The Portland daily press., 1893-09-15
BREAD AND WORK.
What Victor Wallace Has to Say of the
Great Chicago Demonstration.

wallace, V1SlUlng fOrClanu, JeilS Soou
and rather suggestive story Of his expert
ence with the crowd in Chicago, that re-
Gently marched shouting Bread and
Work 1t will be remembered that the
mayor of Chicago, Hon. Carter Harrison,
a few weeks ago, expressed the opinion
that unless there was free coinage OF sill
yer, there would be bread riots, and he
added suggestion that it might be I'M
possible for the authorities to. deal with
the mobs.
That such a speech, made by such
man, should have been regarded by the
dangerous element of Chicago, in the
light of suggestion, twas not at all
strange, and subsequent events showed
that it was so taken, and there was the
famous Bread and Work" parade
It will be recalled that when work was
offered to some 1000 of the starving"
men who were in line. but very Jew
appeared at the appointed hour, although
all at the time expressed their gratitude,
and promised to be on hand promptly
the next morning.
Mr.. Wallace said that he put himself IN
a position to see and to certain degree
to know the men who were shouting Tor
bread. THERE'S touch of the Bohemian
in my make up, think" he said, and he
proved it by going with the crowd. and
shouting as loudly as the best, OF worst
of them He was fairly well dressed, but
not enough so as to attract any special
attention. He says that at first he
thought he should be detected, because
an hour before the parade he took good
meal at leading restaurant, but when
he sized up the crowd he saw but very
few who looked like. starving men. The
most of them seemed to be in very good
condition physically. Mr.. Wallace was
impressed with the idea that some one
had worked up the demonstration, and
watched with special interest few men
who seemed to be leaders, There was
more than a sprinlking of men who
looked desperate enough for anything,
and there was more than one loud de-
mand for the red flag.
Mr.. Wallace said that he drifted about a
good deal in what is known as the poor
quarter of c hicago, and is firmly con-
WINGED that there are plenty of people
there who are in great need, but they
are not out in sight, and especially are
not taking part in public demonstra-
lions. He met one of the leaders in the
Bread and Work" movement, and the
next day took dinner with him. His
order was very liberal one for a man
who wanted only bread, and he showed
no disposition to work except with his
knife and fork. At that sort of work he
was an expert.
Mr.. Wallace believes that there is very
dangerous element in Chicago at this
time, and has his doubts if there have
not been systematic efforts to draw the
tramps of the nation to the windy city.
He met and talked with some very
original, MOTTO say picturesque specimens
of tramp. One man told him how he
was in Colorado when the mines shut
down. He had never worked day in
mining camp, but he fell in with some
miners and soon knew the ropesn as he
said. He headed for Denver, and was
one of the men who were fed at Camp
Hunger He liked the food served there
and pronounced it a much better way of
living than to have to depend upon the
chance food offered by farmers g the most
of 'em insulting me by offering me work"
as he put it.
..'"That tramp tod how the fraternity
was working thespeopie of the West. He
said that while there are many men on
the road who are working their way
back to their eastern homes, the majori-
ty are tramps The people of the towns
along the railroads are moved with
sympathy for miners who have been
forced to leave work, and at every rail-
road station food is provided. The tramp
thought the coffee as rule not very good
but he was satisfied with the cold meat
and bread set out.
Mr.. Wallace only kept in with his
Bohemian friends for two days, tearing
that he might be found out Besides
that he wanted to see Chicago, and
take in the city of Carter Harrison in
great shape" as he put it. He was a
bright young fellow of %, and has an
idea that later on he shall be able to
make some use of the material he
gathered while with the tramps, and
professional poor" of Chicago. He said
he knew, not as a matter of theory, but
from personal observation, that if the
men with whom he marched lacked
bread, they were not obliged to restrict
themselves when it came to beer, and he
observed that there were saloons where
they .set 'em up" very freely at the call
of the leaders of the mob. Mr.. Wallace
believes that the real danger of Chicago,
is not from the men who pretend to
want work, doing it in the interest of
somebody, but from the submerged
TENTH" the men and women..who live in
the cellars, and who eat what they can
get. They may get desperate enough to
work mischief, but the orther class will
do nothing worse than indulge in street
parades, gotten up for political effect.