Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-03-17

was only an apparent surplus ana hoI
a real one. The surplus left by the pre-
cedine Democratic administration had
entirely disappeared. while the revenue
from 1889 to 1892 had fallen short of
The expenditures by nearly the same
amount: and it was only by Selling the
trust fund of $54OOO.0OO which had been
deposited by the national hanks 30 Sc
cure the redemption of their notes that
Secretary Foster was enabled TO avoid
an issue of bonds Then Sherman's
bastard silver purchase law got in its
work and confidence rapidly gave way
To- disrust. In the latter half of 1892
the discomfort of labor had become so
fierce that i'm many places it amounted
to- instruction. In June of that year
the Iron League discharged 1880 men
because they were Knights of Labor,
and The Homestead Steel Works closed,
throwing 5000 men out OF work. In
July an attempt was made to land Pink
erron men at Homestead; several of
them were killed. and. on the 10th, the
National Guard of Pennsylvania was
called out. On the 18th there was a
battle between union and non-union
miners at Occur d'Alene, Idaho and
number of men were killed. Martial
law was declared. and on the 10Th
President Harrison, by proclamation,
called en- all persons in Instruction in
Idaho TO disperse. On the 18th war
rants were issued for the Homestead
leaders charged with the murder Of
Pinkerton guards. On the 22d the iron
workers at DuQuesne struck, and on
the 90th troops were summoned to that
point August / the building trades in
New York went on strike, and all build
ing I'm that city stopped; but lack of
funds and the vast number of idle men
ready to take their places compelled
many of the men to return to work
and the strike failed. On the 18th the
miners i'm Eastern Tennessee rebelled
AGAINST the competition of convict labor
and liberated the convicts in order to
get rid of them. On the 14th the
switchmen on the Lehigh Valley rail-
road struck. and during the next two
DAYS troops were hurried into Buffalo
on the 18th the strike extended to the
West Shore and New York Central
swi,chmen. and more troops were called
ont. On the 18th and 2Cth one thou
sand Tennessee miners attacked the
militia at Coal Creek and defeated
them. on the 23d the switchmen on
the Delaware, Lackawanna and West
ern railroad. and also on the Buffalo.
Rochester and Pittsburg railroad
struck: these strikes failed. During
the remaining days of August all the
employes of Carnegie C Co. and Of
Schomburger. Speer & Co, of Pittsburg,
struck: these strikes also failed. Dur
ing September the grand jury returned
true bills for murder against 167 Home
stead strikers, and the Occur d'Alene
miners were tried for conspiracy. and
four were convicted. On October y
the yardmen of the Big Four railway
struck. and on the 9th another hun
bred armed deputies were sent to Home
stead. On November 3 a general strike
AGAINST "a reduction Of wages was or
dered by the Amalgamated Council, Of
New Orleans: it failed on the 11tb. On
the 18th and 18th 1900 men abandoned
the stSfka at Homestead and applied
for reinstatement; they were taken
back on signing an agreement not 10
ioin any labor organization. The month
closed with the strike of the electric
wire men and the failure of the Stone
CITY GnD Bank for half million Of
dollars. The most significant event of
November. however. was the election
ON the Sth. when the public discomfort
was expressed by the casting of LOCO
eco votes for absolutely new parties
and principles. During December the
teIewaph operators on the Rock Island
railway system struck. and 5000 men
were discharged from the Chicago
packing houses. owing to dull business
There were heavy shipments of gold,
and a fall in the price of industrial
stocks in the New York market
This is very incomplete account
of the condition, financial and indus
trial. of the business Of the country dur
ing the GROWING year of McKinleyism.
70 which the President alludes so proud
lv. But that was not the only year of
trouble and disaster. The evil effects
of Republican policies, financial and
economic. were felt both before and af-
Ter that year. The elimination came
i'm the panic Of 1898; and il was not until
confidence was restored by the repeal
of the sherman law and industry re-
Iieved of some of the burdens of Nc
Kinleyism by the passage Of the viii
son bin. that business began to resume
anything like a normal condition. In
deed. under the Wilson law for while
something very like genuine prosperity
was reached until the raids on the
treasury gold pvt an end TO confidence.
As to the erect OF these gold raids