lily Fellow Laborer. 1
HieeM
By H. RIDER HAGGARD.
CHAPTER IV.—(Contimkd.)
But putting aside the mental trouble
into which this most melancholy af
fair plunged me, it gave me much
cause for reflection. Making all allow
ance for the natural disappointment
and distress of a woman who was, I
suppose, warmly attached to • me at
the time, I could not help seeing that
her conduct threw a new and altogeth
er unsuspected light upon Fanny’s
character. It showed me that, so far
from understanding her completely, as
I had vainly supposed to be the case,
I really knew little or nothing about
her. There were depths In her, mipd
that I had not fathomed, and in all
probability never should fathom. I
had taken her for an open-hearted wo
man of great Intellectual capacity that
removed her far above the every-day,
level of her sex, and directed her am
bitions almost entirely toward the goal
of mental triumph. Now I saw that
the diagnosis must be modified. In all
her outburst there had not been one
single word of pity for my heavy mis
fortunes, or one word of sympathy with
* ‘the self-sacrifice whiah she must have
known involved a dreadful struggle
between my inclinations and my con
science. She had looked at the matter
from her own point of view, and the
standpoint of her own interest solely.
Her emotion had for a few moments
drawn the curtain from her inner self,
and the new personality that was thus
revealed did not altogether edify me.
Still, I felt that there was great excuse
for her, and so put by the matter.
After this unfortunate occurrence, I
made up my mind that Fanny would
take some opportunity to throw up her
work and go away and leave us; but
she did not take this course. Either
because she was too fond of my poor
•boy John, who, as he grew older, be
came more and more attached to her,
or because she saw no better opening
—not being possessed of independent
means—Ehe evidently made up her
mind to stop on in the house and con
tinue to devote herself to the search for
the great Secret of Life. 1 think my
self that it was mainly on account of
the boy, who loved her with an entirety
that at times almost alarmed me, and
to whom she was undoubtedly devoted.
But from that time a change came
■over Fanny’s mental attitude towards
me, which Was as palpable as it was
indefinable. Outwardly there was no
change, but in reality a veil fell be
tween us, through which I could not
see. It fell and covered up her nature;
nor could I guess what went on be
hind it. Only I knew that she devel
oped a strange habit of brooding silent
I Iy about matters not connected with
our work, and that, of all this brood
ing, nothing ever seemed to come. Now
I know that she was building up far
. reaching plans for the future, which
had for their object her escape from
•what she had come to consider was a
hateful and unprofitable condition of
servitude.
Meanwhile our work advanced but
slowly. I could take anybody who is
curious to the big fire-proof chest in
the corner of this very room, and show
him two hundred-weight or more paper
covered with abortive calculations
worked by Fanny, and equally abortive
letter-press written by myself during
those years of incessant labor. In vain
we toiled; Nature would not give up
her secret to us! We had indeed found
the lock, and fashioned key after key
to turn it. But, do what we would,
and file as we would, they would none
of them fit, or, even if they fitted, they
would not turn. And then we would
begin again; again, after months of la
bor, to fail miserably.
During these dark years I worked
with the energy of despair, and Fanny
followed, doggedly, patiently, and un
complainingly in my steps. Her work
was splendid in its enduring hopeless
ness. To begin with, so far as I was
concerned, though my disease made but
little visible progress, I feared that
my sand was running out. and that
none would be able to take up the
broken threads. Therefore I worked
as those work whose time is short and
who have much to do. Then, too, I
was haunted by the dread of ultimate
failure. Had I, after all, given up my
life to a dream?
At last, however, a ray of light came,
as it always—yes, always—will to those
who are strong and patient, and watch
the sky long enough.
I was sitting in my arm-chair, smok
ing, one night after Fanny had gone to
bed, and fell into a sort of doze, to
wake up with a start and—an inspira
tion. I saw it all now; we had been
■working at the wrong end, searching
for the roots among the topmost twigs
of the great trees! I think that I was
really inspired that night; an angel had
breathed on me in my sleep. At any
rate. I sat here, at this same table at
which I am writing now, till the dawn
crept in through the shutters, and
covered sheet after sheet with the ideas
that rose one after another in my brain,
in the most perfect order and continu
ity. When at last my hand refused to
hold the pen any longer, I stumbled off
to bed, leaving behind me a sketch of
the letter-press of all the essential
problems finally dealt with in the work
known as “The Secret of Life.”
Next day we began again upon these
now lines, though I did not tell Fanny
of the great hopes that rose in my
heart. I had assured her that we were
on the right track so many times, that
X did not like to say anything more
about it. But when I explained the
coiy-se I meant to adopt, she instantly
seized upon its salient mathematical
points, and showed me what lines she
meant to follow in her Sisyphus-like
search after the tnecratable factor,
which, when found, would, If properly
applied, m&Ke ciear to us whence we
came and whither we go—that "open
sesame” before whose magic sound the
womb of unfathomed time would give
up its secrets, and the mystery of the
grave be made clear to the wondering
eyes of all mankind.
CHAPTER V.
juj. wisi£n two or
three months after
we had started on
this new course, I
received a . letter
from a lady, a dis
tant cousin of my
own, whom I had
known slightly
many years before,
asking me to Ho
her a service. Not
withstanding what they considered my
Insane deviation from the beaten paths
that lead or may lead to wealth and
social success, my relatives still occa
sionally wrote to me when they thought
I could be of any use to them. In this
case the lady, whose name was Mrs.
Hide-Thompson, had an only son aged
twenty-eight, who was already in pos
session of verly large estates and a con
siderable- fortune in personality. His
name was, or rather is, Joseph; and as
he was an only child, in the event of
whose death all the landed property
would pass to some distant Thompson
without the Hide, his existence was
more valuable in the eyes of a discern
ing world than that of mo3t Josephs.
Joseph, it appeared from his moth
er’s letter, had fallen into a very bad
state of health. He had, it seemed,
been a "little wild,” and she was there
fore very anxious about him. The lo
cal doctor, for Joseph lived in the prov
inces when he was not living in town,
in the stronger sense of the word, stat
ed that he would do well to put him
self under regular medical care for a
month or so. Would I take him in?
The expense would of course be met.
She knew that I kept up a warm inter
est in my relations, and was so very
clever, although unfortunately I had
abandoned active practice. Then fol
lowed a couple of sides of note-paper
full of the symptoms of the young
man's disorders, which did not seem
to me to be of a grave nature. I threw
this letter across the table to Fanny
without making any remark, and she
read it attentively through.
"Well,” she said, "what are you
going to do?”
"Do,” I answered, peevishly; "see
the people further first! I have got
other things to attend to.”
“I think you are wrong,” she an
swered, in an indifferent voico; “this
young man is your relation, and very
rich. I know that he has at least
eight thousand a year, and one should
always do a good turn to people with
so much, money. Also, what he would
pay would be very useful to us. I as
sure you, that I hardly know how to
make both ends meet, and there is
twenty-seven pounds to pay the
Frenchman who collected those returns
for you in the Paris hospitals; he has
written twice for the money.”
I reflected. What she said about the
twenty-seven pounds was quite true—,
I certainly did not know where to look
for it. There was a spare room in the
house, and probably the young gen
tleman was inoffensive. If he was not,
he could go.
“Very well," I said, “he can com.e if
he likes; but I warn you, you will have
to amuse him! I shall attend to his
treatment, and there will be an end of
it.”
She looked up quickly. “It i3 not
much in my line, unless he cares for
mathematics,” she answered. “I have
seen five men under fifty here, during
the last five years—exactly one a year.
However, I will try.”
A week after this conversation, Mr.
Joseph Hide-Thompson arrived, care
fully swaddled in costly furs. He was
a miserable little specimen of humani
ty—thin, freckled, weak-eyed, and with
straight, sandy hair. But I soon found
out that he was sharp—sharp as a fer
ret. On his arrival, just before dinner,
I had some talk with him about his
ailments. As I had expected, he had
nothing serious the matter with him.
and was only suffering from Indulgence
in a mode of life to which hi3 feeble
constitution was not adapted.
“There is no need for you to come
to stay here, you know,” I said. “All
you want is to lead* a quiet life, and
avoid wine and late hours. If you do
that, you will soon get well."
“And if I don’t, Gosden, what then?”
he answered, in his thin, high-pitched
voice. “Hang it.all! You talk as
though it were nothing; but it is no
joke to a fellow to have to give up
pleasures at my age.”
“If you don’t you will die sooner or
later—that’s all.”
His face fell considerably at this
statement.
“Die!” he said. “Die! How brutally
you talk! And yet you just said that
there was nothing much the matter
with me; though I tell'you, I do feel
ill, dreadfully ill! Sometimes I am so
bad, especially In the mornings, that I
could almost cry. What shall I do to
cure myself?”
“I will tell you. Get married, drink
nothing but claret, and get to bed every
night at ten.”
“Get married!" he gasped. “Oh! But
it s an awful thing to do, it ties a fel
low up so! Besides, I don’t know who
to marry."
At this moment our conversation was
broken off by Fanny’s entrance. She
was dressed in an evening gown, with
a red flower In her dark, shining hair,
and looked what she was, a most strik
ing and imposing woman. Her beauty
is of the Imperial order, and lies more
in her presence, and If I may use the
word about a woman, her atmosphere,
than her features, and I saw with a
smile that It quite overcame mv little
patient, ibo stammered and stuttered,
and held out his wrong band when 1
introduced him. It turned out after
ward that he had been under the im
pression that Miss Denelly was an el
derly housekeeper. At dinner, howev
er, he recovered his equilibrium and
began to chatter away about all sorts
of things, with a sort of low cleverness
which was rather amusing, though I
confess that being old-fashioned, I
could not keep pace with it. Fanny,
however, entered into his talk in a
manner which astonished me. I had
no Idea that her mind was so versatile,
or that she knew anything about bil
liards and horse-racing, or even French
novels.
At ten o’clock I told. Mr. Joseph he
had better begin his cure by going to
bed, and this he did reluctantly- enough.
When he had gone, I asked Fanny what
she thought of him!
“Think of him!” she answered, look
ing up, for ehe was plunged in one of
her reveries. “Oh! I think that he is
a mixture between a fox and a fool,
and the ugliest little man I ever saw!"
I laughed at this complimentary
summary, and we 3et to work.
After the first evening I neither saw
nor heard much of Mr. Joseph, except
at mealB. Fanny looked after him, and
when she was at work he amused him
self by sitting in an arm-chair and
reading French novels in a translation,
for preference. ' Once he asked permis
sion to come in and see us work, and
after about half an hour of it he went,
saying it was awfully clever, but “all
rot, you know,” and that he had much
better devote our talents to making
books'on the Derby.'
“Idiot!” remarked Fanny, in a tone
of withering contempt, when the door
bad closed on him; and that was the
only opinion I heard her express with
reference to him till the catastrophe
came.
One morning, when Joseph had been
with us about a fortnight, having been
at werk very late on the previous night,
and feeling tired and not too well, I
did not come down to breakfast till ten
o'clock. Usually, we breakfasted at
half-past eight. To my surprise, I
found that the ten was not made, and
that Fanny had apparently not yet had
her breakfast. This wes a most unu
sual occurrence, and while I wa3 still
wondering what it could mean, she
came into the room with her bonnet
and cloak on.
“Why, my dear Fanny!” I Eaid,
“where on earth have you been?"
“To church,” she answered, coolly,
with a dark little smile.
“What have you been doing there?”
I asked, again.
“Getting married,” was the reply.
I gasped for breath, and the room
seemed to swim round me.
“Surely, you are joking,” I said,
faintly.
“Oh! not at all. Here is my wed
ding ring,” and she held up her hand;
“I am Mrs. Hide-Thompson!”
“What!” I almost shrieked. “Do you
mean to tell -me that you have married
that little wretch? Why, he has only
been in the house ten days.”
“Sixteen days," she corrected, “and
X have been engaged to him for ten.
and weary work it has been, I can tell
| you, Geoffrey!”
“Then I suppose you are going
away?” I jerked out. “And how about
our work, and—John?”
I saw a spasm of pain pass over her
face at the mention of the boy’s name;
for I believe that she loved the poor
cripple child, if she ever did really love
anything.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
The Ladle* of Constantinople.
It was amusing to see negresses with
the thickest of lips veiled. All the
pretty laces were more or less painted
and the eyelids and eyebrows penciled.
The quality of the paint showed the
quality of the lady. Poor women daub
themselves with horrid pigments. No
Turkish gentleman goes out to walk
with his wife; to do so would be count
ed in the highest degree absurd. At
most she is followed by a slave. But
wrapped up in the ugly black silk ferld
je, she' can go where she pleases and
alone. No man would dream of look
ing at a veiled lady in a ferldje. Were
a Glacour to scan her face he would run
a risk of being massacred. Shopping is
a feminine pastime; another is holding
receptions, which, of course, only ladles
attend. Munching sweetmeats renders
Constantinople belles grossly fat, while
still young, and rather spoils their
teeth. All over the east teeth are even,
white, and of medium size, and mouths
well shaped. They are mouths made
for laughter, gourmandizing and sen
sual love. Eastern women are far bet
ter looking in youth than western.
Those of Stnmboul are the least grace
ful. They are seldom neat above the
ankles. Their stockings are not well
drawn up, their shoes are a world too
big and their gait is heavy and shuf
fling.—London Truth.
Great Mental Feats.
Hortenaius, the great Roman lawyer
and orator, had a memory of extraordi
nary scope and tenacity. After com
posing a speech or oration he could re
peat it, word for word, exactly as he
had prepared it. On one occasion he
went to an auction, where the busi
ness was carried on during an entire
day, and at evening, for a wager, he
wrote down a list of the articles that
had been sold and the prices, together
with the names of the purchasers, in
the order in which the purchases had
been made._
Almost a Hint.
Snaggs—A $10 bill cannot by any
possibility be called a compliment, can
it, Spiffine. SplfHns—I don’t know that
I follow you, Snaggs. Snaggs—Well, I
beard that you paid Miss Northside a j
compliment yesterday, and I was in
hopes you might regard in the same
light the $10 I lent you three months
ago.—Pittsburg Chronicle.
TWO HAPPY MEN.
1
PROTECTIVE
TAR! F F I
PASSED!! &E
THE SUGAR SCHEDULE
DEMOCRATS MAKE ASSAULTS
ON THE REPUBLICANS.
A Little Investigation Proves the
Falsity of the Their Claim and
■hem the Action of the Bepublleaae
Decidedly Unfriendly to the Trust.
(Washington Letter.)
The screamB of the Democratic mem
bers of the house and senate upon the
subject of the advance in price of sugar
stock when the tariff bill emerged from
the conference committee and the ac
tion of the committee on the sugar
schedule became known, and the fact
that sugar trust stock did actually ad
vance by great jumps warrants a pre
sentation of the facts, a study of which
will show that the Democrats as usual
have been shouting themselves hoarse
over nothing.
The bill gives to the farmers the
protection on wool and other farm
products which they had asked, the
house rates on first and second class
wools being restored and a highly sat
isfactory rate to the wool sections of
the mountain states being adopted.
Now as to the sugar schedule: It was
generally conceded when the bill passed
the house that it was not in any way
advantageous to the trust but that on
the contrary it took away from the
trust much of the advantage which it
had under the Wilson law. Stripped
of all technicalities the cold facts are
that as the bill left the house the rates
on refined sugar were 12% cents per
hundred pounds greater than the rates
on raw sugar. Of course the rates on
different grades of raw sugar were dif
ferent but taking the number of pounds
of any grade which were required to
make a hundred pounds of refined
sugar it was found that the rates were
on an average of 12% cents per hun
dred pounds less than those on refined
sugar. This means that the sugar re
finers of the country, whether in the
trust or out of it, were allowed a dif
ference of 12% cents per hundred
pounds or % of a cent a pound differ
ence between raw sugar when imported
or refined sugar when Imported, thus
giving them an opportunity to Import
raw sugar at % of a cent a pound less
than the rates at which refined sugar
can be imported. It is generally con
ceded that the cost of refining sugar
is not less than about % of a cent a
pound so that the rates really given
to the sugar refiners are simply the
bare difference between refined and un
refined sugars of the cost of refining.
It is well known that the rates adopted
by the senate were more advantageous
to the sugar refiners but It is a fact
that the rates agreed upon by the con
ferees made precisely the same differ
ence between raw and refined sugars
that the house bill made when it was
passed by that body. The conference
report did increase the rates on re
fined sugar slightly but it also in
creased the rates on raw sugar, thus
making the difference In the rate of
duty between raw and refined, or the
“differential” as It is called, precisely
what the house bill made it originally,
12% cents per hundred pounds, or %
of a cent a pound. But, says the ob
jector, If the conference report gave
to the sugar trust no advantage why
was it that sugar trust stock advanced
during the time that the bill was in
consideration by the conferees and
after it was presented to the publjc?
The answer to this is simple enough.
The sugar trust, knowing that the new
bill would certainly advance the rate
of duty on sugars as a protection to
American producers, has been bringing
into the country as rapidly as possible,
sugar in enormous quantities, getting
it in, of course, under the comparative
ly low rates of the Wilson law. They
have scoured the world for sugar and
had in stock by the time the confer
ence report was presented to the public,
over 700 thousand tons of raw sugar,
or, in round numbers,' 1,500,000,000
pounds. Think of it! Enough sugar
to load seventy thousand cars, or to
load three thousand, five hundred
freight trains of twenty cars each, or
to make one continuous train over fifty
miles in length. On every pound of this
sugar which they had in stock it was
perfectly apparent that they would
make whatever profit there was be
tween the tariff rates of the Wilson law
and the increased tariff rates named
by the Dingley law or an aggregate
profit calculated at 12 million dollars.
Is it surprising that sugar stock went
up in view of the fact that this organ
ization would make upon the sugar
which it had brought into the country,
12 million dollars by the mere advance
,whlch' the framers of this bill have
found it necessary to make In tariff
rates in order to protect the Bugar pro
ducers of the United States and bring
a revenue to the government? But,
the objector will say, everybody famil
iar with this subject knew that the
sugar trust had all this sugar in stock,
and since this fact was well known this
does not account > for the sudden rise
in sugar trust stock which followed
the announcement of the agreement of
the conference committee. This is
true, but the explanation of the sudden
advance, which was caused by the
profit thus assured to the sufar trust
through the enormous stock on hand
is found in the fact that Secretary
Oage had recommended to congress the
placing of an Internal revenue tax of
one cent per pound on all unrefined
sugar in the United States when the
new tariff law should go into effect,
the object being to compel the trust to
pay to the government a tax of one
cent per pound on all this 1.500,000,000
pounds of sugar which it had accumu
lated waiting the advance which it
could make by the new tariff. Had
Secretary Gage’s recommendation been
accepted by the conferees and by con
gress it would have compelled the trust
to pay in internal revenue taxes prob
ably 15 million dollars upon the sugar
which it had piled up in its warehouses.
The conferees and congress, however,
did not adopt Secretary Gage's recom
mendation for reasons which they
looked upon as entirely sufficient and
the moment this fact became known,
first that the sugar trust would make
this large profit by reason of the In
creased duty on sugar and second, that
it would not be compelled to pay out
any of that profit In the proposed in
ternal revenue tax upon its sugar stock,
those who calculated the profits which
It would make during the coming year
on this enormous mass of sugar which
it holds saw readily that the profits
would be great and the dividends large.
The result was the advance In sugar
trust stock about which there was so
much talk and denunciation. This ad
vance was not due to any permanent
advantage which the new tariff bill
gives the trust over the old law but
on the contrary the difference be
tween raw and refined sugars under
the new bill Is, as already Indicated
12H cents per hundred while under the
Wilson law It is 22*4 cents per hun-'
dred pounds, thus making it apparent
at once that the permanent “differen
tial” or difference in tariff rates which
the sugar refiners get under the new
law Is far less than that under the Wil
son law, while this Iobb to the trust
Is offset by the mere temporary ad
vantage in the advance in prices which
they are able to make upon the enorm
ous accumulation of sugar which they
have on hand.
GEORGE WILLIAMS.
Dead.
4><f'0N t
t VL. I
Another Deadly Blight.
The blight that has constantly fallen
upon this country, and which has kept
It in a continual condition of business
prostration, has been the liability of
the factories of this country to find
purchasers enough at home to consume
their products. Under this almost un
varying condition the manufacturers
have been compelled to close their fac
tories down for long periods, with the
consequent throwing out of employ
ment of thousands of people who at
once become a vast army of non-pro
ducers and non-consumers.—“Regis
ter,” Mobile, Ala.
True. This Democratic "blight" per
mitted the factories of Europe to sup
ply our markets, hence, as the “Reg
ister" says, our manufacturers “have
been compelled to close their factories
down for long periods, with the conse
quent throwing out of employment of
thousands of people." And these" thou
sands of people” will never forget tho
destructiveness of the deadly “blight”
of the Democratic party's free trade
policy.
Undereatlmated.
The new American tariff bill will
yield twenty millions sterling of addi
tional revenue.—Bangkok, Siam,
“Times.”
We hope that-this prediction from
the Orient is underestimated.
“Prolific Foroat of Daflclta**
The prolific parent of deficits is con
cessional extravagance.—The Journal
of Commerce and Commercial Bulle
tin, New York.
Why not prove It so by your figures?
We quote them from the same article;
Year. Revenue Expenditure. Burplu
.9392,612,448 9335,372,686 -
1891
1S92
1893
1895
1896
1897
364,937,785
. 383,819,628
.9313,390.075
326,976,200
347,181,728
345.023,331
383,477,954
9356,195,298
352,179,446
366,807,836
937.2 . _
9,914,459
2,341,874
Deficit.
942,805.223
25.203.241
18,623,108
Our average annual expenditure dur
ing the first three given years, as
above, was $354,624,657. This was dur
ing the Republican policy of protec
tion. But, from 1895 to 1897 inclusive,
under the Democratic free trade tar
iff our expenditures averaged $358,080,
860 a year—within $40,000,000 a year
of the same amount.
The final column of our table, how
ever, shows that there was a surplus
of revenue, averaging $16,500,000 a
year for the years 1891 to 1893 Inclusive.
But during the Democratic administra
tion with its free trade tariff, from
1895 to 1897 Inclusive, there was an
average deficit of $28,800,000 a year.
The '‘prolific parent” of these Demo
cratlcdeflctts was not our "concession- *
al extravagance,” which was within $4,
000,000 a year of the same amount un
der free trade as during the three years j
of protection. But the “prolific par
ent of deficits” under the Democratic
administration was Its free trade tariff
with a revenue averaging only $829,- -
000,000 a year, aa compared with an
average revenue of $378,000,000 under
the Republican tariff for protection.
The figures are taken from the same
article in The Journal of Commerce
and Commercial Bulletin which made
the utterly false statement that “the
prolific parent of deficits Is congres
sional extravagance.” The statement
should read: “Democracy Is the prolific
parent of deficits,” ah proven by the
figures above quoted.
The Vot» oa th« Tariff.
Thirty-eight votes were cast ta the
senate for the Dingley tariff bill and
twenty-eight votes were cast against
It. Sixteen senators were paired.
Seven senators, all of them Populists
or sllverites, did not vote. Actually,
therefore, the vote on the tariff bill in
the senate was as follows on Wednes
day:
For . ..'..
Against . M
Not voting . 1
Vacancy . 1
Total . ...sc
Forty-six Is a majority of the sen- ■
att. This is how the states which sup
• ported and the states which opposed
the tariff bill stood in respect to the
total vote at last year’s election:
For.
Connecticut ..
Illinois .
Iowa .
Maine .
Mass.
Michigan .. .
Minnesota ...,
Montana .. ..
S. Hampshire
hto .
Oregon .
Penn.
R. Island .
Vermont .. ..
Wyoming .. .,
174.399
1,090, Will
621,547
118,593
401,568
544.492
341,637
63.217
83,670
1,014,292
97,337
1,194,257
63,785
63.828
20,865
Against.
Alabama_ 195,427
Arkansas ... 149.397
Delaware ... 31,464
Florida ..... 46,461
Georgia . 163.061
Miss. 74,584
Missouri .... 674,014
B. Carolina.. 68,907
S, Dakota... 82.954
Tennessee .. 321,991
Texas . 644.784
Utah .. 96,111
Virginia. 291,(64
Total ......2,738,96J
Total .5.774,343
WKh Senator Murphy paired against
the bill. Senator Platt cist the vote ot
the Empire state in its favor. With
New York’s vote added, the states sup
porting in the senate the tariff bill
adopted Wednesday represent a total
vote of 7,320,000, against a total vote
cast at last year’s election of 2,700,
000 In states recorded In opposition.
Such in detail is the analysis of the
vote, and it is to be added in addition
that of the twenty-four senators hav
ing the longest terms to serve, seven
teen were recorded in favor of the bill
on Wednesday and only seven against
it.—New York Sun.
The McRlolty Idea.
Now If there Is anything upon which
Mr. McKinley has set his affections it
is upon having a higher tariff on for*
eign goods than ever existed before.—•
“The Telegraph,” Bradford, England.
He has never said so. All that he
has ever desired is a tariff that will
protect American wage earners from
the competition of cheaper labor pro
ducts made abroad, including the goods
from Bradford.
The last refuge of the free traders
in their attempt to excuse themselves
from the reduction of wages of the
coal miners is in the statement that
coal importations were no 'greater un
der the Wilson law than under the Mc
Kinley law. They do not seem to un
derstand that it is the price fixed by
-foreign Importation rather than the
quantity Imported which, in this case,
fixed prices of the home productions.
The fact that Nova Scotia coal, mined,
at the water’s edge and loaded im
mediately upon vessels from the mines,
could be brought into the New Eng
land ports, with a tariff of 35 cents
less per ton than prior to the Wilson
law, was of itself sufficient to turn the
tide of West Virginia coal away from
New England and into the west, thus
inducing the rate wars and forcing
down the wages of miners in nearly
the same amount that the reduction in
tariff reduced the prices of coal in the
eastern markets.
And now Alaska comes to the front
with probably the greatest known gold
mines in the world. Verily, things are
going badly for the silver advocates
and the calamity shriekers. Even be
fore these great discoveries in Alaska,
there was reason to believe that this
year’s gold production would surpass
that of any year in the history of
the world, while the prospect of high
prices abroad for our good crops war
rants the belief that other parts ot
the world will be sending in their
gold for our gralfi during the coming,
year. ,
