The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-11-03
PLAIN TALk
Open Letters From a Workingman
to President of the United States.
and vote !

NO. Nv.
Hon. GROVER CLEVELAND, WASHINGTON,
ID. &:
SIR-In the foregoing l have spoken
only of the effect on my cost of living
things which i have to buy every day,
month or year, and which make up the
necessaries of life. Such articles as frying
pans, stoves, tinware, crockery, carpets,
blankets, furniture, tools, etc.-goods
which may be bought whenever wish or
not at all, in large or small quanti-
ties, and costing much or little, at will
are emitted for the reasons ~ that have
a supply of such things now and will not
need more for q long time to come; (2)
that such articles, when once bought,
generally last for years, and their cost, as
well as the difference made by lower
tariff, should be divided among those
years; (2) that while with full free
trade removing all the duties)
the tariff reduction on the 500
worth in my house would have
amounted to about s3.35 year for the
time have owned them, the reduction
by your law, IL had to buy them again,
will be only small part OF that yearly
amount; (4) that they now cost here, /
find, but little more than In England,
them to the extent of the reduc-
tion in tariff made by it, (5) that
even IL do pay more, consider it neces-
sary, in order to secure the work Of maxi
ing them to my fellow workingmen in
this country, and by doing so prevent
their being idle and any OF them under
bidding me, in this way perhaps saving
my job or part of my wages, and (6) that
the reduction you make is too small to be
of consequence In my usual yearly expen-
ses. or to take account of the comparison
with the injury which will be done my
labor by the change to the new law.
Wages.
The effect of the new law and the baby
rattle bills (Which must also be included,
because you have already passed them
partly through Congress and assure US they
are certain to soon become law,) on the
numerous industries which give us work is
too large and important subject to be
fully spoken OF here; that on wages,
however, will be disastrous. Under them,
wool, salt, lum ber and asafptida are free
of duty; soft coal and iron ore are greatly.
reduced and will soon be free, and the tar
iff on woolen and cotton goods, iron and
steel manufactures, tin plate, crockery,
glassware and other things largely re-
duced, with the purpose OF lowering
the cost and causing the use wholly or
partly OF such things from other coun-
tries in place of those now produced in
this.
Free wool insures the acknowledged and
intended destruction (already begun) of
WOOL raising in this country, and the turn
ing adrift of 10000 men hitherto obtain
ing a living In that industry. Free salt
means the same result TO 4455 salt makers.
Free lumber will cause the loss OF work to
2S6, 1877 men who get living in the woods
or Mt $500 mills, or permanent redution
of their wages to the rate paid In Canada.
Free soft coal will throw out OF work an
important part OF the $4,000 men now
mining IL and lower the wages of the bal
ance to near those paid in Nova Scotia,
Free iron-ore will have a like effect on the
IS, ,227 iron miners now employed. The
reduction on woolen goods will necessitaie
q heavy reduction Gao to 30 percent.) In the
wages OF 3S7 900 persons with the probable
closing OF many OF the 200 wooden mills
i'm operation and loss OF all work to the
hands. Other industries, such as iron and
steel manufactures, pottery, glass ware,
silk goods, etc, etc, and tens of Thousands
OF working men employed therein, will be
likewise injured. Altogether the labor and
wages OF fully 1,93s,4i0 OF the working
clsss will be ruined or directly injured with
a reasona BILE certainty that in the END ut
least 10000 OF that number will be thrown
entirely out Of work and forced to bid for
the Jobs OF others, and the other 1,1Ss,0
In the industries attacked compelled 10