The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-09-03
ROB'T p. PORTER'S LETTER.


sno-tha-8 me1 % sEsc-t conventions sad
Soma days tievots q page % the sna.cses
q c11aFezs4 -40zs -228s OBTAINED visited
3 large manufacturing es.sol ssA-us1t ne
other 1aE. SEd on emerging found an sx-
press wagon and furniture vaa al dead
staaSstlH whlie the drivers ant keepers
were osth engaged IA a h.ateI as ass on.
] vas sna5se to End Q-lt exactly aew ne
paF-tas - sEbate stood Sut f5se rscat one
u2u lat1 down with great emphasis Has
tea- Curing such times as these che work-
tagraan ata less ana that in consequences
there 8as less demand FOR gre grolIe5s o.
t1s farm. n snort. that the conditions
. tae Cities and % Industries was ire
real cause o the depression 3u farm
gro3Gce
Ore q che men advanced = good arr1s-
-1ert. showing that even during These
har3 times the farmer was better OF than
Tie cvellar IN the tenement houses % Tie
large @5ttss
az least" b. za9a. "the farmer gets his
gr1o an4 generally pan-y 81 it. and some
OF IS a6n gs1 tAat Ae has q nome to
shelter ain and good fresh ar for tbs
kisfs. lie E-1mb,es pretty lustily these
times, BOT al the same he IS better or than
The city laoorer ont Of JOB, ana, for that
matter. than Some folks who have a 100"
This conversation suggested the facts
brought oat IN this letter.
article have shown that IN the slaughter
3ng, packing and provision business OF
Chicago the prices OF the products today
ars about one-haf OF what they &vere IN
ls9. when the census showed the annual
value or these industries IN Chicago ex-
ces'ded so 90. and that over 81. coo 90
was annually disonrsed in wages In this
case The loss has fallen upon the farmer.
because there is no dIminution 20 speak OF
har If
preparation % these commodities for the
market In the clothing business Of This
CITY nave shown that there are 3 per
cent less men al work, and that those
VINO are al work receive 10 per cent less
wages. In the iron and steel industry
there ara 2 per cent. less men employed.
ana those employed are getting 10 par cent.
tsss wages. The woodworking and furni-
t1re industries have suffered since lSso-gs
20 per cent. in number. and 30 Der cent.
mas gone from the wages of those who
now find work. The glass industry Is sttu
more seriously injured. more than one
third less people being employed. Twenty
per cent. has gone from the wages OF those
engaged IN the manufacture Of agricultural
implements, and over Is per cent less is
paid out in the boot and shoe trade. Print
Ing ana publishing has also greatly suf-
fered. the business not being much over
half what IL was before the adverse
taffn legislation and the still fur
Their threatened dishono1ng OF our cur
Fency II IS no exaggeration 10 say that
the wage-eaTners Of Chicago are today
sustaining a loss IN number employed. in
reduced time. and in wages actually cut
down OF . per cent. Of their income. This
In the manufacturing occupatio alone
represents a loss Of s31. 600. 900
TIE story does not end here. II has
stopped all increase With thrce-fold in
crease between 1850 and 1890 surely Chi
cago should have added 20 per cent. 20 her
Industrial army by the close Of 1895 That
would have given Sls6, ooe 600 as the wages
In manufactures and over s46.0o0,00o as the
direct annual loss to this one city n
wages. In short. these figures show that
the consuming power OF Chicago has been
seriously cut into. and IL IS this under
consumption multiplied in a thousand Diff
ferent forms throughout the length and
breadth Of the land that has reduced
prices OF agricultural products. and in
common with every other occupation cut
down the income OF the farmer.
II Is most unfortunate that the farmer
appears 10 have attributed his trouble 10
the means OF doing business (moneyl
rather than 10 the actual loss OF business
due to adverse tariff legislation and the
Generalization Of business incident 70 this
free silver craze. While these fat money
agitators are talking about money stand
ards. they are losing sight Of labor stand
ards. While they are charming multitudes
with maxins, our home market IS ship
ping away from US. While they are dllat-
ing on the crime OF 49, the crime OF
1894 is reducing our power to buy. While
they direct attention 70 the congesteG
money market. our people are suffering
from a congested labor market. What I
have shown 10 be true IN Chicago applies
with equal force to the country at large
There are nearly 100000 persons en-
gagged IN the gainful occupations. The es-
tlmatsd earnings OF this stupendogs army
are from $1,000, 000.oo0 to $1,000. 600 per
anaum.
What does this representa-
The consuming power OF the United
States. The home market OF America.
There IS not a nation. from Great Britain
10 far-off Japan, that has not its eve upon
these fabulous figures. They are al alike
struggling for n footholt, Il ever so slight,
ia our home market When the income Of
these ?. 0Qo, GO OF human beings IS intact
every industry. from agriculture 70 COM
ruerce. ts prosperous. The miner 81 busy
digging $3.50 600 or 800 on worth Of
minerals annually from our aouEdan. and
untouched stores imbsdded IN the rocks.
Those engaged IN transportation are busy
carrying the raw material 70 the factory
and the finished product TO the market.
The manufacturer Is occupied In shaping
all sorts Of fabrics, the s.oreAeepers are
prosperous, and the wheels OF progress
are going forward. The farmer, under
such conditions. reaps u fruitful harvest
because people. having more money, buy
more and the demand being greater.
prices are high aud not low. as az the
present time.
Every practical man knows this 20 BE
true. met a score OF men here 81 Chi
eago. who have had vasr experience hand
Ing Agricultural products and who dag
nose the trouble in this way. They are
friends az the fsrmer-men. in fart, who
were brought up on the farms Of Illinois
and whose sympathy goes cut 20 the
farmer with far more sincerity than that
OF the average oemagogue who attributes
ali this trouble 70 the curCeCcy- Take
for example my friend Samuel W Ai.er-
ton. plain. simple man. who has studied
,his side OF the question with great care,
and whose conclusions are safe and relia-
bic. He contends that people eat less and
hence consume less of agricultural pro-
ducts, under existing circumstances than
formerly. and FROM this the'farner IS saf-
ferng.
IN a conversation the other day win Mr.
Al1erton. he said:
we now have $4,000 barrels % pork
selling az &c We had Ell the same time
n 1891 5ooooo barrels Of pork selling az
tI2-5 pr barrel
I'VE now have 5sooa. no pounds OF short
ribs selling az 1910 Ter hundred We had
AZ TIE same time In 1881 ~ zoe 900 pounds %
ribs selling at from s. 70 81 per hundred
From 1851 20 1882 lard sold from g. 20
$ per hundred pounds; now 4 sells az
ala
WAY are rl5s ,sfo Per hundred. pork
- lars s31a7 u IS because our people