The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1901-05-17

President Mckinley Sees OnIy the
Best . u of ThiEgs Whilo
Touring the Country.

The president in his speech az New
Orleans congratulated the people
upon sharing in the universal pros
perity n contentment so character
isiic at this time of every par, Of our
common country"
There is no doubt that the comfort
and elegance Of the surroundings OF
the president, seeing nothing but the
best side Of the towns he is visiting,
gives him the idea that all is richness
and comfort, and yet on the same May
day there were strikes inaugnrated
In dozens Of cities. The very train
men who have the care Of the sump-
tuous free train with which the rail-
road companies are entertaining Pres
ident Mckinley are on the verge Of
striking for reasons that they think
compel them to do SO. But then Pres
ident Mckinley may have his eye on the
Wall street boom and as nearly all
those who accompany him are addicted
to the ticker habit, he doubtless hears
hourly of vast prosperity, for of
course those travelling with a pres
ident on IN expansion and prosperity
tour must all be bulls and big winners.
From another part of the country
comes a very different tale and from
one OF the greatest manufacturing
cities at that. The textile trade which
suffers periodically from some dis
temper peculiar to itself. says the
Philadelphia Record, is again in a
state Of ~stagnation. This is a favor
able time, therefore, for renewed
speculation as TO the cause of those
recurring .slumps'' in this industry.
The general industrial situation seems
10 be good, and yet the textile busi-
ness is at n practical standstill in so
far as profit taking is concerned.
Many mills have been working Only
part time; large numbers OF hands are
idle, and although an Improvement is
m~omentarily looked for. and has ac-
tually come ia some of the factories,
trade is generally recognized to be in
"A very unsatisfactory state.
Willie the reaction affects the in
dustry in all parts of the country,
such troubles always strike home
with particular force in a great tex
tile center like Philadelphia. Ina.-
tiyity in the mills means a grea: deal
TO labor, and when the workman are
not earning wages regularly the gem
eral trade of the city is depressed.
The reason which are given for the
present state of things are as
numerous as are the men from whom
explanations are sought. There are
hints as to overproduction: under
consumption because of warm VIM
tiers, competition Tin cotton gcods)
from southern mills, which have lost
the Chinese trade; the high price of
cotton and wool; the instability of
prices: too little protection. and the
lack of foreign outlets for the prod
ucts Of our looms. Some Philadelphia
carpet manufacturers still believe
that their trade is being injured by
Chinese mattings.
The chief complaints come from
the wooden and carpet factories.
which need a plentiful supply Of raw
materials at steady prices. The wool
en- manufacturer who looks forward
to a time when he can secure foreign
markets for his goods. know, t,at
there is no hope for that so long as
he must pay protective prices for his
fiber. No American manufactured
products can be sold abroad in com
petition with the products Of other
countries when our manufacturers
have TO pay higher prices for their
raw material. Bonuses TO western
sheep rover in n prohibitory tariff
on clothing woods. and TO the China
man who makes cheap mattings N
a tax on carpet woods. which woods
we annot raise in this country. are
making Philadelphia manufac-
turers or their employees very happy