Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-19
- -. = = " Sc 49,.
source or however poWerflA might bs the
antagonizing elementsss T - -.

antagonizing elements.s T -. -
The Supreme Court.
The very existence Of: that power presup-
poses the existence of sn Independent trlba-
nal, yet we have this popalist convention,
because populist measure? was condemned
as unconstitutional lfipronosins not to
amend the Constitution IN the ordinary
way prescribed by thst Instrument itself,
but proposing to pack the court so, that it
tional which the Constitution itself con-
demns-a proposal to- make the courts Of
law instruments of Iawlessaess; to violate
that sacred compact betwesn the states on
which the security Of, this nation rests: to
profane the temple erected for its protec-
ton by the hands of false priests. who.
though sworn to defend It, will be appoint
ed to destroy 1t. 80 ~ -. :.
In the time to which must conflne my
self tonight 1 can do nothing but examine
that one question which Mr.. Bryan himself
declares to be the Tovershadowing issue Of
this campaign. l am q little puzzled when
l read this speech to decide Just what Mr.
Bryan himself imagines will be the fruit of
q change In the standard Of value through
out this country. do not believe that any
man can follow wholly with the speech.
because II he dissents from one set OF con-
clusions he has got to read but few para
graphs and he will find another If Mr.
Bryan could show me that by any means
known to heaven or on earth wages could
Oc luCFedSeO, Will De ready to
him, because know of no test of prosper
ity absolutely infallible except the rate of
wages paid to laborers. Z $50. -
When we come to find how Mr.. BRYAN
expects to increase the wages of labor we
find ourselves lost in a mass of contradic-
tons. 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 ten
dency, the inevitable consequence of a de-
basement in the standard of value, must
be a reduction in the rate Of wages-and
ina, that is the conspiracy in WHICH the popu
Now, Mr.. Bryan tells us that he wants to
cheaper the dollar; that he wants to IN
crease the volume Of money. 1 do not be-
Eeve that any man who ever lived could
quite understand a populists notion of
what money is further than that he be-
l:eVes 1t is a desirable thing TO get, and
that he is not very particular about the
means by which he can get his hands omit
Money and Property.
Nothing is more common than the mis-
take that money" and property are -iden-
teal. They are not There may be a very
large volume Of circulating medium and
very great poverty. The Issue of paper
money simply Is more an increase of
wealth than the issue by an Individual of
his promissory note would show an in
crease OF his property. AS matter of
fact, an increase in the coinage is no proof
a
strong proof of decrease in wealth. 1t
is not the volume of money, but the actiy-
ity Of money, that counts.
The bass of sound trade is sound money,
(applauSe): money which is intrinsicaily
valuable; in ofteSl Which, like tlAd goa coin
age ,ot Ihis country. the government cannot
affect If 1t tried to. T'can take a SO gold
piece and. can defy all the power Of alt
the governments of this earth to take
cents of value from it. Having earned 1t
by the sweat of my brow having earned
1t by the exercise Of my brain, having
earned 1t by the exchange of my commodi-
ties. can go to the uttermost ends of the
earth. and wherever l present it its value
viii be unquestioned and unchallenged.
That gord 'doflar rhis meeting the demo-
cratic party, the honest masses of this
country, without distinction of party d.
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. %.
1t is perfectly clear that the purpose of
the populis, is to put up the prices of GER
tain commodities. Mr.. BryanS language is
that he is going to improve the conditions
Of the people of this country. l do not
suppose he claims he can multiply the
number of chajCs upoR this platform Or up
on this floor. although he has shown his
capacity to erapty them. II he Is going to
work any change in the conditions of men
he must increase the material possession of
some part of the community: Now. IL he
got possession of the government tomorrow
he would rot create one single thing of
value by any exercise Of governmental
power in the world. No power ever yet
exercised by tyrant or by constitutional
monarch can cause barren field to be-
come. fruitful can cause two blades of
grass to grow where one grew before. can
bring together the stones that COMPOSE
this building and raise them into a stately
temple dedicated to political disc Hssier.
No. it requires the labor of man and the la
Dor of nan alone to create wealth. If Mr..
&c cynin tn lob ,aI. hot
thing which he means to bestow on him
he must t AXE from somebody else. Who is
to be despoiled and who is to be enriched
by the excl else of this new scheme of gov
eminent? ca cry of "Silver mine owners.')
My friend, the silver mine owners will get
chea ted with the rest. ---r tfsjl.r,-
Price OF Commodities.
A government never can be generous, be-
cause If it be generous to one It must be
oppressive to another. But his financial
scheme contemplates an Increase in the
price Of certain commodities. We are COM
ing now pretty close to the wood pile be-
hind which the African IS concealed. Now,
if everything in this world, or in this coun-
tor,orrd III IKE pfof ortion, nor one of us
would be 3ssssa At all IL I5y ery!hing be
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
actly in the same place we occupied be-
fore. Therefore, it is fair to assume that
is not thu lame and impotent conclusion
which this popullst revolution contem-
plates. What then, Is it? 1t is an increase
in the price of commodities and allowing
labor to shift for itself. If the price of
commodities be Increased and the price of
labor be left stationary, why, that means
cutting down Of the rates Of wages. If in
stead of a dollar, which consists Of given
quantity of gold equal to a hundred cents
anywhere in the world, with the purchas-
ing power Of hundred cents, the laborer
is to be paid in dollars worth fifty cents
each, he can only buy half as much with
days wages as he buys now.
Wage earners. Mr.. Bryan says, know
that while gold standard raises the pur-
chasing power of the dollar, 1t also makes
it more difficult to obtain possession of
that dollar. They know that employment
Is less permanent, loss of work more prob
able and employment less certain. If that
means anything 1t means that cheap dol
lar would give him more employment. more
frequent employment, more work and
chance to get unemployment after he was
discharged. If that means anything it
means that If the laborer is willing to have
his wages cut down he will get more work.
But a diminution in the rate Of wages does
not increase the scope of employment. The
more abundant the product the higher the
wages There cahnot be an abundant pro-
Har1f 11r, 1rI~@ loco