New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-10-23
THE FEELING In THE MILLS.

coal not carry on these mills day without a pro-
teetive tariff"
THE FEELING IN THE MILLS.
PROMINENT MANUFACTURERS WHO Do NOT WANT
CHANGE-woRKINGMEN VINO OBJECT TO WORK
ING FOX EUROPEAN wAGEs-A VARIETY OF IN
pusTRIEs REPRESENTED BY sTAUNCH REPUB-
IICANs.
4 TRIBUNE reporter called yesterday at the works
of Mitchell. Vance & Co., manufacturers OF gas
fixtures fine clocks and GroDzes, at ienth-svh ard
Twenty -fourth-st. They employ over five hundred
hands mostly workmen of high artistic ard me
chanical skill. Mr.. Vance, when asked concerning
his views regarding the tariff question. sald
"To us a protective tariff IS of vital Importance.
We manufacture goods, ecaly in the line OF line
clocks and bronZes, which come into direct cOmDe-
titon with foreign goods, and, the tariff abol-
ished, OF even lowered to any considerable extent.
we would either have to stop manufacturing, or
reduce the wages of our employees aud we should
grsatly regret having TO do either. Nearly all OF
our workmen are men of the highest degree OF
skill, and consequently they receive wages even
more than proporuonately higher than the wages
pad for the same sort of work In Europe. These
fpen, of course, do not want change that might
affect their wages and hence think they will vote
with due consideration of all that Is before them
Personally have not gone among them or said a
Understood that the men have been taking consider
able interest In the subject and that there had been
nsny changes from the Democratic to the kepubli-
eaa party. think the fear of the lowering OF the
fanff and consequent lowering of wages. has
greatly Influenced many Of them. The workmen
here are intelligent they read the newspap rs
and discuss the questions of the day among them
selves Many of them have worked in Europe and
know how things over there, and they doubtless
have considerable influence. and do good work for
The Republican party. But the firm does not IN any
way NEEDLE with the politics of the men. and we
would not for the world give any one occasion to
say that had ever attempted to influence them in
the least manner or that ii would make any differ
epee in our treatment of them howsoever they
might vote We know they are intelligent enough
10 judge for themselves"
Have you used any of the tariff cards in your
works"
NO: we have done nothing that way. believe
some of the workmen brought some Of the small
cards INTO the works, and think they pretty
well provided with documents from some source or
pther, but that is all a matter among themselves"
TIE firm Of Chrlsty, Shepherd d Garrett, Nos.
Bio to 534 West Twenty-third-St., is among the
largest manufacturers of paper hangngs in the
country. A TRIBUNE reporter visited the place
yesterday, aud one of the first objects noticeable
was tariff card" banging in the office. Mir.
Shepherd said
Il am strongly In favor of the continuance of the
present Administration. Our business. like every
other KIND of manufacturing which comes into COM
petition with Europe, demands ii. Though at
present q reduction of the tsrif would only
compel reduction OF the wages Of en-
ployes which we should regret. in smaller
Establishments, OF those of more recent beginning
than our own the result would almost certainly be
fatal. We EMPLOY here some 200 hands. ana
although do not know how they all feel, pOllti-
caly, believe they are iDielilgeUt enough TO un-
derstand wqat is at stake and 10 vote according
their best interests think this tariff question has
ALREADY had nsdeTable effect upon theTn."
William BlOoktield, OF the Bushwick g ass W rlls
has go names on his payroll about ole-hlf Of his
emDiO;es beng voters Several months ago. The
men were almost evenly div dei on political issues.
but tine IDtr0dnetiOu OF "tarf cards" and
pamphlets converted nearly al the Dem
Se1st' Efforts Snmeo Are on now ~ taTg one.,oe e
to convince the six or eight Democrats who remain
that j Is 10 their Interest to vote the hepubi can
tickct
One OF the workmcn." said Mr.. Brookfed.
"tod me he had voted ,'e ID mocratc ticket all
his lie. but tina: the pernsal II tar q CARDS and
would therefore vie for Garhcld. 4 tarf for
revenue only wOnld Ice u 90 i1u- thing TO Us. Tue
present duty glass alb ut 80 per cent aud with
pat Inc tariff fan 10 sec 40" We could Ct along.
The remark mas been attributed 10 "A son o. W. &.
Depa". OF Indiana, wno Invested 81 ,uOO,GoO IN
polished plate glass seve al years ago. that Le
sage of the Fernando Wood bill would close them
up"
- Do you know any Democratic manufacturers
who are coming out for Caftieidf
"Yrs ! know a prominent gentleman extensively
engaged IN manufacture who viii vote The i!epub-
liean ticket despite ms lifelong support Of DomO-
cratic doctrines. There "a q RruiienaD ~ the
tobacco business no had 100000 deJO-itcd with
b Inst Company in tbs city dfaWIng p-I cent.
Wheu | beard from blm last 10 SAID that
be wanted 10 send the money 81 Havana
TO purchase tooacco, but that no cou not
AFFORD 10 take the risk uuul he ced tuat
tie iarih would not bo cHaugrd, and tIat tho he
publican party would continue IN power. u nj
then he would keep his EiOney il the Trust Com
pany
Mr.. BrOokfed SAID in conclusion that working
men III the glass Industry did not wait any charge
because they we're getting WITHIN ten per cent Of
what tiiey ieCeiyrd wuen god $50. He also
SAID that # Hancock sDOnld be elected ana taulf
To- revenue OBiy became Tie policy Of the Govern
ment he wOnld look around for some othnT business
IN which 10 IDyssG his capital.
l.. T.. CbaDn, sgeUt for the OswegO Starch Fac
Tory. said he intended 10 reuatc the tarn cards"
at once among the 1000 operatives employed nj
the facfoiy.
"a protective tariff" said Mr. Chaplin. does not