The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-11-05
..xor BUSINESS nEy1vaI4-
How Democratic Times Have Effected
GreaeIndastry In the second District.

How Detnoer1ue AAtnes haNo EHSotoa u
GreaeIBdastry In the second Dtstrtet.
The following letter from Mr.. @. J.
Blatcblsy, principal owner Of the big
Blatchley pump works at Grafton, ex.
plains itself:
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. /, 1901
Eg3ya zae, En-
DEAF SIR:-You!a ask me how business
compares with 1892. Well, can give
you some idea, perhaps, by giving you
the percentage Of decrease from month
10 month, though that does not fully
represent what it means, as 1t does not
show the lossos by selling at lower
prices or the losses BY customers who
have been forced to the wall by the
hard times, and are unable to pay their
debts. have given you some idea Of
this 10 what told you about my efforts
to collect some notes that are now q
good while over due. got another
blow in the neck yesterday in the
failure Of man whose note hold for
Sl52. Il was fortunate for me that l
had not discounted it. The effects OF
congressional action began 70 be felt In
tho summer Of 1893. increasing as you
know as the summer went on. My BUSH
ness 10 not ono TO be directly affected.
So that where / come in for the suder.
ing ~ the indirect effect Of the hard
times in the decreased earnings Of the
working people who are out OF employ.
ment, aud consequently have not
money TO spend. They do not buy
from the merchants, aud the merchants
consequently do not buy from the
manufacturer. What they do sell they
have to sell on credit to people who are
out Of work and cannot pay, and by and
by tho merchant gets 80 that he cannot
pay, and in turn the manufacturer gets
left. You see how it works right round
in ring.
There is lots Of theorizing done about
selling in the markets Of the world, but
tho most valuable market to us on the
face OF this whole earth is the market
which our own working people make
when they have plenty OF employment
at good wages. There 10 no market any
where that is worth one.half as much
10 us, whether we be manufacturers or
farmers or stock raisers or whatever
we may be. l think experience
shows that just about as plain
as anything could. What can
you sell cattle for now, or anytime IN
the last year almost? Doesn't that tell
the story2 And tits just the same with
pumps or anything else. You have got
TO work three times as hard to do q
good deal less business and do it for
very much loss profit or for none at all.
And the people who suffer the very
worst from this state OF things arc the
people who work from day to day for
wages. A big manufacturer can Just
shut up and stop. To be sure he loses,
but perhaps he loses less than If he kept
running, and anyhow his loss IS US
much in what he fails TO make as any
thing else. He don't lack anything to
eat. But it is the poor fellow who needs
work aud money on Saturday night to
pay for groceries that W. L. Wilson's
theories are putting into the hole. His
theories may sound all very pretty IN q
speech, and the only trouble is they
don't work, They are like the follows
water motor that was to use the power
generated by the flow down from q
reservoir to pump water back into 1t,
and so keep the reservoir full without
expense. The theory was excellent and
the end very desirable one, and the
only trouble was the very slight one.
that the darned thing would not work.
But you asked me how my business
compares with 1892, and l have gone
of on general principles; we'll, l have
got plentv Of time, go that's no loss. l
will give you the comparison month ny by
month, beginning with Septemper, 1893.
when, as l explained my business bo-
gan to feel the effects in tho indirect
way, in which only could be ELECTED.
/ will show YOU how the volume OF sales
compares each month with the came
month in 1892, and then the comparison
| OF tho total fourteen months.
September 1893, rs compared with
September 1902, decreace q per cent,
or less than five-sixth business.
October 1893, rs compared with Octo-
Der 1902, decrease SO per cent, or about
| two.thirds business.
November 1898, as compared with No
yember 1892, decroase 81 per cent, or
loss than three-fourths business.
December 1893, as compared with Dc.
| 4OJSt ACtASH9S w SSA SS"t ~
less than onc-half business.
January 1894, ms compared with Janu.
airy 1902, decrease 20 per cent. or just
four.ffths business.
February 1904, as compared With Feb
ruary 1892, decrease 81 per cent. or less
than four-ifths business.
March 1894. rs compared with March
1892, decrease "a per cent, or about
three.fourths business.
Apri 1894, as compared with April
1892, decrease 50 per cont, or less than
iivc eighths business.
Nav 1894, as compared with May 1892,
decrease IS per cent, or less than five
sixth business.
June 1904, as compared with June
1892. decrease II per cent, or less than
nine.ton,hs business.
July 1894. as compared with July lS02,
decrease 81 per cent, or about five
eighths business.
August 1894, as compared with August
1902, decrease So per cent, or about two.
thirds business.
September 1904, as compared with
September 1892. decrease 81 per cent,
or about two.thirds business.
October 1884, as compared with Octo.
Der 1892, decrease 40 per cent, or a little
over one.half business.
Total OF fourteen months as compared
with tho same fourteen months one
wear back up to January, and two years
back since January. Average decrease
is 204 per cent, or in othor words, fall
from over $4,000 business to less than
$4,000. This is in my business which
Is not directly affected by tho tariff
question, except as it affects general
prosperity. know largo firm in tho
tortilo fabric industry in this city, and