Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-10-26
Made So Under High Tariff
Laws.
CONNECTICUT VOOLBI WORKERS
Whose Labor Barely Keeps Body and Soul
Together.
WAGES CUT DOWN REGULARLY
Until Only a isrs Rthncs is Left n-Gsnsnl
Polids-lndian, is Safe Beyond al
DOubt--Shsrman and Douglas
Give Up in Despair.

ROCKVILLE, Conn, October 24.-This
is town of 900, perched beside brswl.
ing waterway, which turns its spindlts
and its looms. To-day there are two cries
among its work people fer . tecret ballot
aud for higher wages They can save
nothing. They live from hand 70 mouth
and their children graduate at . tender sgs
from tie school house TO the mill, to Q
narrow life, to long hours and to com.
pensstion that grows sm,llsr. It Is .
wool.msnufacturing town aud the high
tariff is its curse, yet there Is not s-millipg
town in Connecticut wtere the employers
are more bitter Republicans.
1t costs TO be Democrat here whatever
trade or profession you follow. Thersult
is that Blaine has 2l2 plurality Of tho
1893 votes cast. This year members Of
the Republican Town Commit e, conc sds
big Democratic gsins, though they stlll
expect to elect their Representatives. The
Democratic chairman says II they get 100
plurality they II be lucky. After mipg'ipg
with the mill hands snd hearing them hk
politics and tell tie story Of their struggles
! believe him. The mill owners used he
iutimidating envelopes and txpect TO carry
their employ e, politically.
Where Q group Of weave's were gathered
together, one OF them said:
Va 10 80 kto la
we pls&e. The Republicans under -esti.
mate our intelligence. Don't We know
better than any one can tell rs that the
tariff on wool Ia what 10 hurting us? A
few years ago there used 10 be work for
spinntrs in this town. There's mighty
little now. The tariff on wool mskes the
manufacturers buy their yarn in Germany
and Englsnd. There's many . set Of
cards standing idle in Rockville today,
and the only thing to do In to put shcddy
into tie goods, Maybe you think that
doeen't come back to the 20 kmep, bot IL
does. 1t mikes flaws in the cloth and we
are docked for them, ard besides lote tho
yard rate Offered for perfect work. There
has come 0 demand for wosteds lately.
The American goods have to re pa'mtd of
for Eog,ish because the people want . bst-
ter article. With the wool We could make
them exually good.
There isn't weaver In town whs can
aversge 81 75 Q day. II one averages
81 SO he is doing b.t er than moot"
Another man, with family, said that II
hs could get work at anything else foi
81 IS q d. y he would take L. Another, .
first class weaver, who has 20. touched
drink for year, showed the pay envelopes
in which he had received his pay for elk
weeks past The 6gans on the weeks
were S7.69, So 81. SO "a, 81 so, t7.s7 and
sob. 1t averaged $l.l8 day.
Sometimes" he said, II sit Whiting .
week for 0 warp They talk about EGG.
lish weavers starving to death -"
Here an Euglishmsu who sat In the cor.
ner spoke up.
81 get the same morey ere a. I did In
Epglsnd," hs said, and there could got
neal Il twice q much good out oft F"
Not long since the Republican pres
gave . great airing 10 the fat eli tied ga
Stnste Cjmmittes Investigation from .
pumher Of Connecticut mill girls, whom
Mrs Foster took TO Washington. four
of them were from Rockville. One OF them
gave evidence that has not bssn published.
The told II lest night, bat urged that her
name be not published. She 10 epgsgsd
at what is known ~ "swinpioR." In Eo.
gland, working fifty six hours n week, che
got guines, or IS % . week, and an sl.
lowapce fer extra hours, which enabled
her 70 make 81 80. Here the makes -. 80.
There shs had baif an hour for breakfast
and recess morning and afternoon Of tan
minute. That Is done away With here.
Here she Ifs her own cloth, . work which
was divided there between tao. Tbrs
chs got her board for 81, IS week; bsfs Il
,sts her g. so, which II the rnlipg prics
Of living among mill hands in the town.
Said mill operative here to-day:
''Thsrs 10 . boat Of Germans hets. Thy
are getting ready, ss penonsl'y know, 70
cast Q big quiet vote Tor Clsv. lsnd. Oh.
SC We tcuId ever get sealed bsllof, then
we'd get what We want; bot it's danger.
Gu, 70 bs independent"
N. @. McLean,. agent Of the American
Woolen Mills, has the rsputstioo Of msd'
ding les With bis men than any oth2
man on the stream. He sid:
| "I vote the Republican ticket pysslf,
bot won't MIDDLE with the men. II he'd
money t, bet 90 the resolt In Conreaicut
| I'D bst 10 90 Cleveland"