Omaha daily bee., 1896-09-02
BLIGHT OF THE WILSON BILL
Milwaukee's Silent Industries Preach a
FCrceful Sermon.
BRYAN AN ACCESSORY TO THE CRIME
Present Condition of thc Industries of
the Cream city Compared with
Their Conditions In 1So2-
Lnbor's Great Loss.
BRYAN AN ACCESSORY TO THE CRIME

in the United states, or anywhere else. for
that matter, that wants to be happy and
hopeful and entcrprising and prosperous in
spite Of the hard times, that city is Mil
waukee. After struggling three years with
panic, dapr esslon, lack of confidence, reduced
wages, and no employment for thousands Of
artisans, Milwaukee,, or rather the people
who have made her what she is, come up
smiling and declare that with half a chance
the Cream City Of Lake Michigan will take
up the torch Of progress where it was laid
down when the Harrison administration
went out, and carry 1t onward to'still greater
prosperity. Though there are 10000 men
out of employment on account of adverse
tariff legislation and threatened free silver
legislation, and though the building this
year will be less than half what it was in
1892, Milwaukee Is neither down at the heel
nor frayed at the edges. Quite the reverse.
Her streets are clean, her homes look cheer
ful, her storekeepers keep their windows
well dressed in the hope OF tempting GUS
toners, and the several municipal improve
ments, wisely undertaken at this time, give
the impression of something going on.
AWAITING NOVEMBER'S DECISION.
Even the shops that have closed and the
factories and mills that have locked and
barred their doors look neat and tidy. |
fear that some Of these once fiourishing In,
dustries may never thrive again, but
whether they do or do not. the abandoned
buildings and silent machinery have Teen
left trim and taut, so that the fires may
be lighted next November when the joyful
news of McKinley's election is heralded
through TIE land.
1--WE shall not wait for any legislation nor
for congress to meet" said the owner of
n once prosperous but now closed mill,
but the moment We are certain of McKin-
lcy's election we shall start up again.
Milwaukee will go right ahead from that
moment. There are millions of dollars
ready to go into rigging up the old mills,
extending plants. building new shops. and
putting things in shape for a period of
good times. The 20. 600 men now out Of
work in this city will at once be employed.
This is no idle election talk. l was for
morly a Cleveland democrat. His free trade
policy | now believe to be wrong. The free
and unlimited coinage OF silver would be
nothing short Of a crime. l will fight it
with all my might, and I shall use all m
spare time in showing the danger of such
a senseless policy to my men"
CLOSED BY THE WILSON BILL.
I was sorry to find that the Wilson-Gor-
man tariff law had closed up a once pros
porous wooden cloth establishment in Mil
waukee. which made the finest brOadcloth
ever produced in this country, having been
present at a test Of this cloth two years
ago. the other samples being the best west
of England broadcloths. Milwaukee came
out ahead, and, naturally, l ordered a suit
made of It. II has proved the best dress
suit T ever had. but the manufacturer OF
that cloth told me the English manufac>
turer had beaten him out, and there will
be no more.
This is a small matter, 7 know, but a
shame nevertheless. Why should we spend
over S57 900, 900 for foreign-made cloth and
our own workers, even in these northwest
ern cities, starving for employment? The
man who wears n dress suit can afford to
pay for good American cloth. 1t is in these
finer lines of manufacture that so much
labor enters, and hence they are more de-
sirable as home industries. We were just
getting a good foothold in 900 or more
small Industries under the Mckinley law,
when this foolish free trade legislation
upset the whole business and threw 100, 0O0
skilled mechanics out of work. and for what?
THE FOLLY OF IT.
That n few well-to-do persons might get
their dress suits a dollar or two cheaper,
that the highest grade of velvets and
pushes might be a few cents per yard less.
There never was such folly. People do not,
as a rule, identify a city like Milwaukee,,
with its famous beer, and leather. and mer-
chandise industries, with these minor manu-
features. Yet. If Mr.. Wilson should come
TO Milwaukee he could see results of his
bill in hundreds Of small shops. once busy
and employing thrifty men,, with happy
homes, now shut up and desolate. and the
artisans on the streets. 1t would take the
space devoted to this letter to enumerate
with eXactitude the diversified industries of
this city. popularity supposed to be given
over entirely to beer, grain, leather and ma
chinery. The eleventh census makes a spe-
cial report on 112 Milwaukee industries, and
under the head of "all others another
hundred small industries are hidden. 1t Is
these minor enterprises that have suffered
most. Hundreds Of shops, employing from
ten to twenty-five men, have shut up and
practically gone out of business, while i'm
portatluns of foreign goods pour into our
ports.
Figures show what the proposed change in
the tariff law did for Milwaukee in 1893, and
the fact that no improvements and no signs
OF returning prosperity are noticeable shows
what the threat of Organism and reputation
is now doing for this magnificent community
OF thrifty workers and home builders.
WHAT IT COST
The advent of the tariff raiders in 1898 cost
Milwaukee $27, 000, 900 in round figures in the
decrease in the value of the product of her
manufactures The last year of the repub-
lican administration showed an increase of
SIS, 900, 600 over 1891, and 1891 an increase of
Sll ,OOO, 600 over the census year of 1890. The
decrease of 1898 practically equaled all OF
the gain made during the two previous years.
Between 1850 and 1890, a period of repub-
lican tariffs, manufacturing industry in
creased in Milwaukee from a product OF less
than $780, 00, 600 to about 800, 600, 900 in round
figures. Milwaukee doubled the number OF
hands employed and increased the wages
paid to those engaged in manufacturing over
threcfold. Under the Mckinley law. had no
attempts to destroy our national credit been
made, this city would have again doubled her
industrial capacity by June, 1900, when the
twelfth census will be taken, ! am satisfied
on this point, after a careful study OF con
ditions, Milwaukee has all the necessary
elements of industrial and commercial great
ness and progress,
More than half the decade has now gone,
and where do we find Milwaukee,? Doing
fairly well In one or two important indus
tries, but her small industries stricken
down, her artisans out Of work, and the
building trades. which, in good times, put
up over $l2, 00O,0 900 OF new buildings per
annum, now struggling hard 10 reach IS, OOO,-
600; and the figures include several imposing
public buildings, such as the new federal
building and the new public library, both
OF which will be a credit to the city.
INDUSTRIAL PARALYSIS.
! had a long talk at Hotel Pfster, named
by the owner after the famous leather mer-
chant, with r.. II. Odell, or "old Figures
as he is peculiarly called, In Milwaukee. Not
that he looks like the typical statesman,
for Mr.. Odell is neither lank nor long nor
angular, nor baldheaded, nor has he long
flowing gray beard, nor a lean and hungry
look. On the contrary, he is a young, go
ahead fellow, with a military bearing and
49, ... go laHYaa