New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-11-01
ROCKVILLE'S "POVERTY."
DREADFUL RESULTS OF PROTECTION.


CONNECTICUT TOWN IN WHICH Two-THIRDs
OF THE SAVINGS BANKS DEPOSITS AND
THREE-FoURTHs OF THE HOUSES Be
LONG TO MILLHANDs-YEr THE
WORLD" SAYS THE PLACE IS
SUFFERING on ACCOUNT OF
THE TARIFF - INTER
EsTING AND 1NsTRUC-
TIVE FACTS FOR
FREE TRADERS
Rockville, Conn. Oct. 3l-A few years ago Brud-
der Jasper, of Richmond, sen. ripple Of laughter
around the world by his heroic attempts to prove
that de do movc' Hardly less amusing TO the
people Of Connecticut was the effort made by I" The
New York Word' last week to show that this place,
one of the most prosperous In the world, actually
In the depths Of poverty and distress through the
blghting effects Of the protective tariff The article
is Of a series that has been published in The
World" the great manufacturing towns of this state
for the purpose OF making It appear that there re-
action against protection among the employees OF the
various branches of industry This revolt, * en-
dcavors to show Is due to the deporabe way In which
the hands are ground down by their MEMORABLE en-
ployers, who compel them s. TO live from hand TO
mouth" take their children from the schoolhouse
at a tender age" and consgn them to a narrow life
in the mill, TO long hours and to condensation
encc Every dollar earned goes to sustain lfe
They can save nothing is of the language used
In speaking of :he people Of Rockville
To appreciate fully this pathetic appeal for free
trade one should visit these places
and hear the cries of the workpeople,' that sonate
so ptlfuly against The World mans tympanums.
Rockville is a good place to begin with. as 1t FUR
nlshed the darkest picture yet drawn. IT Is town
branch OF the New England Railroad, few miles
fro
miles below the beautiful snipsic Lake. the source
Of its water power, is decidedly picturesque. In
deed there IS little about The place to suggest the
ordinary manufacturing town. Yet It Is one OF the
great centres Of the American w0ollen industry. In
fact the finest goods made In this country, tho goods
ths sold in hundreds Of tailor stores to-day as
Ag sh and French clothing stock, produced herr.
The entire energies of the place devoted 10 man.
ufacture. Its 5000 inhabitants depend for food and
home upon the moro Of great mills that to-
gcther employ over 5000 hands All the industries
Of the place, wooen, cotton, worsted cloths, paper
and silk, are protected. Consequently the evils of
the present tariff should manifest themselves here, in
this hotbed Of protection
"They can save nothing" says The World
Let There two savings banks here. the
Savings Bank of Rockville and the Peoples savings
Bank The first is controlled by the venerable Mr..
Bissell, one of the stanchest Democrats in Tolland
County He is eighty years of but as active
a
about the dreadful poverty Of the mill hands. as de-
pcted in The World" the old gentleman chucklod
and pointed his last quarterly report. Here IT is:
Savings Bank OF Rockville
October sioo i s Number Of gS 2 80
Having 500 less than s0o 200 total $9s 5sa &
Having a. 900 less than $4,000, AS total l275S5 ~
ro,,, .29o4 $50 93l So
Amount deposited Including interest credited .o,, -o
Amount withdrawn during :.,.:..- 23Os17 Is
Increase in deposits the past year. 1888 to 90, o.
Increase in deposits last year 1857 l. 4l.029 60
"of these 1900 depositors, Nr. Bissell, how many
are mill hands -
at would be difficult to answer that of-hand'
he replied but l should say at least three-fourths
of them.p His son thought that seven-eighths would
be nearer the mark OF fifty new accounts recently
opened that he know about, thiry-nne were by
operatives. Tho fact is added Mr.. Blssell with
smile, tell our mill that It Is the hands,
net they, who own the mills The mortgage this
bank holds all the mill property IS money belong
zig to the employees who have earned 1T from the
works. II there is any poverty here don't know
about it, and Mr. Bssell smiled again
The other savings bank has for ITS treasurer Mr..
F. stevens Henry, the Republican candidate for State
Treasurer. He away when called, but the last
annual report of the institution. made October 1,
1887 follows:
Peoples Savings Bank
October !, 1887 Number Of depositors- .o- - m
syns 800 OF 1000 it !S!s sSsi; g
HAVING or OF les. than s iSs so ss
Amount deposited including interest credited oo-o .,
Amount withdrawn during year.. eseis 81
Increase Of deposits during year--.--..- lo4o4 "
Allowing for the increase in the number Of dcpos-
itors here this year would make the total amount
or deposit about 81 100000 and the total number
of deposliors in both banks easily 1000 Taking the
lowest estimate. one-haf to two-thirds as TO the
proportion of mill hands among the dcpostors, and
the marvellous fact IS established by the testimony OF
Democrats and the impartial reports 10 the state that
no. less than from 1000 800 Of the 5000 or more
rnilLhands Of Rockville have bank accounts! And
yet the truthful " World says they can save moth
ing Was there ever such condensation of false
hood In single line!
But this IS not all. Not only have the mill
hands bank accounts they own their own houses, at
least large proportions of them do 4 dozen leading
citizens, Democrats well as Republicans who were
asked about this matter, agreed that fully three
fourths of the houses in the town were owned by
men and women who worked in the mills. This fact
could be proven, Of course, but time did not permit
technical examination for the purpose. There Is,
however no doubt about ifs correctness. Yet The
WorJd7 has The efrontory 10 say on the testimony
Of a lot of drunken Democratic .)afcrs that the
hands make no here than in the old country
was able get some testimony on this point that
IS particularly clear and interesting. There is
bright young English girl employed In tho liockanum
Mills as a sewer. Her IS Mary Pitts. She
worked I'm Bnglcy. Yorkshire, until two years ago.
How much did you make week there ?" asked.
"sixtcen shillngs -four dollars; that was the
average pay
How much do you get here's
Seven dollars and a half
What did YOU pay for board IN bhgeS =
1.-Two dollars
What do you pay here y
Three dollars but | live that much better. IL
also costs me little more to dress but, amer all,
! am able 10 save money Evidently she Is, Tor
last year she took three months vacation anu Wis
tied England. -, 4, .,,o
Hut what about the statement made IN Inc
fr,erd MR. Annie stansfeld, who declared she was
able 10 make as much in Leeds as she gets here