Idaho Springs siftings., 1904-10-29
DISTRESSFUL TIMES
HAROSHtPS THAT FOLLOWED
OeMOCRACYs SUCCESS.
Lssson that should BE Held In Vivid
Reoeobrance SO that q Repetition
81 lsdustriai Disaster May BE
AvsPted.

President in March, 1893. marke,i the be
ginning Of the most disrresstul times
ever known ia this country
In the preceding November the ma ipr-
fy OF the nations working people had
seen ht TO try the experiment of better
ing their condition through intrusting po-
nlcai power To the Democratic party in
both the administrative and legislative
branches OF the government. In ex-
change for the confidence and power thus
given II. the Democratic party gave.
within six months, the working people
of the country the most frightful dose OF
general calamity it had ever experienced
Within less than one year after the in
dustEial workers had decided. in Noyem-
ber of 1892, not to let well enough alone,
prosperity had set Ike the sun. there
was vast army Of unemployed men.
and starvation and misery reicned among
tens of thousands OF previously well 10
do
The suddenness and completeness with
which this terrible change ia 1898 was
wrought an the fortunes Of the American
people furnished feArfuiiy bitter lesson.
Bat IL is lesson that il Is better for
as 70 hold In vivid remembrance at this
eine rather than learn it all over again
BY taking another dose OF Democracy.
search through the files OF almost
any eading newspaper IN the United
States during the four winters following
the Democratic summers OF 1888. 1894.
1888 and 1896 would show graphic re
counts Of the heartrendans and awful
want that followed the closing of the
mills. the wrecking of banks. and the
destruction of confidence by the Demo
cratic party.
Testimouy from Union Labor.
The following resolution charging the
Democratic party with direct responsible
~ for che fearful suffering Of labor.
was adopted by the Union Labor Club
OF Chicago. and was printed in the news
papers December TO- 1898.
From the midst Of the most prosrerou.
era that the people Of the United States
have ever known. we are suddenly sub.
own city 10000 men and women are lat.
ting with stsryation and Geld. We not
alone In this; from every point OF the com
pass In our fair land comes the wall Of
woe from freezing men aud starving women
and children. Never before In the history
Of our country has there been many
men. women and children dependent the
cold chartties of the world for subsistence:
never 20 many factories idle: never so many
attempts TO reduce wages For these cal
amitiez there Is a cause to which were
hitherto careless aud Indifferent, but shieh
we now thoroughly understand aud apprr-
ciafe. The Suicidal policy Of free trade.
which Grover Cleveland ut It's head pro-
poser ts establish regardless of the suffer
ting u may engender. is now thoroughly
snderstood ey the working people. and IN
preservation. awake ourselves and speak
In trumpet tsnes that policy VIII be pushed
to the utmost extremity.
w. G. Pomeroy. vice president Of the
American Federation OF Labor, wei
coined the thirteenth annual convention
30 the Chicago City Hall december l..
1893 in the following language:
In the name OF the homeless wan
dcrer. in this desert OF stone and steel.
that wayfarer whose wolfsh hunger
hounds him ever onward. whose sleepless
eyes wildly seek shelter and siumber
whose black despair grows darker and
darker every hour. whose heart grows
faint for want of food. whose shiyering.
shrunken form grows sick at the sight
Of his own shruRken shadow. whose soul
10 dead. I welcome you to the city. whose
motto n. 4 will"
A Terre Haute. Ind. telegram OF De
cembcr 13 to the Associated Press said:
AT a meeting OF the Citizens Relief
Committee this afternoon, the snbcommt-
tees appointed to make a canvass Of the
unemployed ia Terre Haute reported by
wards. showing nearly 800 men out OF
work"
An Associated Press telegram from
Boston. December l3. said: "a circu-
lar was issued to-day 70 landlords by the
associations for the unemployed. assert
tng that so. 600 workmen, having as many
persons dependent upon them, are unable
20 fad employment. and asking that no
rent 0e required Of such until they are
employed Another appeal. addressed 10
Che citizens Of Boston. asks them to see
that the city provides work. A move
mont is on fot for a procession OF the
unemployed On the Common. and a meet
ing in Faaeuil Hall next Tuesday"
sisepinx in the City Hall
Chicago Inter Ocean, Dec. 10, 1907
That contingent OF .sthe army of the
unemployed" which has found shelter for
Q few nights In the corridors of the City
Hall returned to its old quarters again
last night, bringing along many recruits.
The night before, forty or more of the
dodgers thought TO regale themselves with
sandwiches, but were set upon by their
less fortunate and famished comrades,
and . "bread riot was precipitated
which called forth police officers to queil
g. Notwithstanding this ruction. the
chilled and starving applicant was not
refused lodging room last night He
came up to police headquarters obviously,
oat was admitted.
At 10 O'Clock the long frst-fioor cor
eidor from Washington 10 Randolph
afreet was covered with men and boys.
fast asleep ON the cold, damp pave
meut. Men. were half reclining on the
stairways. and the poor wretches on the
floor had others standing over and about
them. envious of the place upon which
they lay, cramped. drawn up. and crowd
ed By others who shared their miser-
able bed.
Last night Mrs. Helen NJ. Cougar
thought to give Editor Stead lesson in
the problem of unemployed and proposed
distribution Of 1000 sandwiches among