Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 April 1886 — INDUSTRIAL SITUATION. [ARTICLE]

INDUSTRIAL SITUATION.

Commissioner Wright, of the Labor Bureau, Reports One Million Men Idle. [Washington telegram.] The first annual report of the Bureau of Labor is completed. It will cover five hundred pages. Under the head “The Industrial Depression in the United States,” Commissioner Wright says’: From the observations of the agents of the bureau, and from other sources from which it has Been possible to form conclusions, it is undoubtedly true that out of the total number of establishments—such as factories, mines, etc. — existlng in the country, about 5 per cent, were absolutely idle during 1885, and that perhaps 5 per cent, more were idle a part of the time, or, tor a just estimate, 7JA per cent, of the whole number of such establishments were idle, or equivalent to idle, during the past year. Applyingthe percentage arrived at (7J4 per cent.), we obtain a total of 998,839 as constituting the best statement of the unemployed in the United States during 1885—meaning by the unemployed those who, under prosperous times, would be employed, and who in 1885 were seeking employment—that it has been possible for the bureau to make. It is probably true that this total, as representing the unemployed at any one time in the United States, is fairly representative, even if the laborers thrown out of work through the Ovssation of railroad building be included. A million of men out of employment meins a loss to the consumptive power of the country of at least 81,000,000 per day, or a crippling ot the trade ofjthe country of over $300,0C0.000 per year. The earnings of the people involved iutllie classes named above would not be far from 8000 each per annum, representing total earnings of $7,990,716,000. The wage earnings of the million that should be erhplqyed are crippled to the extent of over 8300*000,000 per annum, a sum sufficient to cause a reaction in business and a general cur-' tailment of expenses, from which result apprehension and timidity among all classes. It is curious to observe, however, that while the severity of the depression causes a crippling to the extent of several hundred millions Of dollars per year of the coneuniing power of the p|dple, the volume of business transacted is not' crippled comparatively to any such extent. It is shown that just previous to the, financial panics of 1857, 1873, and 1882 there was mi imwirswrincreiwe in the mileage of railroads constructed in the United States, * The results of this in throwing men out of employment have great bearing in producing depressions through the stoppage of consumptive powers. The Commissioner says: Tables are given indicating two things, viz.: That while, as shown, the extent of the existing industrial depression involves a crippling of the wage recovers Of the country and a consequent crippling of the consuming power of the people, the volume of business has been fairly well preserved—at least not crippled to any such extent as indicated by the crippling of the consuming power— and the prices have constantly fallen. Along with these two features there has been a constant diminishing of profits until many industries have been conducted with little or no margin to those engaged and a great lowering of wages in general. State University, receives a salary of sß,ooo as President and S3,OQ<) aw-Director of the Lick Observatory. ' ~ IM—- ' i *■ jl l t H1U1..1 >■ J jl| Il ■—' '• . The Prince of Wales suffers much from dyspepsia and confines his diet largely to lean mutton and stale bread. Dr. McCosh, of Princeton, has averaged ten hours of work and study daily throughout his professional career. Ben: Perley Poore's collection of autographs copt iins the writing of 16,000 prominent men. r* ; '2- '

Secretary Lniimr’s Antedate of Tom fekuuretary Lamar is -one of tii-i-lwst story-tellers in life, ami in this in-HDwt is fully the equal, uxL-tlni.s 1 two delightful raeontenrrt, Seiuißcrs nnd Vest. At a Calin t iiti’cting mini ■ allusion was made bv th ■ l?r<-si«l *nt to Toni Marshall, of Kentucky. “I once had a funny- experience with Marshall,” said Mr. Lapiar, breaking into the conversation. “It happened at Oxford, Mississippi, a few months pfier to the. attack on Fort' The Secession movement was growing rapidly in my State and formed the staple subject of conversation. One night I delivered a strong disunion B]>eeeh in the lecture-room of the college. The house was packed, and my radical Views, by the younger men at least, wore applauded to the echo. At the conclusion of my speech a tall, dis-tinguished-looking gentleman arose and said: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I have reason to believe that I am not unknown to many ot those present. I have listened to the remarks of our brilliant young friend with mingled feelings of pain and pleasure. Secession is wrong. You will make a mistake if you attempt to carry this grand old commonwealth out of the Union. You don't know the people pf the North. I do. I have lived among them. I know their strength and their forbearance. They are not to be trifled with. If you will meet me in this hall to-morrow night I will do my (uttermost to convince you of that fact.' “The speaker, who, as he said, was personally known to most of those present, was Tom Marshall, the celebrated Kentucky orator. The next night the hall was jammed. Marshall spoke for two hours. No one but a man of Southern birth and training would have dared express such sentiments as he expressed on that occasion. He took up my arguments seriatim and demolished them one after the other. Before the close of his speech hardly a convert to secession could be found within “the sound of his voice. Although I had been crushed and sat upon, ” continued Mr. Lamar, “I could not fail to be impressed with Mr. Marshall’s matchless oratory and the soundness of his logic. I admired him more than ever. A few drys subsequent I started out for a drive. Marshall stood in the door of the village tavern as I drove past. With a view of showing him that I entertained no malice, I invited him to accompany me. He replied that he would if I would excuse him until he had made a few changes in his linen. In a few minutes he reappeared and away we went. Marshall immediately began talking. He dwelt for 4 time upon the impending political crisis. He talked of books, the arts, and the sciences, and when, at the conclusion of our ride, he '"alighted from the buggy, I felt that I had never been so delightfully entertained in my life, for, mind you, during all this time I had not uttered a word. Marshall left Oxford the next day, and died, if you remember, within the next twelvemonths. A few weeks later a friend of mine, a Louisville gentleman, called at my house. I spoke of Marshall’s visit to Oxford. ‘Yes,’ said he, ‘Marshall told me about it. He said you were very-angry at him for replying to your disunion speech. He knew you were watching an opportunity to force him into a quarrel. He thought you had found it when you invited him to go riding one day. I dare say you remember that he excused himself a few moments on the plea of changing his linen. He went to his room and armed himself, instead. He determined not to fight if possible, and for that reason decided to employ- the art of eloquence, w ith a view to curbing your murderous intent. He told me he must have succeeded, for you never uttered a belligerent word during the whole ride or afterward.’ ”