The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-29
SHOWlNGAT ALEXANDRIA
M'kINIEyIsM HAS BROUGHT PROS
PERITY TO THIS PLACE.
Contrast Between 1891 and 1S9S-Im-
mense Plants Running at
Full Time.



ALEXANDRIA, Oct. 2S-Alexandria Is
not at all behind when it comes to presents
ing an object lesson and comparison be-
tween Cleveland and Mckinley times. The
showing made here is really better-for the
Mckinley side-than any place | have Wis
tied The situation here is best stated by
comparison. thus:
1894, Cleveland--Eight plants with capac-
lily for the employment of 1000 hands; all
closed most of the year; four in the hands
of receivers and one sold under an execu-
ton: two charity markets and one soup
house in full operation during winter Of
1894
1888. McKinley-Eight plants with capac-
ity for the employment of 1850 hands; six
In operation with 2l25 employees and two
(window-glass factories) employing $40
hands, merely waiting for their employees
to settle the wage scale to begin operations.
For a considerable portion of the year
1884 there was not factory here running.
not one that employed anybody except
watchmen. Skilled workmen and common
laborers were reduced to the necessity OF
patronizing the public charity markets.
where they could buy food on credit and
work out the value in public work. and
some who never before had known want
to the souphouse for free food. A steam
whistle was not heard here except on the
railroad and they only as trains passed
through, for there was no shipping done
here. carload of freight did not leave the
town hardly once a week. Men walked about
the streets in rags and the good wives re-
manned at home with less than rags to
wear. All this was in 1894
But in 1885 what difference! The follow
ing plants are in full blast now with full
forces Of employees: Kelley AK Manufacture
ing Company, AGO employees; Union Steel
Company, CSC; Lippincott Glass Company,
45O; American Plate-glass Company, 500.
soon to be increased to over 750; Indiana
Brick Company. IS; Nicoson Stone Com
pany, 30. The De Pauw Window-glass COM
pany ran all of the last season with full
force of $50 employees, closing for the usual
summer lay-off on June 80. when the wage
scale expired, as did also the Alexandria
Window-glass Company, with 80 employees.
Both expect 20 reopen any day now. The
fires have been burning since Oct 10 and
the delay is now caused by the fiatteners
failure to sign the new wage scale. Every
factory is rushed with orders and many
are running day and night. The Kelley AK
Company is SO busy that it had to dis
pense with its usual shutdown of two
weeks this fall to invoice. For a full year
now it has not closed at all.
VAST ENTERPRISES REVIVED.
The Union Steel Company is the success
scr to the New Albany rail mill, one OF the
factories that passed into receivers hands
under Mr.. Cleveland. The new company has
added much to the old plant. investing all
told nearly 100000. The Belleyille Qll.) Steel
Company failed also in 1898 and then 1t con-
solidated with the New Albany Company.
but it was hard pulling. said Mr.. Albert
Trinler, the manager, to-day.
1--WE worked fairly we'll, said he, after
starting up about the middle of 1895 until
early in 1896, when the big slump came. 1t
was in April, think. when people began
talking free silver and the bottom dropped
out of everything. We were closed nine
tenths of the time from the list of March
1886, until after the election. Then oruers be-
gan to come in and we soon were running
even better time than in 1885, But 1t Was
not until late in 1897 that l. can say we Were
running full time with a full force.
1--WE have had no advance in the wage
scale, but the men are very much better
of now. To-day's pay roll for two weeks
will be $lz,O00 which is the largest we have
had since we opened in 1885, when we oc-
casionaly equaied IT, Now here Is whsre
it affects the worlxingman. Our b-Weekly
pay roll this year, with the same number
Of men that we had last year, will average
SLIGO, or s2S6, coo for the year, while those
same men received last year an average OF
81 400 a month, or $lS2,cOO for the year, an
increase over last year OF % per cent. DO
YOU see it is not simply an Increase or
decrease in the wage scale that affects the
pocketbOOkS of the worklngmen. we now
have about $50 employees and orders are
corning in rapidly enough to JUSTIFY me III
saving that j think we will keep them all
busy as they want to be all tnis winter.
We are operating our entire plant except
the BesSenler steel plant ana tnat mas never
been operated by this company.
The American Plate-glass Company mas
struck an era of prosperity never even I'M,
agined before in this trade Prices rule nigh
and orders are so plentiful that TINS COM
parry is now just completing addiuons Wnicn
will require about 200 more employts Esd ms y,
oneration before the middle OF next month.
The present company took noid OF tnls
plant last fall. In 1894 IL was the De PauW
PIate-gIass Company and like the other
plants here went into receivers hands;
S. j. Mack is secretary and treasurer oi
INC p rS TO the ist of October of last year"
he said, "the plant was running only oc-
casionally. 1t would run week anu ,a LII
Esrorn october to May we ran on fairly good
time and since last May we nave run an
the time, day and night win Ia, 2 Iuil io o,,S,5
of 500 employees Our pay roll TINS year WI. NH
amount to about $265.0O0, while before TINS
wear the plant never paid over xlOo,OW
11roIements and additions which will require
80 more hands next month. but If tree
silver should be agitated again suppose
Saa would have TO close 1t all. We have no
fear of the future II the silver talk can be
kept buried We have so much commence ~,
in the future that we have just erected the
largest casting hall in this country IL =
1000 feet long and 200 feet wide. DO our men
make any complaint? Well, yes, they COM COM
niaiIs sometimes because we want them
to work when they would rather nor, pus
that is a new complaint IN these parfss IL
was not fashionable four years ago: