'Cbc Conservative *
The companies that moved out continue ,
however , to sell goods in this state , as
they are protected in inter-state com
merce by the constitution of the United
States. The Diamond Match company
of this city , affiliated with the
Diamond Match company , limited ,
of Liverpool , is now making ar
rangements to move its head
quarters to New York city , where it
will be safe from legal assaults. The
Associated Press , an organization which
controls the news gathering for all
American newspapers , has been forced
to move headquarters from Chicago to
New York as , according to the statutes
of Illinois , it is an illegal trust. The
result is that Chicago is no longer the
news centre of the United States. "
A STKIKK TO LOWER WAGES.
The consequences of Bryan's election
and of the change he threatens to make
in the standard of values may be con
jectured by our past experience. Want
of confidence followed the passage of
the Legal Tender act , and caused wide
spread stagnation in enterprises which
depended on our home market. As
happened then , many establishments
would close now , others would curtail
their production and a large number of
men would be thrown out of employ
ment.
That congress would , if it could , pass
before March a law by which the gold
standard might become more firmly es
tablished is , on account of the moral in
fluence which Bryan's election would
have , impossible. He is committed to
payment in silver of the government
obligations which he is allowed to re
deem in coin. Their value would de
preciate and gold relatively appreciate ,
but it would be used more generally as
a medium of exchange than it was at
the time of our civil war.
On June 17 , 1864 , congress passed an
act by which sales of gold were prohib
ited. The gold exchange was temporar
ily closed , but the premium on gold
rose steadily and public opinion forced a
repeal of that law on the 2nd of July
following.
Apostles of silver are not powerful
enough to attempt the repetition of such
a folly ; nor , if they were inclined , to
suppress the free use of gold as currency.
It would form a basis of all transac
tions which bankers , merchants and
manufacturers have with foreign conn-
tries , and would be used by everybody
else who has anything to lose and who
wants to know the exact value of what
he has got. As the banks would be ob
liged to keep accounts payable in gold
for all these persons , who comprise the
wealthy and those of moderate means
they might suffer inconvenience anc
some losses. But their injuries would
be trivial when compared with the hard
ship of all mtn who toil for wages and
who would be compelled to accept de-
> reoiated silver currency for their com-
> ensation. Mr. Bryan tries to make
ihem believe that this money would be
come abundant , and they -would get
more of it , but he fails to tell them that
it would buy considerably less of every
thing they need. Flour , which brings
4.50 in England , would cost $9 in silver
when used for home-made bread. For
eigners could buy for $9 a ton iron
which cost $18 when turned into Amer
ican plow-shares. After we suspended
specie payments , prices of commodities
rose in proportion to the premium on
gold. But men found it difficult to ob
tain employment , so that even the nom
inal wages , consisting of greenbacks ,
instead of increasing , at first declined.
The remuneration of hired persons
never rose in proportion to the deprecia
tion of the irredeemable paper currency
they were paid in , certainly not until
confidence was fully re-established.
When , in 1864 , gold rose to a premium
of 275 and legal tenders were barely
worth 87 cents , the laborer who receiv
ed $4.00 a day could not indulge in the
luxuries which' $2.50 in gold procured
for him before the war.
Workmen would experience the same
hardships now which they had to suL.v
then. Values have never been created
by the dictation of any human force.
Bryan is too intelligent not to know
that the laws of trade are unchangeable.
The efforts he makes to pursuade his
followers that he could increase the
prosperity if they were to clothe him
with authority looks like the strike of a
designing demagogue who burns with
a desire to assume the reins of power
without regarding the results which
would inevitably follow.
LOUIS WlNDMULLER.
WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH CROKER ?
One of the most amazing features of
the present campaign is the failure of
the democratic managers , including Mr.
Bryan himself and Chairman Jones , to
realize the deadly and deadening effect
of Richard Oroker's prominence upon
their candidate's prospects. They do
not seem to understand that in the minds
of honest citizens in every section of the
republic the name of Oroker suggests
everything that is vicious , seamy and
shameless in politics. Pitch is not
blacker or more defiling in its character
and effect than is the name of Croker
and everything connected with it.
In any gathering of citizens of differ
ent shades of political faith let some
enthusiastic republican ask , "What's
the matter with MoKinley ? " Immedi
ately comes the response , "He's all
right ! "
In the same gathering lot an equally
enthusiastic democrat ask , "What's the
matter with Bryan ? " and just as
promptly comes the reply , "He's ol
right ! "
But let some satirical citizen demand
'What's the matter with Oroker ? " and
; he hisses that greet the name are
drowned in the shout , "He's a thief , " as
was the case under the window from
which Oroker himself was watching a
parade in New York City.
This universal detestation of Croker
throughout the Union accounts for the
amazement that has followed Bryan's
declaration , "Great is Tammany , and
Richard Oroker is its prophet 1"
No man who worships at Tammany's
shrine and bows in submission to its
prophet can ever be president of the
United States. Chicago Times-Herald.
The peerless exponent
THE "SACRED"
CONDITION. ponent of calamity
notified the con
vention of kindred spirits which met
at Kansas City on July 4 , that he would
accept their nomination for the presi
dency only upon the condition that the
following resolution be adopted :
"We reaffirm and endorse the prin
ciples of the national democratic plat
form adopted at Chicago in 1896 , and
we reiterate the demand of that plat
form for an American financial system ,
made by the American people for them
selves , which shall restore and maintain
a bimetallic level , and as part of such
system the immediate restoration of the
free and unlimited coinage-of silver and
gold at the present legal ratio of 16 to 1 ,
without waiting for the aid or consent
of any other nation. "
He did not say that he would decline
to be the nominee if the convention
failed to declare against imperialism. He
did not affirm that he would refuse to
go through the formality of running for
the presidency if the platform was silent
upon the subject of "militarism. " He
did not insist upon a declaration against
"government by injunction. " But he
did declare and affirm that he would not
accept a nomination if the convention
failed to adopt the plank in favor of the
free and unlimited coinage of silver at
the ratio of 16 to 1. Bryan stands con
victed therefore of placing the question
of "human rights , " the "declaration of
independence , " and the "constitution of
the United States" subordinate to
"money , " and confesses to "placing the
dollar above the man. "
A fusion orator
AMERICAN
MANHOOD. says the voter
should ask himself
this question : "Which do I value the
more highly , the gold standard in money
or the American standard in manhood ? "
The conscientious citizen will not
hesitate to choose the gold standard in
money in preference to the brand of
"American manhood" put up and ex
clusively handled by William J. Oroker
and Richard Bryan. A majority of the
voters of this country favor the world's
best standard in both manhood and
money and will therefore oppose adopt
ing the Oroker standard of manhood and
the Bryan standard of money as the
ideal for the American people.
