The San Francisco call., 1897-06-27
HELPING HARD
Home WORKERS
Appeal to CalifornianS to
Stand by One An
other.
If Domestic Products Are
Slighted Business Will
Languish,
Interesting Paper by ], W. Kerr,
Giving the Cause of Hard
Times Locally.

James w. Kerr appears in this months
edition of the Merchants Association Re-
view. The following are extracts:
That our City is in deep trouble there can
be no question. Our people to-day are not
Drospering, and this statement applies to the
proper ty-owner, who mourns over vacant
stores and houses, reduced rent rolls and de-
preciated values, as we'll as 10 the mechan ic
who spends half his time idling on the streets
! the laoorer who takes his turn with pick or
! shovel on the boulevard in his effort TO keep
| BODY and soul together, and the manu-
! iaeturers who struggle to Uphold a losing
| business, hoping for the good times that DO
not come. While the dun years through
which We have been passing have not been
| marked by many startling failures, there are
| many instances where men have honestly set
| tied up their accounts, locked the doors OF
| their W rksnoPs and LETT for other fields OF
operation.
Such changes, quietly accomplished, attract
but little attention at the time and
hardly make ripple on the surface, but the
results are what we are feeling to-day. Our
merchants have probably been the last 10
feel the bad effects of these changes, and in
the first instance per haps they were benefited
| by them.
The working population were probably living
on higher plane tnan those of any other
city; large proportion had accumulated
some reserve fun0s and many owned their
homes. Under these conditions the eonsump-
tion OF household supplies was not at first
affected by loss OF employment: the scale OF
living continued the same until the accumu-
lation OF prosperous years became exhausted
and the people began TO realize that they had
10 adjust themselves 70 changed conditions or
leave the state.
1t was at this stage that merchants and
property owners began TO feel, as thew do now,
the ruinous effects of policy which builds up
industries OF other States at the expense OF
our own, for an impoyeris he'd people can nei-
ther be liberal buyers nor profitable tenants
In speaking OF the causes which brought bout
those conditions in an article limited as this
must be, we can only refer 10 such causes as
are In our power 10 correct aud for which we
are directly responsible, and this viii lead us
oack 10 the earliest days OF our State. Some
of m readers may have taken notice OF the
grow b OF some of our Western States.
First. q scattering OF hardy farmers As
population Increased q black mt his hon and
wagon repair shop were ADDED TO The settle
menI. In time those developed into the ma
chite-shop and Carriage factory, and so on all
along the line, The manufaci urer and pro-
ducer keeping pace with each other in tn.
line OF development until we find a WELL
balanced and largely selEsustsiuiug commu-
nifty. such has not been the history o. Cali
iornla ana the history OF the State is the his
tory of the City.
Under the impulses Of The gold discoveries.
Caiifornls bounded into being. A population
poured IN from al quarters bent uDou one oc-
eupat'on, mining. fnere was a large demand
SUDDENLY cree ted for supplies OF q kinds be-
lore society had chance TO organize 10 meet Il.
These sGpples h. q 70 be tnerei0fe drawn from
outside sources. ana so IL came 10 mass thnt
there was established i here a class OF import
SFS aU0 GeGteGs VINO were. 20 al llseUtt and
purposes, the agents OF Eastern manufactur-
ers ard with few exceptions have remained
Sucl up to the present time
As mining interests declined many OF our
peOp.e directed thefr attention TO the deyel-
opment OF our manufacturing industries bus
found themselves confronted with pecu Tar
conditions. Instead OF securing ny eneonr-
agement or support from the desicrs WHO
stand between the manufacturer and CON
suner, they found that class so closely iden-
titled with outside sources of supply That the
Il. 4 to
Iruder in their field OF 0 operaiiOns and his e.
forts 10 esteb ebllsh LEGAL industries considered
aS hostile TO their interests. With the con-
sumer. also, difficulties al once presented
themselves.
The mass of people had been so thor
ouehly educated up 10 the idea that the word
imported was q brand Of excellence that
the 4 name OF a local manufacturer on mis- goods
only served 70 discredit them. NotwithstGnd-
ing these obstacles our manufacturers con
uuued the uphill fight against hostile dealers
and foolish prejudices, slowly but steadily :
gaining ground. Those who had so long CON
trOlled this market, however, were not going
10 surrender II wiihouta struggle. The era OF
cheap goods dawned upon US importers ex-
erted themselves 10 secure advantages for
goods OF Eastern manufacture in low west
bound freight rates.
The products of the prison factories of Ore
eon ana the East were offered in competition
with those from our own manufacturers. Cap
IiYatcd by low prices our people have patron
lied these importa tions, and in doing so have
worked their own ruin. In their purchasing
they have saved the dimes. but have lost the
dollars by the closing OF the factories which
gave them employment In a fair open mar
ket unaer EQUAL conditions our manufacturers
can hold their own but if this unequal stride
is TO continue our City viii see worse times
than IL has yeteIperienced.
The way out OF our difficulties il in the
hands OF our people, tor we import sufi-
cheney OF supplies which could be manufac-
tured mere, the manufacture of which would
keep all reasonably busy. To accomplish this
end Is the object OF those who are advocating
the "home industry" movement in this State
They asked for work and you said 90 East
and We will send IL 10 you. And now you look
/ up st your empty houses and wonder where
the people have gone, or you lean over the
counters Of your stores and wonder WHY cheap
goods even fail 10 bring business and at last
II begins to dawn upon you that lhe-e may be
something In the "home industry" idea after
all When that idea has taken root Won are
just al the beginning Of the ''wsy out"