New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-10-29
PATTERSON FOR PROTECTION,
A QUESTION OF HIGH OR LOW WAGES.
HOW THE SILENT MACHINERY IN THE SILK MILF
PLEADS FOR A HIGH TARIFF.

' PATERSON n D. Oct 1G-In no branch of Amerfs
can industry can be found q more striking exem'
pliicaton of the value of protective tariff than in
that connected with the manufacture Of silk goods.
| No man of ordinary Intelligence. with an boness
desire ~ inform himself on this subject. eau come o
| Paterson aud 90 through the mills talk with tho
manufacturers and the operatives what IL being
done and hear what has been done without returning
home better and n wiser Pro'ectionst than he
over was before. Tho whole question hers presents
itself IN guise simple mud 50 practical that ths
| wnyfaring man though n fool ar n Dcmocrat-
can hardly fail 10 the point and appreciate H.
Here. ms 10 other manufacturing centres, tho
lnboting population IRE taking anch mn interest ne
| hcs never took before IN the economic aspects nf
the subject n comes iigt home tO tlirii aud they
petreise that they ARE inote directly and inofr I'm.
nielaiels interested than atty utlrf portion ~ Uuf
population Ash almost any bne ~ thcin lct they
air generally Intelligent and 'amlllnt with 'le iops
ani he will answer that ihp alb Industry sptans
lntD no uniri Che Hppnbllenn rb inflh ~ 1902
and ilns ftisiripl etpw, uhil ~ iasg Utrt iqDDv
uetsiihs Neie Engaged IN " ~ the state ~ Views
iesef slunel ani inHst ~ .lieii " Paterson niiieh
has pD.,s ~ iie eaiiei ip ifnus ~ Ahp,bsi ihsh
ihp sainetha ~ ~ ppi cent ~ ls hAf nh ''r'''s1
sb manufactures ani thr thgiats ~ iH'iha' ga
ilntinn pansei iaFseF ngIaashi lapa.lsiI'',s sHa
the result was depression ~ the trade 81 that ~
some taa past two-thirds vt the looms have beea
idln aud many who we're formerly earning aood
wages have been discharged aud that u triumph ot
Democratic freetrade doctrines would absolniey
ruin tho business aud throw thousands out OF eni'
ploymsnt, while high tarih and cessation OF agi'
taton for lower duties would make business boom
and give situations to thousands of aborers
VISIT TO THE PRINCIPAL MILLS.
r. Richardson and James Booth both largely In
terested in American silk manufactures, acconi-
via n IN Of
| pal mills We found most of the looms idle, and the
| hands that formerly engaged about them had
| been compelled to seek work Of some other kind.
Here - said Mr. Booth when reached one OF his
own large factories. we used to employ LOO per-
sons now we have only $50 at work. See all this
silent machinery that ought to be hummlng ana
would be if it wore not for the antcipations OF
further reduction in the tariff which gave an im-
pulse to manufacturers the other side OF the At
| antc and induced them to over-production aud 70
| send goods over here until the market was over
stocked further reduction of duties would Hood
our market with the products Of cheap labor from
the other side to such extent that our manufact-
urers would either be compelled to reduce wages to
tho standard of Europe or close up their mills.
Where they pay one shilling In England and ono
franc in France and Switzerland We pay 81 to
operatives. We pay ribbon-weavers S3 a day and
| did pay them "a before they struck for higher
| wages For the same work in Switzerland and
Frances three francs paid. Our people could nos
| live such wages"
THE SILK TRADE OF ENGLAND.
Mr. Richardson, who has given much time and at
tcnton to the subject gave some interesting details,
| showing how the silk industry fostered and
| protected in England In its infancy, and how 10
grew and how it has langushed since free-trade
| notions have prevailed IN that country, from which
| he has recently returned.
@The English protected the silk trade he said.
| "by heavy duties and restrictions and before tho
close of the eighteenth century the annual product
| of the silk industry in England amounted to
| SI7 .OCO 0OO giving employment to from 10000 to
| 100. 900 people The silk trade grew In England
until In the early part Of the present century, tho
| English silk looms numbered 10000. aud IN 1855
| they had increased To- 10000. consuming
| 800 900 pounds NJ silk and producing goods
| worth $40 100000. In 1850 tho production
reached S0O.O0OOOO. This royal industry Is now
FRUSTRATED and the cry of distress IL heard IN tho
places which we're heretofore the great centres of tho
silk industry. Tho cause of this distress Is not Tar
60 seek. In 1890 frcr-trade tren'y was made with
| France and IL Affected the silk tlalc Of England
| most adversely The average import ,'ion OF silk
goods nto England from France before the treaty
was f75oOOD. During 1860. the first year Of tho
treaty it Increased to fl.303.6i2. and In seven
years % fG.Goi, 3Di"
IHE INDUSTRY N NEw-IERsEy.
The report of the lurcau of Statistics 0f Labor
and Industries of New-JeI,ey for 1883 sets forth
the condition of the silk trade here At tho present
time some of largest mills have large portion
of their plant standing still, and the production OK
most Of the mills where broad goods are made has
been greatly curtailed This has resulted ia the dis
charge of many of the ployes. The large i'm
poriatons of broad goods the satstician says, are
said to have been caused not by the reduction of ten
per cent in the tariff sixty per cent 10 nifty per
cent? but 10y the expec alton that the change would
| be much greater. The goods were sent here. put
into bonded warehouses, and afterward sold at
auction al prices considerably below the cost OK
| manufacture. Buyers who were accustomed to give
their orders to own manufacturers, purchased
their goods at these sales, IN many cases cancellng
large orders that had been given to our mills Tho
result has been that the manufacturers whose capt.
tal would permit reduced their production Of this
class of goods by stopping their looms and discharg
ing largo number of their employees. while those
who we're doing business with borrowed capital
were obliged to meet the market values, uotwith-
standing the tact chat they lost money ON every
niece of goods sold This had a still further demoral
zing effect upon prices If this talk and agita-
ton in regard e reducing duties were set n rest'
sad Mr. Richardson IN conclusion. a. they WI be
by a decisive Republican victory. the silk and other
industries viii speedily recover from The present de-
pression."
After further inspecting the nils whose products
are uly equal to the bes; THAI Europe can send rs.
We proceeded 10 tic brow Of c.ih near the res
eryoir. whence We could look down upon this great
manufacturing city OF 10000 mhabtVts, nearly
all of whom were dependent for their support upon
! the products of the mills sn1 factories that las at
our feet And one of the party, in view OF the sur
| roundines and the situation, was moved to say:
@The demon Free Trade led Protection To the top
Of high mountain and said All these things