, 1891-08-09
AN AMERICAN CONSULS
OPINION

A friend IN England under date oil
July 81 writes as follows:
| inclose you a cutting from today's
DAILY Telegraph in case YOU may care to
insert 1t IN your paper. lt may prove an
EYE opener" to some Of the Cheyenne
Republicans.
The article in question considers the
comparative comfort Of English and
American workmen and it is very fairly
shown that the American no longer has
any real advantage. The Telegraph goes
on to say; This is evidently the opin-
ion OF an American gentleman, Mai.
Hall, who has lately returned to the
United States after having served many
years as consul for the republic at Man
chester. He knows both countries well.
He writes: Tho United States buys in
the dearest markets in the world, and
sells in the cheapest, and its people con-
sequeh,ly suffer; that is, the masses Of
the people suffer for the benefit OF a
privileged class This good auth ority
goes on to denounce as nonsense q great
deal of the talk about the terrible condi-
ton of wage carriers and mill operatives
in England, and the hardships attributed
to the free trade policy of Great Britain.
AS a matter of fact, he declares, operat-
ives in free trade England earn better
wages aud work a less number of hours
than do the workmen in Germany, Aus
tria or France, all OF which are pro-
tected countries. And, by way OF illus
%tratIon, he boldly cites the consular dis
trict of Manchester. In this district
there are 5000 900 people. and they are
the best clothed and happiest people, in
Maj Halls opinion. that he ever came
across. They work shorter hours. he
maintains. have more holidays, undergo
far lcss privation and suffer less distress
than any other people. Every man OF
them lives in his own little house and has
his own fireside. The major finishes by
s%toutly affirming that there is no commun-
ity 10 America which can compare with
this in comfort and happiness of Its PEG.
pie.
Such testimony to the condition Of the
people in Lancashire Is important. as
tOuuluE lIOm Il mun vi muIhtu dplllll,
Independent as a foreigner, and yet with
all the opportunities of au Englishman
for study of our operatives on the spot.
Sanitary and social reformers in and
around Manchester are not apt to con-
slider it in any way perfect; they see
many evils to be abated, and some to be
rooted out. Everything, however, goes
by comparison aud it may he true-we
hope it is-that no other body of work
ingmen in the world are so well off. 1t
ought to be so.
''As to the cond rtions Of his toll, the
English workman Is certainly better off
than his continental fellows. He is paid
better. fed better and works fewer hours.
The ventilation of his workshop and the
sanitation of his nome are also more
thoroughly carried out. Comparing him
with his American rival. the pay is
higher in the states; but then. so il the
price of many necessities of lite. Bread
and meat are cheaper. but all manuiac-
tured articles are dearer. owing to the
high tariff which overloads the treasury,
and further enrlches the capitalists at
the expense of the poor. Then, in this
country great companies owning rail
ways arc controlled in the interest of the
workingman much more completely than
in the states. Parliamentary trains have
been compulsory from the first, aud
workmen's tickets are issued on almost
every line. The comforts of our third
class passengers are also greater than in
any railway service in the world and
given at cheaper rates. Another thing
has to be considered-the ideas o fAmeri-
cans as to hard work are much more ex-
acting thai here. There is hardly any
leisured class. The man who makes a
million keeps on exerting himself to
make another. Rich men refuse to
found families or endow idle descend
ants. The sons of millionaIres are fire.
~auently found toiling at the desk. Work
and hurry and WORRY rule the republic,
and there is little pity for those who fall
out of the ranks or crave leisure for self
Improvement. In some districts a fierce
war is carried on against the failures OF
their society-the city loaier or the
country tramp.
cit might be thought that England,
with free trade, would be a worse place
for workers than the states, where they
are sheltered from competition. The
profits of protection, however. have a
knack of going into the pockets Of the
classes, not the masses. Taxes on for
eign corn kept up English rents fifty
years ago; they did not give the laborer
better wages or the artisan more work.
In fact. ever since they we're abolished
our industrialc lasses in town and coun-