The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-09-07

We have right to insist upon both wisdom
and sincerity in the leaders Of any party who
appeal for popular confidence, Now, let us
II we can trust the wisdom Of our present op.
ponents, by comparing their prophecies in 1895
with the actual events since.
False Prophesy of 1896.
In 1896 Mr.. Bryan insisted that "Putocracy
was one side and Democracy on the other
speech Of Oct 1O and that il he was beaten
the wage.worker could not prosper" Well, as
a matter Of fact, the wage.worker during the
past four years has prospered as never before;
and the same is true Of all our citizens. on
Sept. 10 OF that year Mr.. Bryan said "T we
are defeated in this campaign there is nothing
before the people but four years more Of hard
times and greater agitation" That statement
carries with it its own reply Have the last
four years been easier harder than the three
years preceding! You know well enough that
they have been infinitely better; and it is the
Republican party which has restored prosperity,
Tor it has secured the conditions which give free
play to enterprise and thrift. Mr. Bryan con-
tinued in the same speech: "Do you think we
have drained the cup Of sorrows to its dregs?
No, my friends, you cannot set limit to the
present hard times. But, as a matter of fact
they did set a limit, for the limit was set as
soon as Mr.. Bryans defeat was secured; and the
limit would be instantly removed il he were
now elected. We would all return at into
the very condition from which the election OF
President Mckinley rescued us four years ago
In the same speech Mr. Bryan said: Business
men complain that business conditions are bad
warn them that these conditions cannot he i'm.
proved by following up the policies of the Re.
publican party" Well, let business answer
whether that warning has has not been justi.
fed. What do you think Of business conditions
now compared with four years ago7
Again on Sept o. Mr. Bryan said: "The Re.
publican party produces a policy that makes
hard times All those who love hard times ought
to vote for the Republican ticket and all those
who arc tired Of hard times have got TO vote the
| Democratic ticket il they would expect any re.
| lief" Now, as | have said before, what Mr..
| Bryan promises should be JUDGED by the way the
| past events have squared with his prophesy. The
| event showed that. voting for the Republican
| ticket put end to hard times. You need not
| take my word for this. You need only consider
| the condition Of yourself ,,and your neghbors
! now as compared with the time when we were
all paralyzcd by the threat of Mr.. Bryan's rene
| dies
| Two days afterwards Mr.. Bryan said: "Remem
| ber il you continue the present conditions you
| will have nobody to blame except yourselves for
| four years more Of hard times" and "if you
want this sort Of thing then prepare yourselves
| TO grin and bear it without complaining for
| four years more" On Oct 13 he said: ''The5e
are hard timos but they will be harder yet II
| the gold standard continues" and on Oct 20 he
! prophcscd: "Unti you have bimctallism mill
| hands will stand on the corner and wonder
| when the gold standard will bring them good
| times" Again, | have only got to ask you to
| compare actual condition now with what
| Mr., Bryan then said our condition would surely
be.
The "Robber" Dollar.
We have been hearing a good deal recently Of
NJ
the man before the dollar, and not the dollar
before the man." There are certain conditions
| to which such statement might apply; but it
| cannot possibly apply to the present conditions.
| As things are now, it can best be compared with
| Mr.. Bryan's other statement Of Sept. 10, 1896,
in which he denounced the gold standard as a
''robber" dollar. One statement just as
| much as the other and no more. Instead Of
| bothering about whether the man is ahead Of
the dollor or the dollar is ahead OF the man,
or whether the gold dollar is 'robber''-what.
| ever that might mean-or anything else pre-
| posterous let Ak attention on the fact
that the policy followed for the last three years
has resulted in bringing the man and the dol
lar together. That is what a man really wants
with dollar. He is not interested in any flight
Of fancy as to whether he is behind in front
OF the dollar. He wants to get hold OF it; and
when he has got hold Of it, he wants to find il
worth one hundred cents, and not forty.eight
cents. When man can get hold of a dollar. he
is its master; and when he cannot get hold Of it,
then lie cannot master it. At present we give
the wage-worker work and We provide that he
is paid full value for his work. That is the
only practical way to bring the man and the
dollar together on terms which will give the
man the advantage and the fact OF having ac
tually carried out the policy which secured this
of having done the deeds which produced thesC
conditions, is worth to the laboring man ter
thousand times more than all the fine phrases
that can ever be uttered to some wholly
imaginary precedence Of position between tn,
man and the dollar he earns.
| In his speeches Mr.. Bryan kept insisting upor
the alleged fact that money growing dearer
that under the gold standard it was bound Il
continue to grow scarcer. Well, as a matter o
fact, and thanks to our prosperity, there i
more money in circulation per capita in th'
United States today than ever before in tn
history of the country On July last the cir
culation per capita was S26jO an increase il
circulation of $40 for every man, woman ant
child in the country, as compared with what /
was on July l, 1896 So Mr.. Bryan's prophes,
has been as wide Of the mark in this instance
as in every other The present year is the frs
in which the two billion dollar mark in crcua
tion has ever been passed. In other words tn
increase of money in circulation has kept pac
with the expanding industries and commerce o
dominately due to the condition OF prosperit
produced by the gold standard; yet, Mr. Brya
, in his Minneapolis speech Of four years ago pre-
dcted that commerce would be at standstil
because gold would so out Of the country, an
that the issuing OF bonds would be necessar
to bring il back.
; Every single prediction he has made has bee
falsifed by the event On Oct. l3 he said
, | ''lhese are hard times. They will be harde
| times II the GOLD standard continues" On Sept
25 he said: III you ask how the gold standar
affects the farmer, we tell you that the gol
standard lowers the price Of products of hin
who sells without lowering his taxes or debt,
2, II you ask us how the gold standard affects tn
= laboring man, we reply that it destroys the OF
= portunity for labor, multiplies the number
> idle men and fills streets with those anXiou
/, for work who cannot find the opportunity TIL
, | gold standard by increasing idcness, bring
poverty to those who ought to have enough an
: to spare" On Oct. he said: "The gold stanC
I ard means a dearer dollar and falling prices, an
falling prices means hard times" On Oct 0 i
S said III we have gold standard, prices are
certain to fall as a stone which is thrown in ii
7 air." | do not have to comment on these PR
phesies Their ludicrous fllsity is patent to ever
; farmer, every business man, every wage-worker.
That Savings Bank Prediction.
= Sometimes Mr.. Bryan would so into more sp
l cifc prophecy. In his Madison Square GardC
[ speech he insisted that savings bank deposito
under the gold standard would he liable to lo
9 their deposits and it the gold standard col
: tinucd indefinitely, would have 10 withdraw the
deposits in order TO pay living expenses. Wei
y last year QS)9) there were in the United stat
5,6S7 900 savings bank dcpostors as against 5,Os5
= 900 in the year when Mr., Bryan spoke and Il
: amount of their deposits had increased by 1921
4 600 900 Evidently Mr.. Bryan did naI make