The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1896-09-18

"
swept the convention off its feet down
to that he delivered before the labor
organizations in this city last Monday,
and / confess that have shared the
mystification of the rest of his audi
tors, while unfortunately / have been
excluded from the enthusiasm which
the newspapers told us marked these
assemblages.
81 cannot discover of what he COM
plains unless it be that the crime of
1873, as he describes it, has worked mis-
chief irreparable to the people of this
country. When he visited New York
for his speech of acceptance. he placed
before the people of the country his
views in calm and deliberate language
as to the grievances under which they
were alleged to suffer and the remedies
which he prescribed for them.
Charges Bryan with Inconsistency.
"Then he told us, first, that he ia
vored the reconciliation Of silver,
which would bring the price Of that
metal up to $1.29 an ounce; then he
told us in the next breath that he be-
leved in the coinage of dollar which
was cheaper than that which now cir
culated, so that debtors could satisfy
the claims against them in coin OF
lower purchasing power.
81 took occasion in answering his
speech to PROFOUND to him question
Of the gravest moment, and have yet
to hear an answer to 1t. All through
his addresses he won't ever light upon
that subject, because it has been
pressed upon his attention, not only by
me, but by the newspapers OF this
whole country, and even the chairman
Of his committee in an interview die
tated in this town declared that the
one question which hurt Mr.. Bryan's
was a statement that a de-
basement of the coinage would neces-
sarily work reduction in the rate OF
wages paid the laborer.
Nov, Iexpected In the address which
he delivered to the labor organizations
here last Monday, that this question
would be treated as one Of the most
important arising out Of his canvass,
and I challenge any man-republican,
democrat or populist-to show me one
word in which he undertook an expla-
nation to the laboring masses Of this
as to the effect upon their con-
lition of the debasement Of the coinage
which he advocates.
"And, my friends, l tell you now that
will ha
never can. If Mr.. Bryan should claim
hat the coinage of a dollar of baser
than that which is now the
standard of value in this country would
,ring the standard of the silver dollar
o parity with gold, then there would
,e no sense whatever in his agitation;
I would mean nothing; we would all
,e just where we are tonight, and this
of the atmosphere by over
| hundred speeches delivered in differ
INT parts of the country would have
,een useless agitation Of air.
Wages Dependent on Production.
eff, on the other hand, he claimed it's
fleet would be to increase the price of
without increasing the
rice of labor in a corresponding de-
,ree, then, the purchasing price of
wages being decreased, reduction in
he compensation of the workingmen
would by that fact be accomplished.
hat would hardly be a profitable as
ertion to make before a Labor day
On the other hand, If
e claims that reduction in the value
{ the dollar would increase the rate of
,ages paid to labor in degree exceed
ng the increase in the price of COM
nodities, why then the farmer would
rant to know just where he came in in
hat scheme of benef1cence.
$50, there being just three different
ositions which Mr.. Bryan can take,
nd each one of them being uncomfort-
ble, he disposes of this entire question
y saying that the men who pro-
ounded it are agents of syndicates,
riends of trusts, and generally con-
,mptible characters. Now, that may
e an answer according to the light of
he populist. It never was an answer
hen democrats controlled their own
fairs But, my friends, If wages were
question of philanthropy, If wages
ere feature Of charity, then the
lotive Of the person who discussed
lem might have an important bearing
pom the whole character and language
the argument.
But wages, as l have explained in
1other place, are affixed by law just
!; immutable as the law which governs
lie progress of the seasons or the state
! the weather Wages depend upon
reduction and upon nothing else, and
declared at Madison Square, as I de-
are here tonight, that to me there is
, test of prosperity except the rate of
ages paid to labor, and that he who
IN increase that I would support, no
after by what political means.
az do not mean to be understood as
aking the demagogue's profession of
,ecial affection for the man who
ork with his hands. merely meant
en-, as l mean now, to say that since