Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1896-08-24

Iaborers.
IF then Mr.. Bryan can show me that
by the enforcement of any portion of
his programme wages will be increas-
ed in this country [ will support him,
but I would regard his administration
of the Presidency as the kindling of a
great light before the footsteps of
man, showing him a broad pathway
to endless happiness and measureless
prosperity, But, in searching through
the speech, in reading through the
whole reams of Populistic literature
with which this country has been
flooded for four years, I have never
yet found one syllable which showed
me how Populist expected to in
crease the rate Of wages.
No man can tell how or where or
when the wages of the workingmen
are to be increased; but any one who
examines the scheme can see that the
inevitable tendency, the inevitable
consequence Of debasement in the
STANDARD of value must be areduction
in the rate Of wages-and that is the
conspiracy in which the Populist is
engaged.
Now. Mr.. Bryan tells us that he
wants to cheaper the dollar; that he
wants to increase the volume of
money. I do not believe that any
man who ever lived could quite un-
derstand Populist's notion of what
money is-further that he is not very
particular about the means by which
he can get his hands on it.
Nothing is more common in Popu-
list oratory than the statement that
the volume of money must be increas-
ed for the benefit of the people
which means that part of the people
that runs and manages and addresses
Pop ulist meetings.
Now my friends, I will ask you TO
indulge me for moment while [
state to you here the only conception
that an honest man can form of
money, in order that in discussing
this thing hereafter we, will be able
to understand the economic express
sions which the Populist uses for the
delusion of man and for the confusion
Of his judgment.
AS q matter of fact, and an increase
in the coinage is no proof of an in
crease in property, but may be a
strong proof of decrease in wealth.
If man doubts whether the money
in his pocket will be as valuable to-
morrow as it is to-day he will decline
to exchange his commodity against it,
and this Populist agitation threaten
ing the integrity Of money has been
the cause of the hard times through
which this country is passing and
from which it will not escape until
the heel Of popular condemnation is
placed upon the Populist agitation
which undermines the foundations of
credit.
The basis of sound trade is sound |
money. Money which is intrinsicalIy
valuable, money which, like the gold |
coinage of this country, the Govern
ment cannot affect if it try to. I can
take a tend dollar gold piece and I can
defy all the power of the governments
of this earth to take five cents of |
value from it,
Having earned it by the sweat of /
my brow; I can go to the uttermost I
ends of this earth, and wherever I |
present it it's value will be unques-
toned and unchallenged. That gold
dollar, this meeting the Democratic
party, the honest masses of this coun-
try, without distinction of party pro-
visions, demand shall be paid to the
laborer when he earns it and that no
power on earth shall cheat him of the
sweat of his brow.
Now let us see how Mr.. Bryan pro-
poses to deal with this question. I
have looked through his speech to
find out just what he thinks he is GO
ing to do for the laboring man, and I
find that he dismisses him with very
few and some very unsatisfactory
phrases. But i is perfectly clear that
the purpose of the Populist is to put
up the prices of certain commodities.
Mr.. Bryan's language is that he is
going to improve the conditions of the
people of this country; not all of them
but of the greatest number.
If he is going to work any change
in the conditions of men he must in
crease the material possessions of
some part of the community. Now,
if he got possession of the Govern
ment to- morrow, he could not create
one single thing of value by any ex-
ercise of governmental power in the
world. No; it requires the labor of