The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-03-07

announced his determination to fight the
Wilson tariff bill IN the senate. Hill 10 .
very sssuss politician: he represents .
great manufacturing state, and he knows
perfectly well that il be 10 TO remain a
power in the Democratic party in that
state he must stand up for the working
men Of bis party, whose industries are
threatened With ruin By the Wilson tariff
bill. Mills. Of Texas, can afford TO turn
deaf ear to the protest Of the vorkingmen
Of the North, bat David B. Hill knows
THAI his political leadership Of the Democ-
racy in the Empire state depends on his
standing up for the cause Of the working
men who form % large part Of his con-
stituenta
and hemp industry from New York and
New Jersey have recently visited Wash
ington City prepared with proofs and sta
tisiies Of indlsputabie character to show
that their wages we're three and one-haif
times higher than the wages of operatives
engaged in exactly the same work in Eng
land and five and one-haif times greater
than they we're paid In Italy. They de-
clare that the - per cent. I'D vaiorem duty
placed on their manufactures BY the VIII
son bill means big reduction in their
wages. Already they have been reduced
10 per cent, and If the bill goes into effect
they have been notified that . 80 per
cent reduction viii again b made. This
will make 20 per cent. and means that in
stead Of an average weekly wages Of 81,
they will receive $40. They state that
the present condition of Affairs in the fax
and hemp business Is ons-half Of the mills
running with one-half the usual number
Of hands to each mill. and these working
on 10 per cent reduction.
1t Is easy for Mills. Of Texas, to repuiss
these workingmen. because he frankly
says that the Northern workingman IL
paid altogether too high wages; that
wages must come down to the cheap level
Of negro labor OF the South, but Hill. Of
New York. cannot afford to make that
answer: he was born of Irish working
parents; his sympashies are with the
workingman aud his interests all lie with
this immense vote in New York. So when
this delegation OF workingmen called on
Hill he said that he vas satisfied that
they had been Disseminated against in
the Wilson bill and he for one would vote
to send the bill back 10 the committee
with instructions to grant hearings. Sem
ator Murphy made similar statement, a.
did also Senator Smith, Of New Jersey.
Representative John d. Warner, free
trader from New York state, refused to use
his influence to persuade Senator Brice
and other senator's to vote with Senator
Hill, and his refusal excited the indigua-
ton Of one OF the workingmen delegation,
who said:
II must get excited when men like you.
who are our servants and not our masters.
come here and take our living away. II
you were Roing TO have from one-thtrd to
onc-half of your income taken away from
you by the votes Of stupid partisans you
would get excited, too. We are thoroughly
excited, and are going to stay 30 until We
get what We want and have proved that
the wage earners Of the country are the
people. We want you to understand this
fact very clearly. We are men whose liv-
Ing Is being taken away and We are here 70
fight for our interests. We went TO work
To defeat q Democrat in the district ad-
Joining yours in the special election. " here
the majority Was 3 Zoo in excess OF yours.
and We buried him out of sight. We have
exactly that same fate in store for you
aud TOR every other New York man Who
turns his back on Us now. We want you
TO help US get that bill recommitted. We
demand IL as right. and II you refuse We
will punish YOU"
David Il. Hill il altogether too astute Q
politician to turn his back iusultingly on
the workineman's vote in his state; he
knows that il he wants TO retain his lead.
ership of that party In the Empire state
he cannot afford TO sneer at intelligent
workingmen who demonstrate against the
discrimination of the Wilson bill. Sem
ator Hill il no sentimentalist, no phiian-
headed politician: he knows that the
workingmen of this country have had .
very severe object lesson which they can
understand. and every political election,
state. congressional or municipal. shows
that the American workingman knows
that his pocket has been picked and knows
that the Democratic party has picked IT,
"Bilt' Tweed used 10 say that he didn't
care a button for the denuneiasions of the
newspapers, because his constituents were
not a reading class. hu. they could ali
understand what the csriea;urcs of the
Tweed ring meant in Harper's Weekly. So
the American workingman, who IL no,
deeply read in political economy under
stands the dismal science" Of trying 10
live without work or on half wages. He
knows tina, after the passage Of the Ne
ktnley tariff in October. isao. business
throughout ths country vastly improved:
that many new industrial enterprises
spysng into existence; that old industries
were enlarged; shas as the neld OF labor
was increased so Was the number OF en-
ployei increased in proportion: that no.
only wages did not decrease. bu, prsctic-
ally increased, because prices generally
decreased through internal competition ::
the cos, Of living vas also decreased. which
20 November : 1872 The American work.
insman knows, too. sha, since the Demo-
cratic party obtained iau control OF the
government that business has been nros-
sratei; industries have ceased working
full sime. While many have hcea Obliged
30 close their door; that wages have de-
elsned from 10 20 - per cent
The American workangman does nos
need TO read the literature OF political
economy 10 understand that a vastly ia
II AZ