The Globe-republican., 1899-11-30

Conditions of the Labor Market To-day
and Those Which Existed Under Free
Tariff Tinkering.
There is some of your boosted Nc
Kinley prosperity said my Populist
friend, as he came into the house. sat
Down upon the couch and threw his
hat upon the stand. Il saw great COB
OF it hanging around the street cor
ners. Men, idle men. miners not
working, on strike-all they had to
do was to vote for the advance agent
of prosperity and everything would be
lovely, plenty of work, wages would
60 up-beautiful, beautiful, beau-ti-
full. Strikes! You can read of them
just any time you want to. Every
miner in Burlingame is out. Why
don't you talk? Why don't you say
something, eh?"
Did you order your corn harvester
when in town today?" meekly asked
the little wife.
Corn harvester! Corn harvester!
Pumpkins and squash! That's it," he
exclaimed. That's it; eternally try
ing to change the subject when you're
cornered. Strikes are touchy subjects
with you Republicans. 1 don't won
der, for you have so many of them.
It's sore spot"
"The men of the mines in town have
quit, have they?" she asked.
Quit" CALCULATED my Populist
friend. 81 should say so. They are out
In every town in the county. You
could see them hanging around on
rock pile and street corners. l sup
pose they were dilating on the beau
ties of protective tariff for the bene-
ut of the wage earners.
Il suppose, then, that you will not
buy that corn harvester" she sug-
gested
Come, stick to the subject" he an
swered impatiently. Don't be always
flying the track when you are getting
the worst of it."
The patient little woman only
smiled as she asked: MANY idle
miners been along here hunting a job
of corn cutting this fall?"
"N-n-o-o; none," he replied.
"Oh. only remember hearing you
say" she asserted, that if they were
as plenty this year as they were four
or five years ago, you would give them
a job cutting the big corn crop and
would not buy a harvester, so
thought that as they are idle now
you'd probably change your mind as
to the harvester and let them do the
work."
Nov what are you getting at, any
way?" he asked. You are the hard
est woman to understand"
"Oh, l think not" she answered,
good naturally. -Four or five years
ago, when we were under Cleveland's
blessed policy of buying many manu-
featured goods abroad, mills were
closed. factories idle, transportation
light, demand for coal slack, mining
dull. times hard, and how often we
used to see the miners from town
along here hunting corn-cutting jobs?
Haven't seen any Of it this fall, have
you?"
mo, but we have strikes" he re-
torted.
Didn't have any then" she an
swered. 1T was pitiful. 1t was all the
same; strike or no strike, there was
little for them to do
But If times are so dreadfully
good" he demanded, "Pd like to have
you account for this strike, right here
at our home town."
Account for it? Why, of course.
Be patient. Have you read their reso-
lutions?" she inquired, and as he did
not reply she proceeded with, Mote
the commencement of them. That is
whole chapter in itself. Whereas
there is a widespread business activ-
ity.' and then they demand a 20 per
cent raise of wages. The operators
offer them a 10 per cent advance"
That's it. Try to argue out Of it,"
interrupted my Populist friend, almost
What sort of resolutions were la
borers passing four years ago." she
proceeded. not noticing his Interrupt
ton. Wouldn't they have COM
Whereas, there is widespread
business disaster or whereas, we are
on the verge Of moral, political, mate
rial and several other sorts of ruin;
therefore We demand a remedy
Why, husband! The 'Whereases'
alone ought to convince you of the
difference between the times that fol-
low the free trade and those of McKin-
ley prosperity. Then the miners here
were so anxious to get little work
that they took what they could have
at what wages they could get without
thought Of protests, thinking only Of
an opportunity to change so that they
could get Old times and wages again.
That opportunity came. The laboring
men of the country Joined the busi-
ness interests, voted down Bryan and
his free-trade, free-silver theories,
voted in Mckinley and his protective