The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1873-07-26

THAT SPIKE.
FOURTH DISTRICT,
July 22nd, 1873,


temperature of your sanctum. AS long a.
the weather remains too warm to argue thu
tariff question, | hope Tie Democrat will
have the grace to let it rest. My presen
purpose is not to press the subject; only
propose to pay little attention to the arti
Gle entitled "The Spike
The term spike belongs to the military
service, and is peculiar to the artillery arm
and is the last resort of the defeated party
When Il gunner is obliged to leave his piece
in the hands of the enemy, the last thing
he does is to spike it, to render it useless
The only way in which the term could be
applied with proprety to my late commune
cation would be for him to keep it locked uI
iii his desk, this would have been in some
way analogous to Spiking a gun,-and that
/ is just what he did for week, till he pre-
pared the labored abortion, which he de.
dominates "The Spike
/ The Doctor is aware that "too many men
adopt the opinions of others without stop
ping to think for HIMSELF and yet he falls
into the same error, and that to without
stopping to consider whether those opin.
ions are of recent or ancient date; and con-
seGuently he has adopted opinions, or what
/ is still worse, expressions which are en-
| tircly out of date, however true they may
have been in the past. A man to have cor
rect opinions, in accord with present exist
ing poets, must think right on through
heat and cold, or he will be left behind the
| living age and will find himself stumbling
among the tombs and monuments of the
past, or jibbering with the ghosts of the
departed.
In proof Of what l say respecting The
Democrat having adopted the Anticipated
opinions of other men, let me refer to what
he says about the colors of American cloths.
He says, "There is not an American wool
| dyer who can produce cloth that will not
fade The time may have been when this
assertion would have been true, but that
time has passed.
When l read this unkind fling at our
domestic manufactures, felt sure that it
was mistake; but did not like to risk
my poor opinion against that of a "retired
| physician nor yet to let it pass unnoticed;
| therefore dropped u note to Messrs. Jos.
Dean & Son, respectable firm of prac-
teal manufacturers, of at least three gen.
erations' standing. The finn now consists
of William Dean and John Pilling, and
possibly Joseph Dean, Jr., the son of the
| former, but do not know that such is the
case. He is the writer of the subjoined
letter and is familiar with the business of
the firm. Any one of those three gentle
men can take the place Of any hand in the
mill, and are therefore perfectly familiar
with the whole business. The elder Mr..
Dean is a free trader; none Of your Snuff
ling judicious or revenue tariff men, but he
advocates an adjustment of all duties;
while Mr.. Pilling is in favor of pro-
lection, and each is able to give the best
reasons for his faith; they are, moreover
upright, honest men, not only in matters
of business, but also in matters of opin-
| ions; and they both work out their own
opinions in the light Of existing facts. The
| different conclusions at which they arrive
ought to teach charity and forbearance
toward dissenters. Here is the letter of
Joseph Dean, Jr., approved by Mr.. Pill
| ing, and point to it with pride, not be.
cause it convicts The Democrat of the
charge above preferred, but because it
vindicates the skill of American manufac-
| turers.
Mr.. DarM Scott, Big Eli Creek, Cecil Go.
| 1,+ Of ,G
instant, inquiring: /" How American made
cloth compares in the durability of colors
with the colors of foreign cloths, especially
with those of French and English make;
and any fact casting light on American
cloth and It's colors," we would say, that
so far as our experience and information
extends, that as durable colors can be and
are made in this country as i'll France,
| England or else wheTe. Of course some
places in this country have water isGturaUy
better adapted for dyeing some and many
colors, than what other places have; yet
in many places the water may easily be
corrected by the dyer. But we have a
great many kinds of water in this country,
and as VIC have the same dye-stuff, and il
not the natiee skill and experience, we have
it in men who come here from all the for
eign countries. There is no reason why
| we CaHUOG llldke DIS uuldDlc COiOlS y
foreigners. One reason why the colors on
mann of the goods made in this country
are not so durable as the foreign, is that
tho goods are made cheap for the great
portion of our people; while tho durable
and expensive colors are only put on the
fine and high-priced goods, such as there
are only a few of-made in this country
while the most of the imported goods are
the fine and high priced; also for the rea,
son that most of the dye stuff is imported
and costs more here than in Europe; also
because our people follow the frequent
changes in shapes and colOrs of fashion,
it is not SO necessary for durable colors.
But we suppose your inquiry refers more
particularly to the fine all-wool broadcloth
for gentlemen's wear. Of that kind there
is comparatively little made in this coun-
try. We do not know of any mill making
that kind of cloth, yet we think there are
a very fer such mills in the New England
States. The most of that cloth sold i'll oul
markets is foreign make, for the reason
that to make it good, like the foreign. it Is
really necessary to have several kinds OF
wool, having different properties to be
mixed together to make good broadcloth,
and while only one or two such kinds are
grown in this country, the others must be
imported, and the imported wool costs sc
much more here than in Europe, that the
manufacturers of this country cannot make
as good cloth to sell in our markets as
cheap as the foreign cloth; therefore the
wooden manufacturers are limited in this
country in the kind of goods they can make
in competition with the Europeans. There
fore our manufacturers make such goods
as the woods grown principally in this ceun-
try are adapted to, viz: fancy knitted goods,
delaines, &C., in WHICH great bulk, strength
and brilliant colors, with little weight, are
wanted, and for such purposes the WOO
grown in this country has no superior
The proof of this is found in the large
quantity of such goods made III this coun.
try and the small proportion of them i'm
ported. We have many mills also making
fancy cassimeres, blankets, carpets, &C..
partly from home and partly from foreign
grown wool, the latter being imported at
low rates of duty. We think if the WOODEN
manufacturers of this country can get the
necessary woods, dye stuffs, oil, &C., as
cheap as the Europeans, that, notwith-
standing our having to pay higher wages
and interest of money invested, we can,
with our inventiye oeniuS and energy. be