Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-05-15
Empty Talk OF the "Great American
FaiIure"-Review OF His Own Course
in N~egIecting Party riedges-Eight-
cen Months Of Inaction.
Cleveiand's Tale of Woe.

1893, and the enactment, eighteen
months later, of the low tariff act to
which his party was equally pledged,
would seem TO have suggested silence
rather than criticism regarding party
activity in carrying out pledges.
1t was more than seven months from
his Inauguration as President in 1893
before his Congress met to consider
any Of the propositions TO which his
party was pledged and within a few
days Of eighteen months before the
leading promise of it's platform was full
filed In the enactment of u new tariff
law. The business uncertainties, the
long months OF suspense in which a
ufacturers and dealers of all classes
were unable to proceed in~telligently
with business enterprises, and the stop
page Of business and loss of employ
ment consequent thereon, make the
eighteen months Of mastery inactiv-
ity in which President Cleveland and
his party neglected to fulfill with shot
haste" their promises of legislation,
the most disastrous in the history Of
the business OF the country. A brief
review OF these eighteen months of de
lay In legislation by his party may in
dictate whether the Republicans of to-
day ought to be deferred by his com
plant of their "hot haste in carrying
out their promises.
The latest number Of the statistical
abstract shows the number Of failures
Of commercial and business concerns
in the United States ia the first year OF
President Cleveland's administration
1888 10 be 15,242, with total liabili-
ties amounting to $346, 749,SS9. This
covers only about one-half OF the pc
.riod between the Inauguration Of Pres
ident Cleveland and the enactment of
the legislation which his party prom
Used. The record of 1893, however. is
the most disastrous the country has
ever experienced, the number of fall
ures being 30 per cent. greater thar In
the panic Of 1873 and the losses also
30 per cent. greater. In addition TO
these failures no less than 6l3 banks
failed during hat year. This great
number OF failures threw out OF EN-
ployment such large numbers of per-
sons and reduced wage in so many
cases as to aus an unusual lumber
of strikes and lockouts, resulting in
great losses OF wages of workingmen
and losses to employers. Over 100000
employees were involved in the strikes
occurring between March 4, 1893, and
August %, 1894, the date of the enact
ment of the Wilson law. The loss In
wages to the persons thrown L of
employment by the strikes and lock-
outs in those eighteen months, as
shown by the report Of the United
States Commissioner of Labor, is over
S45, 100000, while the business loss to
employers aggregated about half that
sum. Reports Of the Interstate Com
merce covering this period also afford
interesting comment upon the effect of
the business troubles which existed
during the tendency Of the promised
legislation during the year 1893. Many
Of the most important railroads of the
country were placed in the hands Of
receivers. The mileage of thirty rail
roads so treated in the first half OF the
period between President Clevland's
inauguration and the completion of the
legislation promised IN his platform
was 25,375 miles, or nearly one-sev-
enth Of all the railroad lines Of the
United States. Their indebtedness
vas 81, PIP, 217 ,O33.
The following record OF prominent
events during the eighteen months In
which President Cleveland and his par
ty held the country In suspense prior
to the enactment OF the legislation
promised by them will Indicate to some
extent whether he was justified In com
planning Of the "hot haste" with which
the Republican party is carrying out
It's own pledges on this occasion.
March, 1893. General strike began
among the clothing cutters in New York;
strike of employees on Toledo and Ann Ar
Dor road.
April, 1893. Strike of 1000 workers on
fair grounds at Chicago.
May, 1893. Strike of 10000 coal min
ers In Ohio; failure of a large number of
Western banks following the failure of
the Columbia National Bank at Chicago.
June, 1898. Runs on savings banks in
Chicago and failures of numerous banks
in various parts Of the country.
July, 1893. Announcement Of suspen-
sion of work in 300 silver mines in the
United States; numerous bank failures;
four bank failures In Denver; runs on 9th
er financial institutions; numerous bust
ness failures; many bank failures in the
West and all other sections Of the coun-
try.
August, 1893. Failure Of numerous
commission houses in Chicago; failure of
Madison Square Bank in New York; riots
In New York and encounters between
anarchists and socialists only prevented
by police; close of long and unsuccessful
coal miners strike in Kansas.
September, 1893. Strike of "Big -Four"
employees.
October, 1893. Troops called out in
Alabama to suppress riots Of railroad
strikers.
November, 1893. Riots in Pennsylvania
mining region.
January, 1894. Strike Of many thou
sand potters in New Jersey against re-
duction of wages; Secretary Carlisle Of
fers a $50, 100000 loan for public subscrip-
ton: striking miners in Pennsylvania de-
stroy property at Brantyille and else
where.
February, 1894. Sale Of $50, 900 of
bonds by Secretary Carlisle; many large
silk factories In New York close on ac-
count of strike; all the mines of the Mas
sillon district closed by strikes; riotous
assemblages of unemployed workmen in
Boston dispersed by police.
March, 1894. General strike among the
nilE Ne>eTs at Paterson, N. j.; West Vir-
Hinia striking miners burn railroad
bridges; riots at Paterson, n. j., among
the striking silk weavers; United States
troops called upon to quell a riot at Den
yer; State troops ordered to Cripple Greek
for the suppression of mining troubles;
Coxey's organization marches towards
Washington.
April, 1894. Mob of strikers in East
Liverpool become %riotous; 5000 plumbers
and 5000 coke workers In Pennsylvania
20 on q strike; Government of South Car
olina declares martial law in all cities of
the State; six men killed and one fatally
wounded In the riots of the coke region of
Pennsylvania; eight thousand united