The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-12-15


It increases the cost, and thus lessons the
marketof New England manufactures. This
fact has stuck In the throats Of some people,
and makes them doubtful of the whole sys-
tenn that embrace such particulars"
With regard to the views Of the shoe
manufacturers, the Republican says:
1.-THE shoemakers are up in arms. good
deal Of what is called the dissatisfaction Of
labor springs from causes that have their seat
in the tariff. The boot and shoe interest Is
the largest single industry in the United
States, next to agriculture. IL employs more
men and uses more capital than either the
wooen, the cotton or the iron Industry.
More than one hundred and thlrty-one thou
sand persons earn their daily bread In this en-
ployment alone. Most of this industry Is
located in New England and in Massachusetts.
Lynn began TO make shoes to sell in 1861,
and, in 1868, made about nine million pairs
enough to give one pair to about every fourth
person in the country. Brookfeld is not
much, If any, behind Lynn, and in Milford,
Hayerhill, Newburyport and other towns In
Massachusetts,, it is the principal occupation OF
the people. The shoemakers never asked for
any protection for themselves, and never got
any; but the present tariff crowds them On
their materials almost unendurably. Lynn
makes mostly cloth shoe for ladies' wear.
The wool bill of 1867 puts duty OF nearly
one hundred per cent. on the lasting OF which
these shoes are made, and that, too, at a time
when not yard of that kind Of goods was
made in this country. The rubber goriDg,
too, which is feature of these shoes, is taxed
fifty per cent. in gold before the manufacturer
can touch It, There is also duly upon hides
and leather. About four hundred OF the prln-
ciple boot and shoe manufacturers OF New
England have united in o downright remon-
slrance against these features OF the tariff,
and their influence over public opinion Is very
considerable. They constitute good deal Of
public opinion themselves"
Concerning the woo!len interest, the Re
publican says:
1.-THE woolen industry is in very unsatis-
fac'o.y condition, especially the manufactures
of the finer grades of fabrics. Edward Har-
ris, and the Rhode Island manufacturers gen.
erally, are the spokesmen, of these men.
They complain that, while they have TO pay
about one hundred and ten per cent. duty on
their fine woods imported, the carpet and blan-
ket woods come in at about fifteen. They
complain, also, that while they have to pay,
on the average, serenty.s!x per cent. OF the
whole cost OF their goods in duties on the
materials, the completed product that COM
petes with their own is admitted at thirty-fve
per CEN. They do not want, however, 10
have this latter rate raised, but play 10 be re-
lieyed of the former, and prefer that both to-
cether should 60 by The board absolutely than
to have things as they are. We hear that
these ideas are working In the minds of some
of the woollen manufacturers up In Berkshire,
who are by no means as prosperous as for
merly, and that they say openly that the tariff
ought to be and must be changed In the Inter-
est OF lower duties"
The Republican might properly have In
cluded the manufacturers Of cotton fabrics
and the representatives OF many other less
important industries among the opponents
OF the tariff, and its failure to do ois Doubt
less attributable to oversight or the neces-
sity of economizing space. MIR. Edward
Atkinson is as much entitled TO recognition
as the spokesman Of the cotton interest as
Mr.. Edward Harris of the woollen manufac-
turers. The Republican, so far as We know,
is the first representative journal Of the
New England States to discover what, to
the people of other sections, has long been
obvious, that the Eastern manufacturers
have learned from experience the folly OF
protective tariffs.