The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1897-12-06
An Echo OF Misery.


following prominent place in its edl-
tOrial columns:
a New Haven shop girl writes to TIE
5tegister a dismal Thanksgiving letter
Within three years her weekly wages In Il
dry goods store have been cut from IS TO IS,
and my case is one of many" she says.
THE wages paid to female help in the
stores of this city have fallen steadily
Since this year opened, until ut last they
axe SO small that they Will not buy Sulh-
Gent food" This girl has also to support
her mother-Day rent, feed and clothe two
persons on So week. She inquiries: IF it
IS a fact that prosperity is returning, why
are wages steadily reduced?" And finally
she asks ION this Thank giying eve L
pleat for Il rescue from this misery. With
all the money spent in this city. isn't there
profit enough to at least keeps body and
soul together?' The class in sociology may
answer
The class in sociology! Yea, and the
class IN theology, too. And the class
III moral philosophy. And all and sing
ular the students of humanity. Lei
them all stand up and give an answer
to this cry of misery. 1t is but faint
echo Of great cry that is going up all
over this land tOday-a cry that is like
ly to grow louder and louder as the Ham
mas get their innings and the gold syn
dicates rake in their winnings.
The fact that makes it significant is
that it rises in New England-rch ana
prosperous New England--where the
boom for sound" money has taken the
place of religion; where the preachers
rose or knelt down in their pulpits and
publicly worshiped the golden calf and
advised their congregations to do the
same; and where the effort to proven,
the robbery of the producers OF wealth
through constantly approaching stand
ard Of value was denounced as 'repudia-
ton"
The poor shOpgirl gives her testimony
to the effect that her case is one O."
many. 1t is something more than that,
il is one of millions. 1t is not the re-
suit OF stingness on the part Of her en-
rlOyers They would be glad to pay
her So a week today if their business
would justify it, But in the proper
ton that her wages have been cut down
just in that proportion have their busl-
ness and profits been cut down. This is
one of the notes OF Mckinley prosper
ity. 1t has come upon New England
with vengeance.
The president can make maXimS and
he can also make republican prosperity
ct is better to open the mills TO labor
than TO open the mints to silver .An0
the mills opened to admit prosperity.
"By protective tariff we enable manu-
facturers to employ more labor at bet
ter wages. and better wages mean en-
larged and profitable markets to the
farmers"
Oh, the sweet ana precious joy of max
im-making! Would you save the na-
ton? Make maxim! Would you re
store prosperity? Make two m2Xims'
And then declare thai the only way to
make everybody happy is 10 make nine
tenths Of the people poorer
We were chatting with The Spring
field Republican the other day about UNI
der consumption. The cases of which
the New Haven shop girl is o type give
a vory vivid illustration. How much
money f0r trading purposes is left out
port two? How many frocks canAthe
two afford to buy?
We have no hope whatever that the
New England people will ever he able
TO see what is destroying their indus
tries until it is too late to save them.
but we are pretty well convinced that
The Springfield Republican sees anG
knows The trouble is that the money
dealing class is too powerful in that sec
ton of The country for . newspaper to
antagonize its greedy programme.