Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1888-10-10

ana Tells me tnat tnls nlgn, tnls eX-
traordinary high tariff is for the pro-
lection of the laboring men, l tell him
that do not understand how he can
possibly substantiate such theory"
Two political meetings were held
by the Republicans last week at the
Opera House. Colonel Sheridan
spouted in favor of still keeping the
heavy tariff taxes on the people, at
the Wednesday night meeting. The
Republican candidate for Congress,
Mr.. Wheeler, of Bay City, made few
remarks at the Thursday night meet
ing, and then gave way to a hired
speaker. who was introduced as T. T..
Keator, a labor advocate. The latter
was good talker, and did his best to
make the laboring men present believe
that it was to their benefit to be heav-
lily taxed. We have room only to
speak of one of his main argu ments.
He stated that it was the protective
tariff taxes that had made this coun-
try prosperous, set business booming,
kept the manufactures in motion,
made wages so high that laboring men
were well paid, well clothed, had meat
and white bread three times day and
were enabled to maintain their famil-
les in a comfortable condition. To
show how the tariff taxes had done
these things, he made comparison
between English and American coal
miners. The former, in order to live,
he said. were forced to hire out their
women to work in the mines and draw
coal carts like mules, but in America,
such condition of things did not ex-
list, and the men who worked in the
coal mines were able to earn enough
to keep their families comfortably.
Now on this subject we have shown
in these columns, that Pennsylvania
coal miners do not earn over 80 cents
a day on an average, and we will in
troduce one of Mr.. Keator's own wit
nesses to give further testimony on
the condition of men employed in the
coal mines of Pennsylvania. Mr..
Powderly, in the Journal of United
Labor says:
"On Sunday afternoon, Sept. 8, |
paid a visit to Kelly's row, and in the
first room to which I gained entrance
| saw men sitting around a table
eating. The only article os food on
the table was part of loaf of bread.
The floor might have been clean once
but there was not even the semblance
Of circumstantial evidence to prove it..
The walls were covered with SCOT and
dust the doorways were reeking with
filth, and from crevices in the wall
vermin were taking a peep at their
prospective victims. The ground on
all sides Of the building, in which l
counted 103 Hungarians. was covered
with grease, potato Feelings, decom-
posed vegetables and other contagion
breedingstuff. Attic store where they
trade / asked the proprietor what they
lived on and he said. salt pork, spoiled
milk, vegetables that are not fit to be
offered for sale on the stands in the
city, coarse bread which the baker will
not carry in his wagon for fear of in
fecting the other material, and old
cheese"
The speaker gave himself away bad
when he said he was member of the
typographical union, as every man
knows that the reason the union was
formed, was to prevent decrease in
the wages of printers. They could
not trust the tariff for that. It'll the
same in every other branch of labor.
The men form labor unions and keep
up wages, and they know that if their
unions were destroyed, their wages
would 60 down. Protection has but
very little to do with laborer's wages
but it adds enormously to the profits
of the employer.
The Opera House stage was very
prettily decorated and there was a
large crowd present. The singing of
the choir was the best part of the en-
tcrtainment.
At the close Mr.. Maltz proposed a
cheer, and singing his Harrison plug
too vigorously, it got away from him
and went flying across the stage.
Mr.. Keator gave the people present
some points in regard to betting on
Indiana. Betting on election is un-
lawful, and it does not reflect much
credit on the Republicans when their
orators advise the people to bet. One
90. L. Al ..~o1~