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THE PUBLIC DISCONTENTS.
While President and Congress were passing the time in mutual obstruction, the public discontents were becoming hot and bitter to a degree unknown before.

A marked feature of the situation was the disturbance of public convenience involving loss, trouble, and distress which were vast in extent but not easily expressed in statistical form.
The first three months of 1886 saw an outbreak of labor troubles far beyond any previous record in their variety and extent.

In 1885, the number of strikes reported was 645 affecting 2284 establishments, a marked increase over preceding years.

In 1886, the number of strikes rose to 1411, affecting 9861 establishments and directly involving 499,489 persons.