The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-10-29
Wall Streets Hard Times, Good Times Game

well starve the people into submission to
our autocratc rule" declare the modern robber
barons of the river Rhine, the eastern money
lords. THE laborer shall go without work and
the farmer shall receive lower and lower prices
for his products until both shall agree out of their
privations to reinstate our favorite agents, the
Republican bosses, again to control of the gov
eminent
That, in substance, is the reason behind the
fact that so many of you men are out OF jobs
now and more of you facing a similar con-
dtion before the winter is over. That is why
you farmers have seen this sudden fall in the
price of your products just before election. That
is why you many real estate owners of Richmond
are finding rents increasingly difficult to collect
and your vacant buildings harder to rent. That
is why you manufacturers, merchants, small
store keepers and professional men face to
face with sudden and pnching contraction in
your various businesses and vocations.
You are being starved or threatened with
starvation to make you stop your righteous en-
deavor to regain control of the government that
was filched away from you and used for years for
their personal enrichment by Wall streets mon
ey lords
You ask how it is done?
Wall streets money barons control the rail-
roads of the entire nation They control the great
basic industries of the country, the so-called
trusts At their orders the railroads cease buying
materials for requirements and extensions. This
results in curtang the volume of business of
such of their industries as the steel trust, etc.
The latter lays off men and the railways, with
less work than usual to accomplish, do SO too.
Underconsumption, in other words, is started
it's vicious circle of all the industry of the
country. With the purchasing power of labor
thus curtailed there is not as good market for
the farmers products and they must perforce
accept lower prices.
You say that would absolve the Democratic
party from any responsibility for business de-
pressions?
Not so. The Democratic party belongs to Wall
street just much as does the Republican party
1t is the money lords hard times party. The Re.
publican party is their good times party. Under
it's control of government there is always more
work for it is giving Wall street what the deni
sons of that strange thoroughfare want. Con
sequently, while there is more work, the purchas
ing power Of the ordinary citizen is constantly
shrinking as prices go higher and higher in the
difficult attempt to appease the voracious appe
ttes of the money lords.
There comes time when the people tire Of
this constantly increasing drain and listening tt
the claims of Democratic leaders that the
troubles are all due to high tariff begin t,
trend towards that party. When the none.
lords notice this they shout with merriment an
calling in their Sullivan, Taggart, Murphy Dem
ocratic bosses say, Boys, get everything read.
for the big change. The people are going t.
switch to your party this fall and we want then
to get their TUNES full to overlooking befor
they kick you out again."
So the people duly elect the Democratic part
to power and a low tariff is passed with gust
and acclaim. And then begins strange and un
looked for happening. Work gets scarce an
while the cost of living starts downward slowly
so much more slowly than it went up, the aver
age citizen finds that the increased purchasin
power of his dollar does not begin to compen