The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1897-08-07
A WAVE OF PROSPERITY.

The Chicago Times Herald, the Nc
kinley administration organ in the
Windy City, is sending out repor.5 made
out OF whole cloth to he effect that
since the passage of the Dingley tariff
bill a prosperity wave hos started that
is sweeping over the entire country.
1T is no feeble. hesitatng ripple. says
the lying kohlsaat sheet, but Il mighty
flood, deep enough and broad enough to
carry the coed ship Confidence high
above the sunken reefs of hard times"
In this fguative style the Mckinley
organ goes on eXpltiating on the boom
that has begun in all lines OF business.
The manufacturer. the merchant. tho
farmer, the banker. the la5orrr-- all are
experiencing the effects of the blessed
tariff, if the Times Herald is to be be-
leyed
Tho gold-standard. hishtariil organ
claims to have received from its cor
respondents in seyenty-tive OF the prin-
cipal cities in twelve states of the Mis-
sissippi valley. glowing reports Of tfc
tremendous revival in all branches OF
business.
"l'p in Minnesota" says the Times
Herald, the passage of the new tariff
law had an immediate effect on basl-
ness, which has been felt by every mer-
chant and manufacturer in the STATE,
as we'll as the farmer. There is Il
scarcity Of labor in Minneapolis for the
first time in years, and the wages nave
increased accordingly"
1t is needless for the Irish Standard
TO say that the report about the sudden
nrnspcritv i'm Minnesota from the Ding
ley tariff is a tigment of the magma
tion We have not been bit stag
gered by the force of the wave which
is said to have reached the North Star
state. More people are employed, of
course, than earlier in the year. The
saw mills and flour mills are running
in this city and street work is going on.
The farmers are harvesting and have
to employ extra labor. We are aware
"
OILS published reports that there WIS
scarcity of labor in this city Two weeks
ago; but why they did not explain. The
reason Is this: 4. a. Gillespie, the
water WORKS contractor. was laying the
water mains and paying only SIPS for
ten hours work AS a contractor he
wanted to make all the money he coul.l
anu the only way to do that was to
wClk his men hard at small wages.
] his he did when the men were digging
the streets for the laying CT the pipes
with the temperature in the eighties
Many OF the men quit after the first
days work and Gillespie had to advar-
tlse for others to take their places, and
was forced to pay % cents a day more.
mat is how the scarcity OF men came
ABOUT. and the unreliable Republican
papers claimed ii was an unmistakabl4
sign of prosperity brought about by
the passage Of the new tariff bill, as il
tariff had anything to do with it. rho
only work to be affected by the .ariH
was work in the saw mills. and we are
unable to learn that the saw mill
hands have received any Increase In
wages on account Of the 81 tariff on
lumber
When good times come we can find It
out in Minneapolis without being told
OF 1t by MIR. kOhlsaat, the author OF the
gold plank in the st. Louis platform.
When he sends out reports alleging that
labor is scarce in this city he is en-
rouraging idle men in other places to
come here to be disappointed We have
questioned the business men of Mime
apolis in regard to the prosperity wave
which has recently struck them accord
ing to the Times Iierald, but they deny
it's existence thus far and are only en-
pecting it to arrive sometime in the flu
ture. The good ship Confidence" has
not yet reached the Falls Of St Anthony,
Kohlsaat's fairy tales to the contrary
withstanding. The scarcity OF labor
here is II myth. While laborers can get
$l5O and SIZE with board in the nar-
vest fields Of the Northwest. they will
not work for a contractor on the streets
of this city for $l.25 and board them
selves. Perhaps when harvesting Is
over the contractor can hire lnen
cheaper.