The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1896-02-06
ACROSS THE CONTINENT.
Mr.. ]. H. Wilson Describes His
Recent Trip to New York.
City.

Last week J. 81. Wilson returned from 3
brief business trip to New York City. The
weather, upon his arrival in the busy metrop-
lolis, he found somewhat cool, but as sunny
and clear as an Oregon June day. From
what he learned Of the climate there. it does
not compare with the mild and healthful
lfclimate Of Western Oregon. Mr.. Wilson
lis close observer and never fails to note
matters of general interest. To GAZETTE
Representative who called upon him at his
Iofice the other day, he conversed freely upon
the sights he saw and the impressions they
m ,de upon him.
4 Speaking of the wide stretch of country
lt'lat lies between the fertile slopes of the
P,cifc c 'ast and the productive portions of
the Mississippi valley, he said:
! "On the surface, one would be inclin ed to
think this intervening country is indeed bar
rem, and in truth one great desert. Nature,
however, wiser than mankind, seems to have
given to the desert an equivalent in resources
which if not to be taken from the products
of the soil, are stored in the underground re-
lcesses OF which man is just obtaining first
glimpses. To supply the mining machinery
and railroad engines, and for tina coasump-
tion of the residents, coal in 9at quantities
is found at convenient points To supply
the human family with its most precious
metal, as the race increases, gold is found
and in great and increasing abundance.
can imagine the astonishmert depicted on
the countenancs of those old hunters and
trappers, who thought the country was
ruined when the beaver and buffalo disap-
peared, at the sight Of great cities springing
Into exis.ance around a lode Of gold or silver
b;aring ore, or at the intersection Of two or
more lines of railway transporting travellers
and freights in few days to points which
| it required months of hardship and great
personal jeopardy for them to reach, and
within the last generation. Truly this is a
progressive nation"
| Continuing, Mr.. Wilson said:
| 81 noticed another evidence of progress
the other day. What l call progress, al
though / doubt if our populist prophet would
agree with me-" Referring to his note book
he quoted the following from published
speech delivered, few days since, by Mr..
Eugene V. D.bs, who has lately been re-
leased from a prison to which he was sent
for melting a strike in Chicago, and else
where, in 1894:
81 don't believe these problems can be
solved by force. l want to see the time
when the working man will make better use
| of his leisure hours. Cultivate the home
and fresde. Better buy books than beer.
I want to be candid enough to say have
tried both. (Laughter.) want she work.
| ing man to mix some thought with his toll.
Cultivate selfreiance, and do himself what
| he can do to solve the labor problem. Capt.
tai is doing just the same as you would do if
| YOU were in its place. The workingman
| should have home libraries. Five dollars
viii brya good many good books these days
and fifty cents will make fair start, Get a
primer on economics, and learn about wages,
food, clothing and shelter. Keep up the
stady for year and seeif you have not
done very much to better yoGr condition. If
! you want to be right certain to have great
many friends, be sure not to need one. Save
one dollar week, or as many as you can.
No man has so sure situation Us the man
who has some hing in bank. He is the last
man to be discharged. Everybody is your
! friend then and ready to help you.''
| Commenting on the above remarks Of
De5s, MIR: Wilson said:
"Coming as this docs from great apostle
OF la5oa, and one who has tried both kinds
j of trea ent, the reasonable and the unrea-
sonable, the above indicates that Mr.. Debs,
to his lasting credit, has returned to his
sense and is giving his labor friends good
;advice. I apprehend that some branches of
i the lu ID flames of industrial inquietude will
not accept Mr.. Dcbs' IN manifesto, but will
call him an apostate. 1t is a curious freak
! of human nature, and not any too creditable
to our honesty, that we uniformly approve
of what we desire and cond mn what we do
not want Gun hardly believe that any
man, who hates people who have gold or
property, because they have it, will agree
wiih Mr.. Debs that the right way to obtain
there coveted possessions is the true solution
OF the labor problem. No one will dispute
that most of the people who incite strikes
and Keep up labor agitation, hate those peo-
iple who have gold and property, because
they have it. Our local prophet on populism
is likely to deny this generally, but say it is
the wrongful use of their gold which the agi-
tators hate. If this is all their grievance
jthey really can have no legitimate place in
pol tics for the corrupt use Of money is sub
ject for criminal procedure and not in any
manner necessarily an indication of a defec-
tive system Of government. If peop'e are
making use OF gold to corrupt legislatures
the true mission Of these labor agitators
would be to find out who is doing so and
have them punished. This would stop a
large and profitable business to numerous
band Of human wolves who do this country
and its laboring classes and all industry more
damage all the time than they can ever re
pay, but it seems to me that that is about
what they ought to do if they are sincere.
Mr.. Debs seems upon six months meditation
to have .eached very sensible conclusion.
1t is sincerely to be hoped that his good ex-
ample will be largely followed"
Mr.. Wilson took a walk through Wall
street one mornin and claims to have seen
nothing to indicate any of the hideous things
so much spoken Of regarding that street.
81 suppose he said, ''that if ! had want
: ed to borrow some money from some of the
banking establishments, without being able
!, to furnish such security as the bank would
a demand, 1 would then be able to see the edgt
Of some cloven hoof, or smell some of it
: sulphur. suppose that is about all there i
S in the exsta ce of the devils, said to inhabi
i+bo4 e4root WIZ, ebo,,ld fboy land N, fI ai