The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-07-18
SCRAP OF HISTORY,


A Correspondent IN Iron and Sttl Bulletin.
The advocates Of "unfettered trade
and unlimited Importation had things
their own way from 1915 to 1924, The
importation of foreign goods jumped
from $l2,s19,s 1871 in 1914 to $lOG, 457, 924
in 1915, and up to $l29,O64,S44 in 1916.
In 1915 the average ad ralorem rate OF
duty on all the Tree and dutiable imports
was 6,S4 per cent, What u glorious
epoch for a Free Trader 10 dream of!
But how did American labor bask in
that sunshine? In your issue of Mo-
yember 81, 1888, you partly answered
this question. You showed that, in
thirty out OF sixty branches Of manu-
faCture in Philadelphia, the number Of
hands employed fell OF from 0,425 in
1860 2,l27in 1915, while their annual
wages fell from $3,033,8S0 to 5000, IA;
that, In cotton manufacture, the hands
were reduced from 1926 in 1915 to 149
in 1910; that in Pittsburgh the number
ofhands employed fell from 1000 In 1915
to672 in 1910; and 80 on, The social
condition OF the unemployed working
men you passed over with this remark:
"In Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and
New York the suffering was most felt,
although the depression was universal"
How widespread AID how shocking
that suffering will be best seen from the
following extracts, which ! clip from the
very best authorities.
"In 1916 there were forty societies In
the City Of New York for feeding her
idle poor, One OF these societies spent
$50, 05S during the year." The above Is
from Warmers Statistical Account OF
tho United States" volume !, page sos.
The following is from Palmer's "Travels
in America" page 81; "The average
number OF paupers In the New York
poor house during the year 1917 was
1885," Here is another. II caps the
climax, and Is from Bristed's "AmeriCa
and Her Resources" page 9SS: TN 1917
petition to the Legislature stating that
$1,000 persons (one'seventh OF the en-
tire population) were then fed at public
expense"
These were the grand results Of "un.
fettered trade and unlimited importa-
tions"-l,4S0 New York workingmen
spending the Fourth Of July, 1917, in
the poor house, and %one.seventh OF her
entire population picnlckingo on the char
lily doled out by forty societies.
Dark as were these horrors, the above
quoted authors tell us that 'tthe work.
ingmen were just as badly or in all the
other cities Of the North" Michael
Thomas Sadler wrote his very able work
C"Ireland, Her Ills and Their Remedy")
in 1897. AT page $3.50 Mr.. sadler proves
that one.sixtho oil the population OF Phila-
delphia were paupers. He shows from
Palmcr's Travels" and from the Phila.
delphia Gdsste, Of December 8, 1925,
that, in a few years, the cost OF suppC 1T.
ing herin.door paupers ran up from S70,-
COL to $4,000.
One extract more from the history OF
"the good old Free Trade times and l
am done. 1t is from a petition, signed
by several thousand Virginians in 1855,
and addressed to the Legislature Of that
State, beseeching that steps be taken TO
keep English goods out OF America and
TO keep American money here at home.
Here II Is:
"As citizens OF the United States we
can not remain unConcerned spectators
OF the alarming picture Of the universal
distress. Tho Confederal Constitution,
whilst It presents comedy To the rest Of
the world, ID proving q tragedy to our
selves. Our distress and poverty will
soon DO attended withlso much ridicule
that We shall lose the consolation Of pity.
Congress has power OF emitting bills and
borrowing money, without any basis OF
credit; Of raising an army and equipping
q navy, without the means Of buildinga
ship or feeding a company Of soldiers;
OF sendingembassadors abroad to dlvulge
our poverty, distress, and restitution and
render them more conspicuous; Of max
ing treaties which, In our weakness, we
can not enforce. Indeed we present a
spectacle 80 ludicrous that we can not
help being diverted at our own mis-
cries."
Tho whole text Of the petition from
which l have taken the above will be
found in Porcupine's works, volume J.,
page "a.
What q picture l have given you Of
the poverty OF Americans under Free
Trade and tariff for revenue only; yet
we are told that under Protection "the
poor are growing poorer" What stuff
WhRttrash What abominable nonsense !
Very truly yours,
p @. CARROLL.
LOuiriRe, KY, June s, 1880.