The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1916-10-19
PAGk EIGHT 8

gree in which the benefit was reasonably shared
between the men in the front office and the
who receive the pay envelopes. I stand for
that division now. But there must be something
to vide or nobody will get anything.
ask you to look back only two short years.
Mr.' Wilson iEauGurated as President three
years ago last Spring. He and his party i'm
mediateiy passed low tariff law Under it Gov
eminent receipts fell off alarmngly that there
was q great deficit which had to be met by a
special tax This was later called a war tax; but
it OF due to the war at ALL the decrease in
reGeit Is was prior to the war it a de iciency
tax pure and simple AS some one pointed out
at tie tire Canada had with tax;
where's we he'd tax with no war. 1t was purely
a deficiency tax.
During the first eighteen months of this Ad-
ministratiCn the national business went to pieces
tie eidngs on the railroads were damned with
empty cars. ard the number OF unemployed in
every Great industry grew to appalling dimensions
] spcak here OF what [ personally know; for less
than two wears aoo bad to take active part in
New York in measures to relieve the unemployed
I thon saw municipal lodging houses crowded to
Ovc" lowing with rcOple DESTROYS Of working, who
coul7 not get any work and who did not have
encuoh money to nay for the poorest lodging or
the cteanest meals. The unemnloyed were num-
bored MT by the Thousands, hut the scores Of
thorsa"fs: and ] wag in active correspondence
with r~cn and women in otl er cities, Chicago, De-
troll ~~A philadelphia. where the conditions were
jret had as in New York Every kind of pro-
vision lad to he made, by private charities and by
tho nuh'ic authorities. in order to care for the
multitude # DeCDie who wished to work but who
we're - dire want because there work
TIE r~i~nrv Widespread For instance, the
Board Of Health of New York had to pass
special "oe0l"tion GLOWING the eating Of horse
mc2t & think tho exact phraseolOgy gave per-
mission to fattcn cid horses for slaughter and
foodA. because every effort had to be made to
give tn those cut Of work the cheapest food that
w0r1d sustain life. Remember that those times
were normal. There was then We were
At rc2ch We simply experiencing the nor
r21 roo''ltS CT 1ecis alive action Under Mr. Wilson
ard the Democratic administrations
The suffering was widespread throughout this
country. Suddenly the war came. At one stroke
this country granted q measure Of protection
greater than any it had ever received under any
tariff ii it's history. Moreover, the demand for
muni tons Of was stimulated to such an enOr-
nous degree as to completely reverse trade con-
ditons For example comparing the fiscal years
ending June 80, ga, and June 80 1916, that is,
the year before the and the year that has
just elapsed, the losses in ordinary exports dur
ing the last year, compared to the former were
over two hundred million dollars; whereas there
a gain in exports Of war material of nearly
two billion dollars. II it were not for these artl-
fetal conditions the suffering from unemployment
in this country at this time would in all proba-
bty be as great it was in 81 4, and we would
have two three years of an industrial
crisis at least as bad as any we have ever known
in history. The present stimulus is artificial.
It win with the conditions coming to
end 1t VIII then be difficult to avoid some
sufferino anyhow. If Mr. Wilson is kept in office,
this suffering will doubtless be prolonged and
acute.
In short, you miners of Pennsylvania / appeal
tn Won end | appeal to all wageworkers of the
United States, both in the name of sound American
citizenship, and also in the name of your real and
permanent self-interest No American citizen can
afford to put the stamp Of his approval an any law
supposed to be passed for the benefit of anybody
without investigation, under duress Of threats or
fer fear of the loss Of political power [ ask any
who tempted to approve Of the politician.
or
by doing wrong in their interests, to remember
that the man who for his profit does wrong in
your interest will just as unhesitatngly do wrong
AGAINST your interest, if ever he thinks it to his
DrOn To do