New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-09-13

audience knows. Is easily and readily accouhteh
for upon a moments reflection. The decrease
In the prices of commodities has been going on
ever since skill and genius and invention nave
been al work. and such cheapening process mas
been marked and conspicuous for third OF
century. aided by a protective tariff and the
rich rewards that prosperity has onered
Whatever agricultural products have fallen In
price 1t Is dscoverable that there has been an
increased production. and that the Increased
consumption has not kept pace with the In
creased production As great areas OF land have
been opened to the raising Of farm products.
the quantity Of such production has increased
and the demand not increasing in the same pro-
portion. prices have logically and inevitably
fallen.
THE KIND OF 10 TO 1 WANTED.
It does not require a great effort OF the mind
to comprehend that II you increase the guam
tty Of wheat in "a single year enormously, with
about the same number of consumers as before.
the prices will go down With a given number
of consumers and an increased rroducton' WIN
more competitors and no more consumers. the
cheaper will be the products. What increases
the price of any product is that many people
want IT. and only get 1t by paying better
price than some one else is willing to give. The
more people who want an article. the better
pric, IL will command The more people VINO
want your labor the better wages you viii re-
ceive (Applause) II there is one days labor
for sixteen workingmen you would not get az
good wages as though there were sixteen days
work for one workingman daughter and con-
tinued appausa) And that Is the sort or 10 10
] we want in the United States Applause)
THE changes in the price Of agricultural prod
ucts or any other commodities which nave peeh
cheapened in their production by improved ma
chnery and more competitive fields with greater
production does not prove that gold has ad-
yanced in value but simply that such products
have fallen in price. bushel OF wheat, even
az the present low price. will buy more Ameri-
can commodities than the same quantity would
have bought thirty or forty years ago An gen
tlemen are not the wages paid TO labor, ra'her
than the ever-changing market price OF COM
modties the best and most logical test Is no'
the labor Of man. rather than the thing which
his labor creates the real test? Have the wages
paid to labor since 1879. as measured 10y gold
decreased? (Applause) That is the crucial
question.
we resumed specie payments on a gold basis
January / 1873 Since that time wages and
salaries have not decaed. but have risen In
1880 the number Of employees in the manufact-
uring establishments Of the United States. men
and Youths was 9. 732 900. aggregating in wages
so47 $40 600 or an average Of S324 per capita
In 1890 ten years after resumption the NUMBER
Of wage earners was 4.I12,622. and their agsre-
gate earnings were 81 2S3 21S129 or S4ss per
capjta This showing would clearly indicate
that the gold basis has not injured labor
PROSPERITY UNDER REPUBLICAN RULE.
"uare was an increase from 1880 TO 1890 Of
nearly 30 per cent This increase in the wages of
labor Is further sustained by the report OF the
committee Of the United States Senate made by
Senators Of both political parties, which in lS92
investgat ed the subject of wages and prices. The
committee reported that in twentyone selected in
dustries wages were in money 40 per cent higher
in 1880 than in 1860, and 60 per cent higher IN
1890 than in 1860, and the prices OF staple articles
had fallen between 1850 and 1890 in some IN
stances one-third In other words, there never
had been a time in our history when work was so
abundant or when wages were so high. Whether
measured by the currency in when the! were
paid or BY their power to supply the necessdrles
and comforts of life (Applause)
That's what you left in 1897. Is there work
ingman in the United States who does not want
that condition back again? Continued appauseD
Since 1860 wages have advanced Use per cent
according TO the table of the Senate committee
The wages paid in 1880 were when we had the
free and unlimited coinage Of silver and thirteen
years before the suspension OF the free coinage d
silver. In 1890 according TO the census the occu-
bered IA 326 40 This great army. of which you
are a part constituting more than one-hftn OF
our population work for wages ana are paiu III
money measured by gold-that Is. when you haN /,
work daughter and applause)-or money as eoou
gold.
Won have had no other kind Of money since
1870. and the working people OF no othef C1un-
try OF the world have any better money. lheSe
are 'toiling Masses who were the most prosper :
Gus in 1892 of any working people In the Woilu
and more prosperous than they had ever been
no ohea a
from the introduction and application OF iapoi :
saving machinery. both on the farm and IN the
factory There is scarcely any branch oil pro
duction which does not turn out more cominodl-
ties per hour OF labor than in 49,"
ETERNAL LAW OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND.
1T would be just as reasonable and just as
conclusive to say that the suspension Of the free
coinage of silver in 1873 reduced the price or
steel rails from $40 per ton to 50 or $50 per
ton the price now prevailing. as to say that that
act reduced the price OF wheat. The price OF
wheat is fxed by the law of supply and demand,
which is eternal. Gold has not made long crops
or short crops. high prices or low prices; H1ld
has not opened up the wheat fields OF Russia,
India or the Argentine Republc' hoi VIII 'ee
silver destroy them. 49,
Gold has not kept up the freight rate Tor e me
agricultural producer. and the stoppase OF ire
| coinage in 49,, has not advanced H. In 1910 the
| AVERAGE freight rate on grain by lake and rail-
| from Chicago to New-York was 2o3 cents per
| bushel In 1895 Il was 60 cents per Dushel.
| our working people have bought the necessaries
| ana comforts Of lie cheaper for themselves ana
| families during all these years since 1850 anu
| down to 1899 they were getting better wages
| paid in gold for their labor than ever before
| I'm the United States everything has been
| cheapened but men. and as nearly as can as
certain IT, in free-silver countries, such a.
| Mexico Central America and South America
man alone has been cheapened everything he
| huys having been steadily increased with con
slant fluctuations by the STEADY decrease III .ne
| price of silver With the gold basis and the
| protective tariff from 1873 10 lS9' the work
| inenen Of this country were never before 50
| steadily employed they never before received
| such good wages; they never before were PAID
| I'm better money, and their wages never before
| bought as many Of the necessaries comforts
| and luxuries OF life. Applause and hurrahs for
| Mckinley