The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1894-03-03
HELPING THE POOR.

HELHING IHE POOR.
The politicians and the newspapers
that criticised John WaAamaker for
raising money to prevent hard times
are not critlcising him now for raising
money to help the poor through the
hard times, says an exchange. Mr..
Wanamaker does not see any great
difference in the two funds except thst
it is always better and wiser to pre-
vent disaster than to try to euro it.
la an Interview, published in the
New York San, Mr.. Wanamaker says:
81 AN raising money for the poor
people new as l did once before"
He thus boldly referred to the cam
paign fund he raised for the Republi-
can party in 1888, about which the
Democratic newspapers made so much
complaint, and added:
81 raised that money and gave it as
conscientiously as am raising money
for the poor now. I raised it to down
free-trade party which would have
brought this same Wilson bill calam-
ity on US then that they have now. l
believed that with the free traders in,
the tariff would be out. knew this
would lower wages, stop mills, and
send the wo,kmen starving lnte the
streets as it has done now. No one
knew that l was to raise that money.
My heart told me to do it. l went
out among the Christian business men
Of Philadelphia and told them the
danger to prosperity ahead. They
thought it were wiser to stop the tar
if destroyers than to feed the starving
thousands, as we are doing now. They
gave the money freely and said: Take
it to headquarters, publish documents,
hire speakers, reach the masses with
truthful statements, and save the
nation threatened with calanity'-the
same calamity which has finally come
upon US. We saved it and made four
years of such prosperity as we will
never see again till that blessed pro-
tective tariff GENES back again"
Mr.. Wanamaker estimates the losses
to the nation through the Wilson-bill
calamity at $4,000. 900, 900 year.and
thinks that 100000 contributed by
Philadelphia business men to prevent
that loss for four years was very
good investment. There are 20,000,-
600 workingmen in the country, and
they did earn, on an average, 80 a
day, or $4,000, 900 as the total earn
ings in one day. This gave them
$12000,000 year as the earnings of
American workingmen. The cut Of
25 per cent. made everywhere in
wages, without counting those thrown
out of work, gives loss of $4,000,
100000 year, or $4,000, 900. 900
for four years of the administration.
The sum of 100000 is large one
when taken alone, but when it is con-
sidered that sum is but one four hun
dredth Of l per cent. of the actual
loss it is very good investment.
The newspapers and politicians who
assailsd Mr.. Wananaker for his CAM
paign fund in 1888 followed his ex-
ample in 1892. The New York
World was Mr.. Wanamaker's most
slanderous critic in 1888, but it was
the loudest beggar and greatest de-
fender of campaign contributions in
1892.
Mr.. Wanamaker says that be had
no thought OF any Office when he
raised the neney>for the campaign Of
1888, but when President Harrison
offered him the position as postmaster
general he, like other men loving
honor, accepted it, though his time to
his own business was worth ten times
the salary he received. But Mr..
Wanamaker has no need for defense.
He made the best postmaster general
the country had in many years, and
since campaign funds are necessary,
the people are not finding fault With
him for trying to prevent the present
disaster by keeping the Republican
party in power.