Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-09-08
W0RKINGMAN ON PROSPERITY,
Views of = Unemployed Carpenter ON
the Political Situation.

LJs t1lC Nas VI Ahtk0d0SttOAp WOQt0
say have been a reader of The Times
for thirty years, not always agreeing
with its politics. but knowing its value
as clean paper, fit to be read by every
one. Therefore venture to present my
views on the present political situation.
| am only common. very-day Journey
man carpenter, out OF work for the last
four months, with a prospect of four
months longer. more or less. But am
name and some / know by sight | am
q native American, as my ancestors
were for generations.
But this is not my first experience in
this line by any means. | might say
with truth 1t is always so year in and
year out, and this year is as bad as
any. For the last ten years there have
been more men and less work This is
my experience so far as prosperity is
concerned. Must | measure the pros
perity by my own experience or by my
neighbor, who is doing better than |
am?
Our fantastic Mayor said not a
great while ago that no one need 20
idle if he really wanted to work. One
of our great Republican orators said in
one of his recent speeches that in all
this broad land no one need want for
work. Wen, l say no one in this broad
land ever uttered a bigger falsehood
OF such | have nothing to say.
Now. why is there no work for such
as want it? If 1t can't be had. where
is the prosperity? Well. there is one
reason, and that is there are too many
1oreigners-the scum of Europe, the
offscourings of their cities, are dumped
like mud on our shores, and crowd out
all decent labor. Why is 1t so? Be-
cause the same power that makes our
tariff desires the labor market to be
glutted; then wages go down
If our legislators showed as much
zeal in the labor problem as they do in
taxing imports the evil would be stop
ped. Years ago foreigners did only the
most mental work Now they are in all
branches OF labor, and work for half
and sometimes less than half. How is
any decent, self-respecting man to bring
up his family in the fear of God and
any regard for morality and live as
these people do? Many of them are
worse off after they get here than they
were where they came from, and as
they can live on husks, they stay. To
compete with them we must live on
husks also. Can 1t be stopped? Should
it be? We prevented the Chinese from
coming in, and some of the other for
eigners are as bad.
Not only do we let them come here,
but we have taken under our kind pro-
lection some 100000 more. OF what
use are all these savages. for a great
part of them are a little better? OF
what benefit is it to the mass of the
people of this country that these far-off
Islands should be part of this coun-
try? Why should vote for a man for
President who is determined not to
haul down our flag?
This annexation is another kind of
prosperity too deep for common peo-
pie to understand. Is Mckinley worthy
of my vote because he and his states
men in Washington desire 10 go down
in the pages of history as the makers of
an empire? The Times described him
as man of straw when the Porto
Rican Tariff bill was under discussion.
Would he be any better in any other
important matter? Is such a man TO
be trusted? The power behind the
throne, as The Times expressed 1t, that
power Is always present either for good
or evil.
| remember many years ago when
crossing one of the Brooklyn ferries
wild-eyed Englishman came aboard the
boat and in a loud voice declared the
country was given over to monopolists,
and they would soon control every
thing. | laughed at him and thought
him crazy. Well, he wasn't far from
being a prophet.
The Republican party stole one
Presidency. Would they steal another
If the opportunity offered? The party
tried to put the Force bills through
Congress. and had 1t been successful
would it not have held the reins of pow
er for years? Is 1t the one to be trust
ed? Some of the Republican leaders
declared in 1896 that if Bryan was
elected perhaps he would not be seated
Those who oppose the present Adj
ministration are called little Americans,
and even traitors. 1t is treason to be
anything but a Republican?
A certain pastor OF a fashionable
church declared from his pulpit that the
followers of Bryan were Anarchists.
If so. they ought to be shot Well, there
were only some 100000 of them. This
from a clergyman of fashionable
church, who was paid a fat salary to
preach Jesus Christ and Him cruel
fed" This man DETAINED his fellow
citizens who were exercising their law
full right decently and in order
Now what | want to know is where
is the prosperity? Is 1t In pounding
the sidewalks looking for work? /
read in the papers Of factories shutting
down, throwing thousands out OF work.
This, all this, call Mckinley prosper
ity. | see it on the streets of our cities.
in the palaces of the rich. their town
houses and country residences, In their
coaches with their liveried outriders, in
their yachts. ] see 1t in the slums, in
the hives where Human beings swarm,
in these human dens which they call
homes, and. where the light never
shines, and with never a breath OF
fresh air. They grow and multiply
and help to swell the rent roll Of ma
hobs already gorged with the Fat wrung
from want and misery.
| saw prosperity a few days ago
when that twenty or thirty times a
millionaire was laid away without his
dollars. | saw it when they strewed
his grave with flowers, the cost Of
which would have bought poor man q
house | saw il when they laid him
in bsc tomb <yhoch cesef a oytarfa~ re a