The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-11-06
PLAIN TALK.
Open Letters From a Worklngman to
The President OF the U. S.

Hon. GROVER CLEVELAND:


HON. GROVER CLEVELAND:
SIR-But you eXc.aim: 1.-The markets
OF the world The markets of the world J!
The markets OF the worldl!! Perhaps you
remember that when you we're boy ana
listened TO your pious father at morning
prayers you heard him read the divine
command: "Reware OF the world, the
fies and the dsvil!ns You little expected
then thatit woull be your fate TO furnish
the most striking example in all history OF
the result OF disc bed ience 10 hat order; yet
such is the fact. You and your party have
grasped for the markets OF the world and
IN doing so driven cruel thorn into the
American flesh and given rs the mar kets OF
the devil, making devils of manufa .tur-
ers, devils OF mechants, devils OF work
lngmen, devils OF farmers, and, at the rate
we are going, We will soon be devilish
American people-ali done in hopes that
you and your party leaders may continue
to be chief devils TO the suffering crew.
In the list OF the worlds markets of
England, France, Germany and other
countries is found the United States oppo-
site sa50,0OO,OOO yearly OF manufactured
goods-the work OF 100000 wsge-
earners-which they make and sell
the ocean, pay high prices to get
over the tariff-wall surround
ing this country, and right in
the shadow OF our own factories under
sell and drive out an equal quantity that
could be made by ourselves. Until We
that, with tariff partly protecting Us
from them here, we can successfully
undersell foreigners on our own ground,
IL will be useless to think OF doing SO in
fsr-awny countries, which our
goods can get to only at
greatly increased cost, and where we
VIII nave no government protection and
be forced to pay tariff charge equal to
theirs. The fact is, that until we shall
have both half-priced labor and free raw
material, as they do, this chasing of the
worlds markets is only breeding more
sandwich Island cyclones, which will
again burst with failure and bury us in
contempt.
Cheap Things.
One of the important tbings guaranteed
under your contract with the pation was
that you would make things cheaper.
You have made some progress in that d.
rectlon which honesty requires YOU should
be given credit for. Articles OF food, how
ever, though much cheaper than under he
lower tarih four years back, are not much
changed in retail price from two years
ego-a fact / thcasughly tested in my
time OF want; and such difference SIS does
exist, store Keepers tell me, is temporary
and due to the fact that the smaller
quantity used by the working and
other classes during the past year
has left an unusual store Of such
aud owners have had to sell in order to
get money or avoid loss. Rents, too,
nave not changed, except to few who for
the present get theirs for nothing owing
to its being paid by charity, or TO not
having anything to pay with and land
ioros too kind hearted to turn them
out: But some things you have made
decidedly cheaper. You have cheap
ened selething, dry goods and nearly
all Kinds OF manufactured articles, tenn
porarily down TO one-thIrd the regular
price and one-half the cost TO make,
through bankrupt stocks on ali sides, with
many rare bargains, which would gladly
Jump at II / only had my old Job
ana money to buy with. With these
you have also cheapened our labor until
z,Soo,OOO workingmen have been months
unable to sell 1t at apy price, and 3.000,-
QOo more, through reduced timeiand pay,
Tor more than an average Of three
quarters its former value; you have
cheapened the country by prostrating its
industries, decreasing the consumption of
its products and loss OF $40, ,000, 900 900 of
business in single year; you have cheap
ened the nation before the word by a
miserable attempt to force BRASS
mounted queen over friendly people and
by stupid blunders in conducting our
foreign relations; you have cheapeued the
Presidency by its use to intimidate and
corrupt the peoples representatives in
their official action and to secure their
cooperation in an effort to degrade a
large part and TO cheaper the whole
people; you have cheapened your
party by showing through its leaders its
hypocrisy, want of settled principles, in
capacity To legislste for the country's
welfare, readiness TO sell Legislation for
sugar and whiskey trusts campaign con-
tributions, and its treachery to American
and favoritism of foreign interests; you
have cheapened your supporters by ex-
hibiting their weakness, cowardice, SER
Witty, trickery and their readiness to sell
their votes and the interests of their
constituents for official favorsi
yourself, by betrayal of public trust,
through incorporation aud use of pub
lie Office to repsy money used 10 secure
your election, by cowardly allowing
measures which you had branded as dis
honorable to become law, and by acts OF
arrogance, malice, ignorance aud dupli-
city which have given rise to doubts of
your temperance or sanity; In fact you
have been 80 generally successful in this
particular, that both you and your sup
porters will pass dawn through the ages
as the cheapest in American history.
Tariff Reform Work.
One thing more demands attention. For
over six years you have repeatedly told us
that IL we shouldIever lose our Jobs there is
always plenty OF good paying work to be
had. This you said in order to secure our
help, through our votes, In your intended
destruction of the salt makers.
wool -raisers, lum bermea's, wooden manu-
facturers and other industries, and the
turning adrift of their help. large
number OF us who then believed you, now
desire to see you about that statement.
Va ,.,t IN, ro 70
to New York and find Jobs for
from 10000 to 100000 workingmen
idle here; to 30 to Brooklyn and
get WORK for 5000 to. $1,000 in that
city; to Boston, with $4,000 there; to Buf-
fslo, your old home. and provide places for
the 5000 unemployed, large numbers OF
who helped TO raise you from harmless
obscurity; TO Philadelphia, with its 90, 900;
20 Pittsburg, with 50,00o more; TO Chicago,
with yet 5000 more; TO Cleveland, Cincfn-