Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1904-03-24
STANDARD OF LIVING
WHEREIN AMERICANS FARE BETTER
THAN FOREIGNERS


Condition of Wage Farmers In This
Country Under Protection COM
pared with That of Their Fellows
In Great Britain Under Free Trade.
Senator Gallnger said in concluding
his great speech on the result of Ding
leyism:
The American standard of living,
American manhood and American
homes are the sequences Of protec-
tive tariff
What is the American standard?
How does 1t differ from the foreign
standard, and how does our present
protection standard differ from our
free trade standard?
We do not propose TO consider the
millionaire or the exceptionally up
f1.lunate who can always be found In
gr,.at cities under any circumstances
uut The masses of average toilers to b.
found by the million all over our couP
try.
In the first place, the average Amer
lean is better housed, better clothef
and better fed than the average work
ingman abroad because he gets from
twice to ten times the wages. In Eng
hand one person in every twenty-h five
j. pauper; in the United States noy
one person in thousand. In England
90 per cent of the wage earners have nr
place they can call their own beyond
AZ. 4, t.t%
nothing of value of any kind, are hous-
ed in places that an American would
not think fit for a horse, and Il months
idlcness or sickness brings them face
to face with hunger and pauperism. In
the United States hundreds of thou
sands own their own homes. Other
hundreds of thousands rent four and
six room tenements and apartments
which are comfortably and often hand
somCly furnished From 20 to 33 per
cent of the whole population of some Of
the largest towns ia England live in
one room homes. Less than one-tenth
Of per cent of our population so live.
In London alone d quarter of a million
people live in "homes" which consist
of a single room for all purposes of do
nestle life for all the members OF the
family 1t need hardly be added that
such homes" have little furniture and
rarely q carpet 1t is simply con-
tinual struggle to exist and keep the
children alive. We can hardly realize
in the United States what such an ex-
istcncc is
Now, let us look into typical Amer
icuu flome. 1t can be found in the cit
les, in the towns or the country. 1t is
the rule and not the exception. We
find house or apartment or tenement
of from four to six or more rooms.
Each room is carpeted, a brussels car
pet in the parlor, an ingram in the sit
ting room or dining room a rag carpet
in the bedrooms, while the kitchen has
I'll oilcloth or stained floor. There are
bathroom and several closets There is
pretty paper on the walls and shades
ANA curtains at the windows. The din
ing table may be in the kitchen or IN
the sitting room. or there may be
separate dining room. There are linen
tablecloths and napkins, china and
jglass ware and silver or plated knives.
forks and spoons. There are three
sguare meals Il day, good. substantial
food, in great variety and plenty of it.
In the sitting room will generally be
found a sewing machine, com forta-
bic lounge, a rocking chair and other
chairs. In the parlor in many cases
viii be found Il piano or organ. There
VIII be pictures on the walls ana many
ornamental things. In the bedrooms
Will be found comfortable beds, with
plenty of sheets and blankets and
spreads. There will be found plenty of
books and magazines for the elders
and picture books and story books for
the children. There will be balls and
bats and marbles and tops and skates
and sleds for the boys and dolls for the
rirls. Think Of our American girl who
does not own a doll and sometimes a
,lozen. And the dolls are prettily dress
ed 100. They have their own little beds
and bureaus anu carriages and tea sets
and parasols and numerous other
things. In fact, there are millions of
american dolls that are better off than
the children themselves abroad or We're
the children of free trade times in our
own country