The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1894-03-07
Helping the Poor.
From the chicssO Inter Ocean

from tuc NAlcss0 inter OltAl
The politicians and the newspaper
that criticised John WSnamaker fol
raising money TO prevent hard times ART
not criticisirg him now for raising mon
ey to help the poor through the hard
times. Mr.. Wanamaker does not see any
great difference in the two funds except
that it is always better and wiser tc
prevent disaster than to try to cure it.
in an interview, published in the New
York Sun, Mr.. Wanamaker says:
am raising money for the poor people
now as did oncs before.
He thus boldly referred to the cam
paign fund he raised for the Republican
party in 1885, about which Democratic
newspapers made 50 mnch complaint,
and added
raised that money and gave it as
conscientiously as | am raising mOny for
the poor now. raised il 70 down q
free-trade party which would have
brought this same Wilson bill calamity
on Us then that they have now. be-
lieyed that with the free traders in, the
tariff would be out. knew this would
lower wages, stop mills, and send the
wOrkmen starving into the streets as it
has done now. No one knew that was
TO raise that money. NV heart told me
to do IT, | went out among the Christian
busieess men of Philadelphia and told
them the danger 10 prosperity ahead.
They thought il were wiser 20 stop the
tariff destrOyers than 10 feed the stary-
ing thOusnds, as We are doing now.
They gave the money Freely and said !;
Take it to headquarters, publish docu-
ments, hire speakers, reach the masses
with truthful statements, and save the
Nation threatened with calamity 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 protective tariff
comes back again.
Mr. WanamAker estimates the losses
to the Nation through the WilsOn-bill
calamity at SSOOOOOO,OOO a year, and
thinks that $4,000 contributed by
Philadelphia business men to prevent
that loss for four years was very good
investment. There are 100000 work
ingmen in the country, and they did
earn, on an average, s. day, or $4,000
OG0 as the total earnings in one day.
This gave them Sl2 ,OOOOOOOOO a year as
the earnings Of American workingmen.
The cut of p per cent made everywhere
in wages, without clunting those thrown
out Of work, gives loss of S3.O00,000,0O0
a year. or sI2.OOO,OOOO 900 for four years Of
the administration.
The san Of $500 900 is a larg one when
taken alone, but when it is considered
that sum is but one four-hundredth Of l
per cent of the actual loss it is a very
good investment.
The newspapers and politicians who
assaile,l Mr.. Wanamaker for his cam
paign fund in lSSS followed his example
in 1892. The New York World was Mr.
Wanamaker's most slandsrous critic in
1883, but it was the lOudest begg4r and
greatest defender Of campaign contribu
tiOns in 1892.
Mr.. Wanamaker says that he had no
thought Of any Office when he raised the
money for the campaign of 1883, 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 has had in many
years, and, since campaign fuuis ere
necessary, the people are MT finding
fault with him for trying to prevent the
present disaster by keeping the Republi-
can party in power.