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Labor's Friend

Labor's Friend image
Parent Issue
Day
2
Month
September
Year
1896
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

wnen the experimenta in manufacturng tin píate in this country were begun years ago, because of the tariff on Welsh tin plate in the McKinley law, Maj. McKinley was iuvited to the openng of the new mil] eatablished at Piqua, O., by the Cincinnati Corrugated Iron compauy. He entered the mili where the aundreds of employés were at work and met them like an associate, and went directly to the great vats filled with molten tin with the men who stood over hem to dip the plates. He was more at lome with those tin plate makers than were the proprietors of the mili, because he had studied the whole question of manufacturing tin plate and he entered nto the practical experimenta with as much enthusiasm and intelligence as the men who were to show that they could nake as good tin plate in Ohio as was mported from Wales. There was a contrast between the dress of the tariff cliampion and the ahirtless tinners who stood over the rats, but there were the sume interest and perfect fraternity among them. McKinley took the tinners' tongs and dipped plates along with the other workmen. He was an apprentice n the shop for the time being, and the men freely criticised bis failures and aa freely eomplimented his final succeas This incident illustrates McKinley's associations with wage-earners. He loes not go to them to preach theories rat to loarn from them facts. He has been domg this for years; while he stttdied tariff schedules, and while the McKinley bilí was under consideration hei-e were more practical miners, potters, iron workers, cloth njakers, wool growcrs, and farmers who had hearings before the committee than there were men who had capital invested in mamifacturms enterprises- or so-called tariff xperts. McKinley believed that a proective tariff maintained the wage seale n this country, and he sent for the men who worked for wages in the different unes of industry to learn from them what effect an increascd or decreaaed tariff would have upon their wagea. _ No presideutial candidate ever came in such close and familiar contact with the wage-earuers of the country as was Wilham McKinley, and no candidate ever receivcd more fiattering indorscinent from them. Before his nomination the minera and potters and glassblowera in Illinois, without regard to past party affiliations, went to the Republican primanes demanding the privilege of voting for McKinley delegates that they might cast their votes for McKinley for President. Many of these wage-earners frankly adimttcd that they had never voted the Republican ticket, but said that they intended to voto for McKinley because he was the friend of labor Since his nomination delegations of miners millmen and farmers have journeyed to Cantón to assure McKinley of their hearty support because they look upon him as the friend of American farm and factory production. Every day the ncwspapers publish telegrama from different mamifacturing centers, where the employés have converted their local Organizations into McKinley cluba. This confidence of the wage-earners in McKinley is not accounted for simply because these men believe in the Republican platform, though most wage-earners do now believe in the policy of protection since they have seen tried the experiment of the Wilson-Gorman tariff law. Most men are influenced in a measure by their acquaiutanee with a candidate, if they have had any personal contact with him, and more wage-earners lrave come in contact with McKinley than ever before had any personal acquaintance with a presidential candidate. McKinley has in the last half dozen years made greater campaisns than have ever been made by any other man, and he has come in contact with the wageearners in more than half the states of the Unton. This was not a!onc throngh his speeches, but by visits to great factories where he met men at their forges and machines, and conversed with them about their particular work. His close Btudy of the wage question in arranging the tariff schedules of the McKinley bill gave him the knowledge which is poasassed by few employeri of labor, and he wal able to dlicuai minara' wages with miners and Uow to lmproT their condition or wnse scales with mili men and the canses for the risa or fall of this or that ecale with n freedom tliat is not often fomifl outsida the labor unions. The wage-earneri of America have como in personal contact with McKinley more tlian wiih any other man not at the henil of soms great labor organization. They kiioV his Interest in the one great Question of how to prevent the wages ji this country being sralr-il down to the European standard. They linvi' even foiintl liim a man of true democratie instincts and manners, and, whatevcr the claims of other candidates who boast their interest in labor, the great majority of the men in our milis and mines will rote for McKinley in ïsoveinbor beca use they know him by his deeds, and because they feel that they have a personal aenuaintance wlth" him.

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Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Courier