The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1869-12-03

No. 10.
10 Horace Greeley /:

WOrlu uses more uUtVTeftUS gihn 10O1t
does. The European cotton or sill
umbrella is as much q staple in the
Bombay market as iron or shirting. ]
naturally tried to find out whether ]
could not buy umbrellas here in the
United States as cheap or cheaper than
in Europe. Strange rs it may seem, ]
really prefer the American-made sill,
or cotton umbrella to those made either
in Manchester, Birmingham, or Lon
don. There is q perfect magic about
the Yankee touch in manufacturing
goods it combines the grace of France
with the durability of England above
all, everything an American manufac-
turer makes is practicable.
There are several considerable um-
brella manufacturers in New York. 1
called on the largest and made my in
quiries. The goods suited, but the
price was, beyond all reason, out of
the way. OF this / complained, when
the umbrella-making sahib, who was
very polite, said that it was perfect
madness to think OF manufacturing
umbrellas for foreign market.
"Let us," said he, Ego into the de-
tails of an umbrella. Here, take this
26-inch brown silk umbrella. The
silk costs GO per cent. duty alone"
"Stop |" said /. "The silk of this
umbrella has never been imported-it
is American silk"
"Very well" said the umbrella sa-
hib, smiling, "since you are so ready
Judge of silk, will you please tell
me what such silk measuring 81 inch
es in width would cost in France?"
quickly answered, 1.-TWO francs ff-
ty centimes a metre.
"Very well, said the sahib, "and
how much, gold at forty cents premi-
um, is it per yard in currency 2"
again calculated, and found it to
be just fifty-one cents, currency, n
yard, allowing nine per cent. for the
metre.
Now" said the umbrella sahib, 81
will show you my invoice. paid
eighty-seven cents for this silk yard
and Il IL american made. Now, have
/ not paid the sixty per cent. duty-if
not TO government, at least to the Pat
tefsOn Six man
"But let us 90 on. The steel ribs
and brass furniture are, as far as the
bare material alone goes, the one sew
enty-fve per cent, the other forty-fve
per cent. taxed by government. Now
/ may go and import the umbrella
frames and only pay thirty-fve per
cent. nd ralorem duty but that will
alone be sufficient reason for not being
able to make umbrellas for export
Give me the material IN this umbrella
upon the same and equal terms as my
European competitors have it, and ]
will soon show you whether We will
not be able to compete with them for
the world d'smarkets.
And is that all you need p said I,
rather obviously.
"Yes," said he, "that is all We
need"
"Sahib, said I, chow is it you say
nothing about the cheaper labor oi
Europe?"
my friend" said the sahib, s'if the
material which this umbrella is com
posed Of were freed from monopoly
everything else wants TO be, of course,
in proportion relieved by government
from obnoxious taxes-our workmen
would work for less dollars, but would
get more commodities. We do moi
want our people to work for so few
dollars as the European workman gets
we want him to get more wages than
the European, and be able to buy
more for the wages than his European
competitor. The extra wages we pay
we get back in skill, In superior skill
what with our superior intelligent
working classes, and, above oil, the
great ingenuity of our machinery
which we apply to every branch o.
trade, we can very well afford to pay
more wages than Europe and still bt
equal with them, provided you give VI
the articles of which our goods are
manufactured on the same terms.
i The umbrella sahib further said -
"Behold the curse of home marke
only, and no other. Here arc 40t
silk umbrellas they cost me original
~ SIS. 25 each. am ready to loss
$1.25 apiece on them, because the,
are more of o flashy color and ou
sizes than are used here, but you tel
me that even at that price they are fif
/ teen pei cent higher than in England
Now, there is no factory that has no
got every year this class of what ma,
be called odd goods. England, France
and Germany do nothing else but sent
: us here their odd goods after supply
ing the home trade first but zoe, a
manufacturers, have no market, seel
for no market we are told tho hom
, market is the best, and so it is, but w
. cannot thrive without an outlet for tn
immense accumulations of odd goods
!, We are like a steam boiler full o
steam and not allowed to blow th
| surplus off, and the consequence i
that, for the very excess of steam
which is SO great O blessing we FIRE
Equently burst VI"
These were the words of the um
i brella-manufacturing sahib, which
most faithfully relate.
i Now, great master in the art of pc
/ itical economy, I want your opinio
whether the bursting up" of th
manufacturers is an unavoidable an
essential element to perfect the event
{ ual industry of country for al
J somewhat skeptical about it until yo
q take the film from mine eyes.
With the greatest respect,
! Yours admiringly,
A. CURIosBHoY.
( Parsee Merchant of Bombay.