The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1878-02-05

Tuesday, Feb'ry 5. 1878.
A QUESTION OF ECONOMY.

The great number of white men IN
the State Of Pennsylvania, who are
either out Of employment or else work
ing for a daily pittance that barely
keeps soul and body together, are sub
ject for both pity and wonder. Their
condition is one which gives but little
hope for improvement, so long as they
remain where they are. They get a.
little food as will barely keep soul and
body together, and it is rare thing to
see fresh beef or mutton ei, their tables
more than twics week. As for cloth /
ing. they are hardly as well Creased as
the Indians who fish along our coast, |
and not near as we'll a. the Chinese Ia
Lorers who have worked upon our rail-
road. and in our salmon canneries.
II tbcsc men could be got out here
10 work upon III, railroad now IN pro-
cess Of construction hence 20 Walla
Walla. it would he great benefit to
them as well as TO the country. They
are mostly all men who have had con-
siderable experience in that class OF
work, and would make good and SER
yiceable hands along the line. Chinese
labor is good enough when there is
nothing but shovelling of loose earth to
be done; but when you come to handle
hard rock aud grub out heavy timber.
the heathen is failure. The character
Of the country through which the next
ninety miles of this road must necessa-
rily pass. is such that it demands none
but the best and most experienced
hands.
The wages OF dollar and half per
day above ground is better pay than
two dollars per day underground; and
with the prospect Ct steady work at
these wages the men would be glad to
come if they could only get here. A
good idea would be to pay them one
half in cash and one. half in stock of the
company. redeemable by the company
at its face in not less than ono year nor
more than three years. In this way
men could BIO guaranteed steady work.
~tu sornet",nE saved up IN their be-
half to give them . little capital to
operate on after the work was finished.
As they arc not provident class. gen.
orally speaking. this plan would be
more beneficial to them than giving i,
to them as fast as they earned it.
This element of population would not
live in the city. but would scatter all
along the line Of the road. colonizinz
the dreary forests into gardens. and
building up good local traffic for the
road. by the me. ium OF which they
would derive all their supplies The
careless and worthless ones might
spend their money in drink and other
follies; but tho prudent and thrifty
ones would soon have their little cot.
tages surrounded with garden spots,
with plenty of chickens aud cow or
two. to exc out the family's subsistence.
The timber forests and veins Of coal
and iron along the line of tho road
would afford plenty Of work to the male
members Of the family for the next cen.
tury. while the women could take care
Of the garden aud dairy. All the
money paid to these laborers by the
company would b spent in Seattle. il
spent At all. Meanwhile. the country
would b growing gradually. and the
rate Of taxation correspondingly de.
creased.
On the other hand, the Chinese labor.
ers employed on the road would con-
struct temporary huts along the line
till the road was completed. when they
would dccsmp with all their wages aud
leave few rootess shan ties to remind
the passer-by of who were the men chat
performed the labor along that road.
The places that had known them would
know them no moro. Out Of eleven
hundred Cinnamon employed on the
Northern Pacific railroad in 1871, aud
nine hundred during the following
year. less than fifty are now to be found
between the Columbia river and Puget
Sound. The railroad Chiuan,an is \
greater nomad than the old California
miner. and nothing disgusts him 20
much As being compelled to reside long
in one place.
We submit the cousider alton of tbese
points to the builders Of the railroad,
which is 10 overcome the barriers of
geography in this Territory. and de-
stroy the isolations Of Nature. Is i,
cheaper to pay one hundred thousand
dollars to Cinnamon who will carry
away three-ffths Of it. or to psy one
hundred and fifty thousand dollars to
white men who will remain here to
spend their earnings in the adornment
and development OF the country. Il
will bear mature reflection.
D
SHUT DowS.-1hs Anne ricsn Hotel