New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-09-01
HovtS ran ttHOR

Ono reason Uhy tho Democratic party VIII
hnyc "a hand time tins y'at IS that ihuoWc too
mnn, homes ~ the Sll.s which decide the
contest. These hompa ha,o been preserved +"
the people ht the protection of ihrit industry,
IN the duL piGnc of British inlHHtira
which hn hron presented iu Mr. Potlrfa letters
no feature H. more ntihug ~ painful than
characterization which results li0m the m
adequacy Of wages 10 procure nrrns any home
accommodations with hundreds of Thousands
of families crowded into one room for each,
with vast number more packed into foul tcnc-
mcnts, aud with IA much az two-thirds OF the
entire population In some manufacturing cities
in vretchcd dwelling. of only one or two rooms
each. il il not strange that thcrci both physical
and moral deterioration. But If the Won ling
people of this country had only British wages,
they would be- obliged to get on IA best they
could in dwellings Of the British free trade
variety.
Contrast this with the official records of the
last ccnNs. Pennsylvania is the grcni mining
and manufacturing state. and Democratic ora
tors have told Va great deal about the Opprcs-
sion of Labor In the iron aud coal regions. But
In Pennsylvania In 1850 there were SIO,Ij2
families and 776, 12l dwellings. only 0l,32s
families were of necessity without separate
dwellings III all that State, less than one in thir-
teen. Most Of these too, were in "A few cities.
Philadelphia had 1860 families and 14G,41
dwellings,; Pittsburg 29,SGS families and d.
2s9 dwellings, and Allegheny had 14,747 fam
lilies and IL, 943 dwellings. In the manufac-
turing regions, too, the proportion of workmen
who own their own homes is surprisingly large.
And even in Philadelphia the greatest city of
the State il will be seen that less than one fam
ily in eight need lack a separate home. 1t isno
wonder that Pennsylvania gives heavy Repub-
lean majOrities.
This is exceptional, however, as Phila-
delphia il in this respect an excep-
t1onal city. But the crowded manu-
featuring States OF New-York, Ncw-Jerscy,
Massachusetts,, and Connecticut, which the
Democrats and Dependents consider doubtful
how is it in them The four States have
|. S27. 500 families and 1852, jG1 dwellings.
In effect, separate dwellings are lacking for
about one family out OF four. But great part
of this, difficulty is in this crowded and Demo-
cratic city of New-York, where there were in
1850, for 2j3, 157 families, only 70, GS4 dwell
lngs. BROOKLYN too, for 1850 families, has
only G2,233 dwellings and across the river,
Jersey City and Hoboken, with 30, ga families
have only 1G, IA dwellings, while Boston has
72.7G3 families and 1871 dwellings. But
these are the exceptional dark spots in tins
country, overcrowded and Democratic. Even
in these places, the contrast with the condition
Of London, Manchester or Dundee is startling
If the working people even in these cities
compare their condition with that of
workers in British cities, they will
find abundant reason to uphold the American
policy.
But outside of these crowded spots, in the
four States named, there are 1896, l39 fami-
lies and /, 100, 956 dwellings,, Little more than
one in six lacking separate homes. 1t is from
these homes Of labor that the votes will come
to oycrwhelm the candidate of the British Free
Traders. Of the working people who inhabit
these homes, very many have vivid recoeo
ton of life in the Old World. They know that,
| if they are to get Old-World wages, they cannot
| hope 10 enjoy New World homes.
1t will also be well to remember chat, in these