The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-01-05
YIeHrrSo THE WILSON BILL



dustrfes Of the Sorthwest.
The following Information viii help TO
show the people Of the Northwest some
thing Of the forces, unexpected but power
fgl, that are working in their interests to
defeat the Objectionable features Of the
proposed Wilson tariff reform or free trade
ball. II is from the correspondence OF the
welI-kaown writer and Washington cor
respondent. William Eleroy Curtis. and
was forwarded IN a marked copy of the
Chicago Record 10 Edmond S. Meany, Of
this city;
zone Of the strongest fights against the
Bill - being made by the people of the
Northern Pacific states, led by James j.
Hill, president of the Great Northern rail-
road, who 10 not only q good Democrat
but warm adrnirer OF the president, and
the president Is q warm ndnirer of
Mr. Hill. Some months ago Mr.. Hill
made arrangements 10 invest q large sum
OF money IN the development Of the natural
resources along the line Of his road and its
feeders in Oregon. Washington. Idaho and
Montana. and vas Ia New York organ
ling iron companies. coal com panies and
lumber companies which were 10 furnish
business for his roads and bring into the
country thousands Of the best kind OF peo-
pie. A large amount of New York capital
was enlisted BY him. and within another
year ii vas expected that the shores of
Puget sound would be murky from the
smoke o. the mills and furnaces and
factories that were to utilize the coal and
iron and lu.nDeF which cover that section,
But the Wilson tariff bill has stopped ali
this, and the capital that was going into
the investments has been showed back
INTO the vaults OF the safe deposit COM
panies, while from Washington, Oregon
and other Northwestern states come the
loudest sort of protests against putting
lumber. coal and iron on the free list.
which viii give the Canadians greater adj
yantaFes ia the development Of their re-
sources than people on the Yankee side of
the border can enjoy.
THE coal fields Of the state of Wash
ington are OF vast extent, and a large
number OF mines are already in full and
prohtab.e operation, giving employmenc
TO thousands OF citizens " ho ara paid good
living wages. The output during the year
ls52 amounted 10 1-ix15TJ tons. The
principal market for this coal has been
California, where IL goes into com petition
with the products of the mines OF British
Columbia. Immediately on the border,
which can be shipped 10 San Francisco as
cheapiy as American coal. Il also CON-
petss there with the coal that In brough.
from England as ballast in ships tina, 60
TO San Francisco for wheat This coal i,
carried at merely nominal rate, SO that
the only chance the coal mines OF Wash
ington have had for. fair com petition has
been the duty of rs cents per ton, which
ii Is now proposed 20 Abolish
1t Is estimated that Washington has
over 100 Coz. coo 600 feet of standing rnsr
charitable timber, and the capital invested
IN numbering and wood woEking is over $50
O1.po. Use number Of men employed is
loo. who receive over s., coo 90 of wages
annually. The iumoermen on this side o,
the line receive twice as much pay as those
IN British Columbia. and as Tabor is the
principal Item OF expense in bringing the
lum Der 10 market the removal Of the duty
wall enable the Canadians TO undersel. the
Washington lumherman in his own mar
ket, or else compel him 20 cut this wages
OF MS workingmsn down TO the Canadian
standard
The deposits of iron in Washington are
believed TO be almost inexhausIibIe in
quantity and superior in quality. and their
Development - becoming ono OF the grea;
industries OF the state. The fisheries are
unsurpassed In the world and give en-
employment 10 n large number OF people
Labor in ali these great branches of indus
Try has been we'll paid, and the working
men and iheir families nave been able 10
live we'll and educate their children. be-
cause they have been projected by the i'm
port duties from competition with the
cheap labor across ths border The in
PRODUCTION Of Chinese cheap labor Is for
hidden on the plea OF protecting the inter
ests Of American laborers, but il il
Claimed by the people Of Washing
ton that the Wilson bill will re-
move the only barrier that exists TO
the Introduction of the products of Chi
nsSs labor IN the adjoining territory.
where the MSngolians are freely admitted
and Employed At low wages II the Wal
son blii becomes a law il will cause a
sarinksge Of capital N oil the industries
named amounting 70 many millions 90
dollars, and the Industries can ONLY be
MAINTAINED by reducing the wages OF the
woFklngmen. The states on the Pacific
coast complain taat they have not friends
or champions IN congress. There is no. a
single member Of tae committee on xavs
and means ~ho comes from the Pacissc
coast or the adjoining states, and i; :
claimed that the memcers are entirely IL.
norant 81 the condition OF things anu tie
amount OF injury they propose 10 do ay
the pending bali.