The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1917-01-19
OUR FLOUR RIOTS
When Mob Law Ruled For Awhile
In New York City.
DURING THE PANIC OF 1897

Short Crops and High Prices Added TO
the Terrors of the Financial Disaster,
and Warehouses We're Wrecked by
the Frenzied Populace.
The panic Of 1887 was one of the
most severe this country has ever ex-
perienced. Owing to the scarcity of
money every sort Of business received
a sudden and severe check. The price
Of money rose, and none but those with
the best security could get it at any
terms.
The financial suffering was still fur
| ther aggravated by the scarcity and
high price of flour in the eastern cities.
The Hessian fly had made such raw.
ages that the crops along the Atlantic
coast states were almost a complete
failure. In certain sections it was rec
ommended that the legislature estab-
lish public granaries for the storage of
wheat
Affairs in New York were brought to
crisis by the leaders Of the Anh-mo-
nopoly, Equal Rights or Locofoco par
ty, who plastered the walls and fences
of the city with handbil calling
meeting Of the people to be held IL the
City park
On the appointed afternoon some
5000 persons, mostly foreigners. gath
cred In front Of the city nall. Moses
Jacques was chosen chairman. but the
I,7
and addressed by several speakers.
Conspicuous among the orators was
Alexander Ming Jr.. many times
candidate for city recorder. He closed
bis harangue by Offering a set of reso-
lutions to be presented to the legisla-
ture and praying for a law prohibiting
the circulation of bank notes under
500 They We're adopted, and Ming
was carried of on the shoulders of his
admirers.
Another speaker meanwhile was ad
dressing another group of listeners
and, carried away by the denunciauon
Of the holders Of -four, exclaimed. Eel
low citizens, Mr. Fart has now $1,000
barrels of -four In his store Let us 90
and offer him SS a barrel. and If he
does not take there somebody
touched him on the shoulder I'VE shall
depart from him in peace
The hint Has enough, and his hearers
set on In a body for tie warehouse OF
Eli Hart e Co. iu Washington street
The clerks on the approach Of the
mob, FASTENED to shut the doors. but
one was bust ia and barrels Of -four
were rolled into the street ana opened
Mr. Hart, With a few police. now
arrived on the scene. but they were at
tackled with staNes and stones and driv-
en- from the scene Barrels Of dour and
sacks of wheat meantime had been
thrown from the window by scores
and the flour eagerly gathered up by
women and children 4 thousand
| bushels Of wheat and 500 barrels of
-four are said TO have been destroyed
While the mob was thus engaged the
cry Mech Meech.H was raised, and
a party went off toward the East riv.
er to attack the warehouse of Mech x
Co, but stopped on the way ana sack
ed the warehouse OF Herrick Il Co
and destroyed thirty barrels
In q card published In the newspa
pers Hart S 90. remarked that the Inn
preston prevailed that they were mo
nopolzing flour The truth was, all
flour in the city was the property of
the millers and was held under the
control of the owners 1t was needle
to say hat the destruction of an arti
Gle could not tend to reduce the price
Nor did it, for -four at once Went up
so cents a barrel
At a second meeting in the park
few weeks later the crowd came bear
Ing flags inscribed mo rag money
give us gold or silver" Down with
chartered monopolies. We 90 for prin-
4 ciple 40 monopolies We Will enjoy
our Liberties or die la the last ditch.
a carpenters bench was used for a
| platform, and mounted on this Ming
urged his hearers not to use rag money
which was the foundation of artistoc
racy and monopoly Another speaker
! advised the crowd to so west In body
| buy land at S125 an acre, found a new
state and let the aristocrats build their
own houses. This time the artillery
paraded and no disorder occurred.
The panic of 1887 passed into history
as probably the most severe monetary
crisis the country has ever experienced.
Banks all over the country failed, and
most of the notes in circulation became
valueless. Many large business firms
also failed, and mills and factories shut
down because their products could not
be sold. Rich men became poor, and
poor people because there was no work
20 be had suffered for lack Of food In
10 place was the panic more keenly felt
than in New York, whore all the banks
suspended May 10 Philadelphia
! Press