 3 for what you
can now bay for one dollar. or only sc, half
az much fer 81 as you get now.
II we had no means OF aseertaining the
eGec; of free coinage, there might -
some excuse for workinSmsn being in
doubt as TO its effects. We have, how
ever. almost az cur doors startling Illus
sration OF the contrast between 6s-metsi-
llsn. which consists OF the circulation OF
sold and silver al parity as n this
country. ana free coinags Q; silver as In
Mexico.
A table has been recently compiled
showing TIE relative cost OF most articles
used By working men IN ,sese two eoun-
tries from which we make the following
sslsetteasi