The sun., 1893-09-28

IeOpSlb
Porter at the helm, said editorially:
LET THE woRKIEaMEN SPEAK.
In Philadelphia the workingmen In the tex
tile industries are making movement OF their
own for presentation TO the Ways aud Means
9t G0s against sSon
be followed by the worklngmen In the pro-
tected industries all over the country. A great
number of these mon have always been pro-
tectionists from conviction and self-iaterest:
and even those of them who have permitted
themselves to be persuaded that the taTin mas
no influence to maintain high wages have been
undeceived by recent experience. They per-
ceive now that the mere threat OF duty redno-
tion has inflicted semt-psralysis upon manu-.
reducing wages which must be continued upon
large scale when tariff reyision shall De an
accomplished fact. The dullest mind among
them may perceive that, when the tarin bar
riers shall be removed. Ameri an wages must
fall to the European level or the manufaotur-
ers must continue operations Ine manuiscs- ,t-
urers made the fight last year and In preced nR
years against this change, and they were de-
feated. This year 1t must pc Inaoe oy the
workingmen II it is to be made with any hope
of success, and the time to act Is now when
the Ways and Means Committee has consented
to hear those who favor and taose who d1sap-
prove the proposed revision. The y, uticfRns
at Washington will heed the petitions of { Q
workmen where the plea OF the manufacturer
would be regarded with indifference. Inc
and an oppressor of the workman. But when
the laborer himself shall protest that the tar
iff operate. to his advantage. the free traders
no longer can claim to be MS champlons'
On September II, while Porter or his
assistant was preparing this editorial,
the unemployed textile wor kers OF
Kensington, a suburb of Philadelphia,
were holding a meeting on vacant lot
and doing some talking on their own
account. Anticipating the advice of
the press, they appointed committee
s,,1 ~ Eof hn
and Means Committee. The following
is from the Philadelphia Record of
Sept. II:
The genuine Workingmen of KensingtOn, who
favor tariff reform and free raw materials, and
who do not believe that the recent financial
stringeney was caused by any fear OF tar1f
revision sh rply rebuked the bogus workmen
and calamity -howlers yesterday at meeting
Of unemployed mill hands assembled on lot
in the rear Of Bromley's Lehigh avenue mills.
crowd that faced the speakers, but not one Of
them had the courage to attempt to answer
the speakers, who had gained their knowledge
from actual work in the mills. Beyond an oc.
casional derisive shout from the outskirts of
the crowd the speakers were uninterrupted
save by applause. The meeting was called for
licit aims for the suffering victims OF the
manufacturers avartce. James Schaffer was
the first speaker. and for nearly an hour he
advanced arguments in favor OF free raw ma
terials. He said: II have been selected chair
man of this meeting and of the committee to
solicit aims for the suffering families of the
unemployed What is the cause OF this destt-
tuition? The manufacturers tell you they can
not run their places for fear Of a reduction In
the tariff. Now, for four years, under the
highest protective duties ever levied, your
condition has been growing worse. You know
that wages have been reduced and that in not
one but dozen ESTABLISHMENTS hereabouts
there have been two and three reductions
since the Mckinley bill went into effect.
1 WHY HOUSES ARE VACANT
There arr a9w p9 n9tensRfe9 aOPse5s f5sn II
have been made vacant by the advances in
| rent made by the manufacturers, which have
driven the people into the streets, l have
| the Ways and Means Committee of Congress
of the true feeling among the working people
Of this section and that hat John stewart, tT ana
ttons for the retention of the tariff are merely
| the cat 's-paws of the manufacturers. l would
now how the taxation of the Mckinley bill
| benefits the wOrkingman: The mills are
| closed and where any work is being done the
duced wages to fight starvation. The people
! who got up the tariff petitions went into grog
| shops and secured the SIGNATURES Of men who
sre the men ana there is the machinery; now
| only compete with but distance the world I
The men members 6f Branch n N6. Of tie Lace
| Curtain Weaver's Amalgamated Society have
| adopted resolutions In which they set forth
| that John Stewart and James Edgar, the dele
/ gates to Washington, were not elected by their
! branch, and they will formulate petition Of
| < GREAT MEETING PLANNED.
What promises to be the greatest meeting Of
| the textffe workmen ever held in this city will
| be held under the auspices Of the Kensington
! Tariff Reform Club at extile Hall, Thurs
| dGy evening next. Tie Committee on Art nge-
| ments met last night, and john L. Mulholland
! was selected to act as chairman Of the meet
| Ing. r. 4, Herwig will make the opening ad-
! dress ana several speakers OF national promi-
| nenGe on tariff reform will also make speec es.
| The origtnators Of the meeting intend to show
conciaslVeIy that almost the entire body Of
textile workers; irfsspecPiYe Of Marty are ip
| favor of free raw materials, phe ReBtt1ns
| that have been forwarded to Washington
| signed by thousands. aJd purporting to SHOW
that the people desire the taflft left As It is'
ass also to be made subjects of especial atten-
| ti6n. The wsfKmsn DECLARE that the sigma
| lures wefe obtained in Ihang cages Whea'f fhs
men did not really know wh8 the petfk.on
| contaiued and were given little chance to fin |
out. In addition, they CLAIM that large ma;
| iority Of the names are those Of women and
! Children. In the case Of emale' only the
Signatures appear't8 BIZ those 81 met