The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-11-07
no ECTION BEGINS AT HOME
Editor of The Tribune.

Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Now that the people Of this
country have made manifest by their
popular vote, that 1t Is protection that
ia needed to advance the interests and
welfare of our land, and that the mon
eyed powers that be have sworn to
protect the working man and do every
thing in their power to further his i'll
terests, think that they cannot start
any too soon to put some OF their theOr-
les into practice and the first thing
would suggest is; that as charity be-
gins at home they start right here in
Scranton and protect our Scranton In
dustries against outside cheap and ILL
paid competition. All Of us who are
residents and taxpayers OF the city OF
Scranton who are engaged In the build
Ing trade have a great deal to COM
plain of. The carpenters wages are
being cut down, our mills are not
being run to One-quarter their ca
pacity and all this to give way to the
outside. manufacturers who can,
through paying their men (skilled me-
chanics at that.) lower wages than
some laborers are getting in Scranton,
send work into our city and nut II up
cheaper than II can be done at home
and on account of the home mechanics
having nothing to do In his own shop
they hire him at their own pauper
terms to put their work up for them.
We have to live. but we would like
1t to be known that We have not spent
our whole lifetime learning a trade and
then In the end get no more renumer
alton for our work than the common
laborer. The carpenter who has thor
oughly learned his trade can and
should be classed with the other pro-
fessions. A doctor in Scranton not long
ago told me that he was entitled to
more pay for his work than a mechanic.
He said. we should take into account
the money expended upon his educa-
tiOn: then he had to spend three years
in a hospital so that he should be
thoroughly conversant with the prac-
tical side of his profession. Now then,
the practical carpenter or machnist, OF
any other frst-class mechanic has to
serve from five to seven years appren-
ticeship for which he receives practi-
cally nothing. After his time Is out
he starts in for himself, thinking he
knows it all but very soon finds out
that he has only just begun. This l
am afraid is the case with many of
our professional gentlemen also.
Then Gf he ever intends to excel at
his business) comes q life of continuous
study until after about twenty years
of this he becomes known as a pretty
fair workman and yet after the strug
gle OF lifetime he amounts to no more
than the man who never studied five
minutes in his life.
a prominent contractor in Scranton
told me only few weeks ago that he
was perfectly well aware of the fact
that the carpenters and other mechan-
les of Scranton were ill-paid and that
they should get at least one-thrd more
tl,,,sN I..NE f,Naar hn
time, and he himself would be willing
to pay it il 1t was possible to do so.
but they cannot on account of outside
competition and contractors figuring
down so close that ii is impossible TO
make any profit ON the material used.
Therefore, whatever profit is gained is
made out of the bone and sinew Of labor
and the only way this can be done is
by cutting down iabor's wages to the
lowest point possible. Therefore, We
ask for and claim the protection that
has been promised us so profusely Of
late by the powers that be.
Here let me tell some of these people
who have had, or are about to have,
work done by these out of town people,
that the work can be done right here in
Scranton as well, if not better, and |
am sure much cheaper in the long run.
The cost to them will be the same any
how for the only people who will make
anything out of il are the contractors
who have not the milling facilities to
get the work out themselves. aud who
sublet this part of their work to these
out of town people regardless of the
fact that by so doing they are doing
great injustice to the home manufac-
turer and mechanic. and often the ar
chitect, through whose influence the
work is given to the outsider.
Now, the people of Scranton who
have the money to build these houses
made 1t right here, and they should. as
far as possible, spend it here, | have a
great many names of people who have
through their neglect and Indifference
no doubt allowed their work to go out
of town. Some of them are the most
prominent citizens of Scranton. l am
sorry to say. but | think that II the
situation was brought plainly before
them that some Of them at least would
never cOuntenance 1t. but would have
1t inserted in their contracts that all
the work. where possible, should be
done by home firms and / would sug-
gest union labor. If you want a good
Job employ none but union men and
you will get it. This state of affairs
does not apply only to the building
trades. 1t Is the same in almost any
business you could mention. You
build yourself a new house: you then
will take q trip to New York and ram
sack that city and pay exorbitant pric-
es for furniture and carpets to furnish
it with. After you return home and
are settled down, you find that you
could be better suited and could have
bought your goods much cheaper
right here in Scranton. This l know
to be q fact. l can quote an instance
Sxhn thnl1SQ
dollars worth of carpet bought In New
York for certain residence in Scran-
ton. After II was laid the greater part
of 1t was taken up and carpets which
gave better satisfaction were pur-
chased at home and laid in place of 1t.
Take groceries again. People who
can afford 1t will send to New York and
other out of town cities for their teas,
sugar. coffees and canend goods, think
ing they are better and cheaper than
that sold in Scranton, but ! can answer
you It is not SO. II you would only go
to your merchant with your order, tell
him what you want and pay him the
same that you pay the out Of town peo-
pie, am sure he will furnish you with
as good, IL not q better, article for your
money.
Therefore you will see that ii becomes
us to protect ourselves before we ge-
gin to protect others. What Is the in
terest OF one Is the interest of all. and
that by protecting one branch of our
industries we will do much towards
protecting the others. Our city Is a
growing city, in which we should all
take great pride, and we should do
everything in our power to keep up its
reputation. And to thoroughly do that
we should advocate the protection of
our home manufactures and merchants,
see that labor is paid a fair days pay
according to its worth. so that the me-
chanic can educate his children and
keep such home as becomes n resident
of this proud city of ours. Why should
not the man who works with his hands
have the same privileges that he who
does not He tolls honestly from morn