Rock Island Argus., 1897-12-30
e0nPERs IS PROMPT
With HE Reply 10 Gags invita-.
tion 10 Q Controversy Over
The escFstaFy's Plan.
oPE1B Up VIII A DpoLAnHR

No Rsaeesisa - shs seereeazyS lrotives %
Abslisy b ne Heass.ssea Resolvss-A
CeapliDsat AAAsa-Reassas Ssr Oppssi.
tSsa - tAe HInaneaal Plaa essssA a
lsagth-0esd Standard nsaasesssd To h
snssbss-Argunsas Asaisss DaaAs.
Warrington. Dec. so.-Samuel Com.
pers. president Of the American Federa-
tion Of Labor. has replied In an open
letter to Secretary Cages recent letter
taking exceptions to the resolutions
passed BY the federation with reference
to the Gage financial bill. Gompers says
In part: You take exception both to
the position which our organisation
has taken upon your bill. a. well a.
the language employed. I sub
init that you will seek in vain for a
single denunciatory word, either in re-
gard to your motives, your plan, or
your bill. . Those resolutions de.
clare against your plan for more thor
ouehly committing our country to the
gold standard. plan for destroying
our greenback currency and substitute
ing bank notes: a plan in fact for
weakening the control Of the national
government over that most important
OF all measures. the measure Of values.
and strengthening the banks: q plan
aiming at what you call currency re-
form and which We call bank monopo-
ly OF all men in public life
we have the greatest respect for your
probity and integrity.
Evils He Finds In the Gold Standard
You ask what evils have resulted
fCom our adherence to the gold stand.
ard. answer that the evils are those
that have grown and ever must grow
from q dishonest measure Of values, q
measure OF values that interferes with
the Just distribution OF wealth, that
deprtves some men Of q part Of their
earnings that Is rightly theirs and con-
fers II upon others who have earned
IL not. Any measure Of values that
thus forces an unjust distribution of
the products OF labor. that deprives
the producers Of the fruits Of their toll,
cuts down wages and profits, thereby
destroys the incentive to enterprise,
leads TO Industrial stagnation. enforced
sesShtSsr osSpCSS, ouu puUiIC
The products Of labor are divided into
three general shares. One share goes
as interest and rents to the money
lender and landlord. to capitalists who
do not productivity use their own cap
ital. who seek to avoid the risks Of
production. A second share goes az
profits to employers: third share goes
a. wages to waRe-earners.
Labor Leader Argues His Casa
The interest charges and rents are
to q great degree fixed. and profits and
wages are subject to great Quotations.
This being no II Is clear that anything
that reduces the total money value OF
the products of labor must increase
the share Of the money lender and
creditor. though nominally fixed. aud de-
crease the share to be divided among
employers and wage-earners. II ID
equally clear that 70 increase the value
of money must decrease the value Of
the products Of labor and therefore en-.
rich the creditor at the expense Of the
debtor. Now, II our adherence to the
sold standard hascaused money to grow
dearer you must admit that the gold
standard has done injury to our people.
brought distress TO wage-earners and
employers. and discouraged enterprise.