Daily Republican., 1883-10-29
Cenxressuaan Kelley Resarss.
A man of short stature and spare bu

CongPessman Kelley Reiarss.
A man Of short stature and spare bu
vigorous frame, with iron-gray hal
and grizzled be,.rd, and features that
Drowned by sun and wind, seemed /
denote vigorous health, was seated II
the Customs Inspectors office on th
Guion Line pier shortly after p. IN. OF
Wednesday. He was clad In shaggy
overcoat and wore loose cloth "knocl
about" hat and looked like hale ole
sea captain or pilot. Every now ant
again somebody would dart into tht
little Office and exclaim "Why
Judge, how we'll you are looking
hardly knew you-glad to see you
back" Then would ensue vigorous
hand shaking and mutual felicitation.
The man with the seafaring air was
Congressman William d. Kelley, who,
as Chairman of the Ways and Meaus
Committee, did such valiant and sue.
cessfu battle for the Tariff bill vt the
last session Of Congress and was almost
prostrated in health in consequence.
He had just landed from the Wyoming
and was receiving the congratulations
restoration to health.
" Yes" he said to reporter of the
Tribune, LETT these shores on June 2,
feeling old and feeble now feel fresh
and vigorous. l eat we'll and sleep
we'll and weigh i've pounds more than
l believe ever weighed before in my
life. think l have completely recov-
cred my health"
" How did you spend your time
abroad ?" asked the reporter.
" l busted myself with my family
quietly in London for month, not
even letting my friends know OF my
presence there. Then went to Broad
stairs, a delightful little watering place
In Kent, where Dickens wrote Bleak
House. After sojourning there a few
weeks ! visited some of the industrial
centres of England, accompanied by my
daughter, Miss Florence Kelly. First,
visited South Wales and spent ssme
days studying the condition Of the iron
workers there. In the course of my in
vestigations in that section I visited
Merthyr-Tydvil, Dowlais and other
places.
~ found the laboring population
little better than starving. There was
an immense number of men idle. One
town which had once a number of
thriving iron works was actually falling
to pieces. found women and girls at
the mouths of the coal pits, loading
and hauling cars filled with coal, and
in the iron works handling large iron
plates. In fact, they were engaged in
most of those forms of labor which re.
quire no special skill, and therefore
receive the smallest remuneration. The
wages OF the men were of course larger
than the women were receiving, but
still they were miserably small.
ain England | visited Manchester,
Sheffield and Birmingham. Every
where | found the workmen underpaid
and discontented Near Birmingham
are the nail-making towns of Lye. Waste
and Hales-Owen. found much of the
work was done by women. They re-
ceived five shillings week, and from
that were deducted the rent of the
forge, the cost of the fuel, the cost of
the bars from which nails
were made to the forge, and nails when
made to the shops Of their employers.
The women If married and with chill
Ilren had usually to pay two shillings
and sixpence week to some care .aker
to look after their children. At Lye-
Waste were many brick. making estab-
Iishments where the women earned six
shillings week and were, in conse-
quence, envied by the nail and chain
makers. But the envy Of the country.
side were the girls who were employed
at the galvanizing establishments.
They got seven shillings week, but
none Of them could hope to retain their
health long enough to enable them to
work steadily for six consecutivemonths
because Of the injurious effects Of the
acids used in the process Of manufac.
ture upon the throat.
There is unquestionably feeling
among all the working people in Great
Britin that free trade and American in
ventions have ruined them. remember
a man say, throwing all the
of prayer into his sprofanity:
{ by God, it would have been good
thing for us if America had never been
discovered.
DO you wonder" continued Mr..
Kelley, taking from his pocket some
specimens of nails handmade by WON.
en-, that our machine made nails are
driving these out of the markets in
South America and elsewhere?
Would return to protection, do you
think, render the English laboring class
es prosperous ?"
don't know. 1t is not for for me
to suggest legislation for Great Britain,
but SO far as my own country is con-
cerned, my observations abroad have
only made me a more intense prottc-
ZIONIST, If possible, than before"
Mr.. Kelly, desiring to catch the first
train to Philadelphia, could not prolong
the interview any further.