The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1896-10-15
LACK on EMPLOYMENT.
How a Return to Economic Pro-
lection Would Restore Our
Prosperity.
REAL CAUSE OF HARD TIMES.
A Famous Statistician Presents Some
Facts Concerning American
industrial Conditions.

The manner in which return to eco
nOmic protection would restore the lost
prosperity of this country is clearly set
forth in a recent essay of Robert L. Por-
ter, the distinguished statstician and in
vestigator. Mr.. Porter says that there
are nearly 23,OOO,OOO persons in this coun-
try engaged in gainful pursuits, thereby
earning between $11 OOO,O0O,0OO and
S12,OOO,OOO.OOO annually, during busy
times. Their incomes aggregated that
amount up to the spring of 1893 and dur
ing the entire period of the Mckinley
law. What happened when these earn
ings were cut down from % to 60 per
cent? Mr.. Porter tells us.
The miner who had been digging min
erals either ceased to dig or found his
hours and pay shortened and his out
put diminished. The transportation COM
panies which had carried the raw mate
rial and manufactured product passed
their dividends and reduced expenses.
The manufacturer slowed down and dis
charged a large proportion of his hands.
With the increase in the number of idle
men. the daily sales of the grocery stores.
meat shops and dry goods stores fell off
and more men were discharged from en-
pOympnt.
With less food purchased by the fami,
lies of the idle operatives and clerks, the
farmer. whose land had continued to pro-
duce in great abundance. found his in
come shortened and his margin of profit
savings wiped out. His produce did not
sell as it had been wont to do because
of the lessened demand of people who
were economizing. Naturally, with ev-
erybody else poor the doctors and other
professional men began to feel pinched,
and to sum 1t all up the country had hard
times.
That is the condition today. What
is the remedy? The Bryan shouters lay
all the trouble to Wall street and tell
the people to vote for free silver. But
what good will free silver do if no one
has a chance to earn it except the few
who have bullion to sell? And what
relation has silver to the causes of de-
preston? We have very much more
silver per capita in circulation now than
any. country on silver .basis-$S.S9, as
against S4.54 in Mexico and sos in
China. While as for money of all kinds
we have S24.333 per capita as against
SPOTS in England and S17.59 in Ger
many. Hence it cannot be lack OF
money or of silver money which accounts
for the prevailing distress. 1t must be
| lack of employment, and for this Wal
| street has very little to answer. Wal
| street is not an employment bureau. bu
the protective. tariff is; TO that, as
| Mr.. Porter points out, the idle working
man must look for his wage.
Economic protection gives the miner
lumberman, sheep-raiser and farmer al
| outlet for raw material into the home
market; the manufacturer works up tn,
| product and restores his pay roll thu
employe moves into a larger house. i'm
proves his furnishings. dresses himself
and family better and buys a create
variety of food the custom of the trades
man returns, and in a little while tn
23.O0O.OOO bread-winners in this countr.
are earning their original billions again
and good times are once more in evi
| dence. The whole process has been a
! logical as cause and effect.
| 1t is for this we plead on behalf 0
| every wage-earner who wants return
to the old prosperity, the lively bushes
era of 1882. That cycle of plent
was due, not to abundant harvests, TO
we have those now; not to foreign wars
| for Europe was at peace; not to surplus
age of money, for we have more col
now than then. The reason for it wa
that foreign sellers were kept out of tn
American market in the interest Q
American industry. 1t follows, there
fore. if we turn them out at the ia
election and keep them out thereafter
the old conditions will come back an
the United States will cease to be tn
tramping ground of idle workingmen an
blossom again with the fruits of thrif
and industry.-San Francisco Chronicle