The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-06-17
ENGLANDs FREE-TRADE POLICY.
It's Effect on Wages Of Skilled Work
men in Various Industries.

To the Editor Of the Indianapolis Journal:
Isaac Jenkinson, the veteran editor and
proprietor of the Palladium, of this city.
served as United States consul to Glasgow
five years, being twice appointed by Presi-
dent Grant, and resigning in 1873 He
started the Fort Wayne Gazette during
the war for the sole purpose OF having
war paper in that obstreperous town to
support his work as recruiting officer un-
der Governor Morton. Returning 20 this
country from Glasgow he purchased the
Palladium. and has directed its prosperous
career ever since. Mr. Jenknson's mind
Is rich In reminiscent lore. While in Glas-
gov he spent the summer IF 1872 nvesti-
gating-in his official capacity-the cOndi-
ton or the tenantry Of that rich and beau
tiful city, particularly that portion OF the
working population depending on the fac
tories for the support of their families.
i first visited the shipyards Of John Elder
e Co.. said he. ''in which no less than
nineteen trades are represented. The prn-
cipal owner was kind enough to conduct me
through the works. After satisfying my
self on all points Of interest 10 be secured
from that source I asked Mr.. I.ider to
present me 10 one of his most skilled and
highest paid workmen. He readily pointed
out sturdy Scotchman in the smthing de-
partment, and told me what his wages
were IL took my breath to learn from him
that this -, highest paid mechanic received
out 81 shlllinss per week-about IS. 10 i'm our
money. He called the man and introduced
me as the American consul. His iirst name
was John,I don't recall the rest. He was
a cheerful fellow, friendly and commdnica-
tive. asked him whether he would care
TO receive personal call from me at his
nome the next saturday evening. He said
| would De most welcome and gave me his
number.
Il called at the time designated. and
round John and his family-a wife and three
cniidren-occupying single on the
tnird noor or tenement block i'm which
not less than forty families besides John
rooms were perhaps eighteen feet square.
not larger John greeted me in hearty
Tfoseh wd fashion and introduced his wife
Ihelr cheerful content, under such condi-
tions. made me shudder. Presently ] said:
uas N1w' John, | know the amount Of your
to make out bin of your average weekly
looked over the h did y so eheerfuly and
II he said is that all the " meat you %ia or
dlnarily consume? ! asked. Oh he said,
sheepsead odd Sundays But or you 0 HaTe
nothing down for clothing. and yet every
laughed and looked at his wife 1 noticed
the woman, and the poor soul was in tears
All she put. in. that's the worst of it,
he dinna drink. But / gle you my word
that name o. us haze bean to kirk sim we
were ob ma rpsed the lack O fit elothin,
how much better off they were than the
majority! And so 1 found it in my fur
sixteen persons-two brothers and their
families. John. the Scotchman. had one
full of extremely plain furniture. Tn
| the large majority of rooms no bed was to
be seen. In the one occupied by the two
| covered in my rounds that John was one
| or the most comfortably situated tenants
h IN the whole Misunderstanding district of
| TO go over the details of what I saw in
t that three r months of OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION
life in the Scotch metropolis"
do Better by their
That is the most alarming part of IT,"
said Mr.. Jenkinson- II canddly believe.
Judging by what 1 learned on the other
very best their system will permit. When
a VISITED S the Me great print factory mainly
that few years before they found. in
footing up their returns and balances, that
they had not made dollar-they just came
added the next year. One penny to 'f they
bolt-sixty yards-and realized a total
profit of $4,000 on their annual product.
| You can foot this up-two cents on every
it will show you two things-the enormous
precarious condition OF the manufacturing
interests in Great Britain; for that is the
story w aar eve. you , go in the Queens
with whom i conversed expressed himself
sick, of his business. and most of them
tSTds s,sf'y th sf G Invested fIr t cap-
a condition that confronts the British man. n
strain their profits to the utmost to paw
| good wages, and their per cent. of gain is
on their hands and manufacturing from
raw material depending on the outside
world for customers) is their only means OF
subsistence. This is an object lesson in
| there IT is the best they can do
But Great Britain Is a very wealthy
Yes; an intelligent Englishman once said
to me that while Great Britain Is one of
the wealthiest countries on the globe it
| what he meant, and he replied:
Did IT ever occur to you that we have
and iron? al the rest of our raw material
| is shipped In from other lands. Our wealth
necessarily depends on our merchant trade
| Now, suppose England should be forced to
engage in a war with some first-class power
say America. The United states would
only have to send out fifteen or twenty
cruisers to drive our merchantmen off the
seas. Im1sine the terrible consequence
In six months the entire country would be
rent asunder with bread riots Starving
be at your mercy tell you that the En-
glish statesmen know quite we'll that they
could never afford to go to war with any
tirst-class power. She would have paid the
United states ten times the amount AL
lowed for the Alabama claims rather than
go 10 over it..
This, said Mr.. Jenkinson, is the condi-
ZION or free trade in england to-day. She is
llanie any time 10 perish by her own pros
| perity. Her social condition is the best
| her statesmen can devise. She is one of the
foremost advocates of Internal ional arbi-
tration-and for the soundest of reasons. /
once took General Sherman to the TOP of an
eminence near Glasgow, 10 show him the
| city and its surroundings. His first exclama-
ton was: What veritable forest of smoke
stacks! For ten miles around we could sec
| the thousands of smoking stacks of the
factories That is their life and their de-
pendence. The rich are very rich and the
poor are very poor. But If their wealthy
manufacturers were less rich ii would he
all the worse for the working population.
| They do not even dare TO attempt profit
sharing. The English situation is a serious
one. j. G. OCsHIITREE
Richmond Ind. June H.