The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1888-10-04
Mr.. BR1cKsrR. democratic nominee for


congress, was in the city on Thursday |
and in company with Mr.. Villas called at i
The Pilot office. MIR. Brickner being a
of wooden goods, owning
one of the largest WOODEN manufacturers
in the United States, his views on the
tariff are naturally of interest to the
public. With view to obtaining these
Mn Brickner was led to talk on the
question of wool and wooden fabrics.
He speaks in low, measured tones, H.
dulge3 in no theories and draws his arga-
ments from his own experience. He has
studied the tariff for the last 90 years
with the caution and intensity of busl-
ness man having interests involved.
In substance his conversation on wool
is as follows: 1.-The only place in the
United States where the fine quality OF
wool is raised from which the finer quail
ity OF wooden goods may be manufactured
is in West Virginia and adjoining por-
tons of Pennsylvania and Ohio. | made
business trip there and purchased a
large quantity of wool but found that from
it I could not manufacture goods equal
to those manufactured from Australian
woods. I then visited importers of Aus
tralian woods, got their prices and cal
culated the cost to me of goods manufac-
tured at Sheboygan Falls from this wool.
/ found that owing to the duty on raw
Australian wool [ could not, even in this
country, compete with English manufac-
tories which got the wool free. l was
forced to have certain number of
shawls of a very fine quality and found
it cheaper to purchase the foreign article
than to manufacture it, and I bought
40OO0 worth of foreign shawls. Now is
it not clear that in SO doing I purchased
large amount of foreign labor? If [
| could without loss to myself manufac-
ture in Sheboygan Falls, the S40,-
| 900 worth of shawls, could | not employ
| more labor? But the tax on raw wool
prevented me from doing this and 1 was
| forced to pay the wages of foreign labor
and deprive the American laborers OF
earning the wages necessary to produce
| $4,000 worth of manufactured goods. ]
certainly was importing foreign labor
and compelled to do SO by the tariff tax ;
It was intimated to Mr.. Brickner that
as manufacturer he might be in favor oil
free wool while opposing a reduction OF
the tariff on the manufactured articles.
Give us tariff tax of % per cent. or
manufactured goods, Gt is now 60 pei
cent? and free raw material and we cal
furnish all the goods needed in the Unit
ed States and compete with England II
foreign markets"
But the tax on manufactured article:
is so high that it should enable you Il
advanced price which the tariff imposes
and still have an advantage over the for
eign manufacturer"
You forget that raw wool is bulky an(
the duty specific. At so much per pounC
there can be no escape by fraud of Gus
tom duties. Manufactured wooden ar
ticles of a fine quality, are not bulky ant
the duty is largely advalorem. Thes
are consigned to agents in this countr,
at a very low price and thus the advalo
rem duty is to great extent wiped out
The high duty nourished these frauds
Would I have purchased $4,000 wortl
Of shawls of foreign make if I could man
ufacture them at the same price which
paid? With tariff of Is per cent. | hav
no fear of foreign competition and N
fear of false invoices. OF course, [ know
that my knowledge of the subject is mucl
less than that of those who have givei
no study to the subject and who insis
that heavy tax is blessing to laborer!
and manufacturers. I have not fonnd i
so either for myself or the men employ