Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-01-04
DEMOCRATIC LEAGUE.
cslspra.ian or,h. rh'rd Anniversary of III.

King streets. About 800 people were
present during the evening. Speech.
making was the chief feature Of the
festivities, and, as the organization Is
an ardent supporter OF the Chicago
platform, the addresses were made
chiefly by people who advocate the free
silver theory The various rooms in the
building we're appropriately decorated.
The speechniaking took place in the
meeting room on the third floor Of the
building.
Simon P. Doherty, vice president Of
the league, presided. On the platform
with him were Acknowledgement Gar
rett j. Hart, former Congressman L..
Irving Handy, John s. Rossell, John
g. Gray, William Berry Of Chester, Pa. !,
Howell s. England, John p, 10, Milk
Inspector MoEvilly, Martin E. Smith,
Hon. Dayid T. Marvel, President of
Council Alexander and several others.
Instrumental MUSIC was furnished by
al. orchestra and John McAveny sang.
MI. Dohorty opened the meeting by
giving brief historical sketch of the
organization. He said during the cam
paign Of 1896 q handful OF men met in
au Office at Third and Orange streets
and formed Bryan and Sewell club.
Afterward they moved to Third and
King streets. The organization cen
tinued to grow and it moved from Third
and King to the Middleton Building,
thence TO Fourth and Shipley streets,
where it remained until it moved to
the present quarters, at the northwest
corner of Fourth and King streets. 1--WE
feel proud Of the record We have
made,G he said, Sin advocating the
principles we believe to be. right"
After stating that the membership had
grown to ahout 800 he welcomed the
guests and introduced Mr.. Berry as the
first speaker.
Mr.. Berry said the idea that the
money question is dead is incorrect. 1t
is the ,iveliest corpse we have ever had
to deal with. he said. We arc here to
speak OF % resurrection. There has
been a confused use of the word
value y II has been used loosely.
with various meanings He imp essed
upon lis hearers the fact that when he
used the wo d he meant the commercial
relation Of one thing to another. The
origin Ct value, be said, arises
solely from the contention of comm r.
cial interests, from the law of suppy
and demand There is no such thing
rs an intrinsic CONNIE .uial value
Value is not utility. The most useful
thing to us all is mir. 1t has no in.
trinsic qualities. but it is wonderfully
and infinitely useful. 1t is without
value,' though, ind cannot BIZ exchanged
for anything. Demand does moi create
value, as there is nh infinite demand
for air. Value appears when the supply
is limited. Tho same characteristics
inhere with respect to water. Or
dinarily II has no value. In some
places the supply Is limited, then there
arises a value. You will hear people
say We have got to have measure of
value. When We wish to compare
values we need o standard, a measure.
a measure OF value must possess a
value. A measure Of weight must
possess weight. Weight is due to the
opergtion-of the law of gravitation upon
a thing. To get honest weight the law
of gravitation must be allowed TO
operate freely. To have an honest
measure Of value it must have free
operation of the law of measure of
value.
Money is moi. an exception. 1t ex-
hibits its value and derives Its value
from the same laws that regulate values
in other things. The quantitiye law of
value is Just as forceftil upon money az
upon anything else. If money is to be
an honest measure of value it must be
free TIC the operation of the law Of
supply and demand. If we are to have
All honest dollar it must be as free and
open to the productive mears of the
people as anything else. We stand for
the money that is to be produced by
the labor Of the people. The Republi-
can party is advocating bank issue of
notes.
The speaker pointed out that the
value OF thing and the price might
be different. The dollar is creature
OF law and the register of debts, he
said. BY reason of that the price of
thing is its debt. paying power. The
Volume of debt in the world is frightful.
The debt of the people of the United
States aggregates $40. 600, 900, 600, Of
which we owe SIG, 600, 000. 900 abroad.
This debt means proportion of s., 600
for every man, woman and child in the
country, $50, 600 for every family, upon
which the interest is in the proportion
81 u, oO0 per year for each family. We
III have some Of it to pay. Some
directly, others indirectly. The leisnred
class do not want that debt paid. Their
occupation issto collect the interest,
clip the coupons, &C., and il the debt |
snouid all bo paid their occupation
would be gone.
they were thefre5ult of the scarcity of
money. Trusts and the scarcity of
money are identical, he said. The
10
situation. / am interested In a carnet
factory in PHILADELPHIA. We have been |
forced to get together and regulate the |
output. As result, we are running
10 Of the rs looms and some of the |
weavers are out of employment.
He also said the necessity for labor
unions was due to the scarcity of money
and the came cause had resulted in the |
department stores, which, he said. are |
b eezing out the small merchants. The |
trouble, hp said, is not oyerproduotjon.
IS has been stated, but oyeroon-
1t is reducing people to a |
ow level Of comfort. Abundant money |
means cheap money. am In favor Of |
cheap money, as dear money means |
cheap manufactured articles and cheap
abor.
!. Mr.. Berry said there was no DENYING
hat the business condition of the
country is tetter than it was IS months
ago. Ands he said, if it can be shown
hat the improvement was because of
The defeat Of Bryan and the inaugural
lion Of the protective policy, or any
eason but the increase OF the value Of
money, ! will shut my mouth. While
We have improved our condition, the
,auper laborer has improved his oopdi-
ion still more. They are buster abroad
han We are here There is S4(O O(,O u00