New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-04-02
Exposing MIR. MILLSS IGNORANOE
UNABLE TO CHOOSE SEAMLESS STOCKINGS
ATTHIBUTING IRISH GOODS TO GERMANf-soME
FOOLISH QUESTIONS PROMPTLY ANSWERED.


ArrHIBUTIxG IRISH GOODS TO GERMANr-seME
FOOLISH QUESTIONS PROMPTLY ANSWERED.
Boston, April l CspecaD.-The following lettor has
been sent to Congressman Roger O. Mills In regard 10
the stocking manufacturing interests OF England,
which may prove embarrassing to that gentleman'
West Quincy, Mass, March 81 1885,
The Hon. Roger Q Mills. .,nn, I'm Hon 1ohn
d. Long Member OF Congress from this district,
communication lncloslng pair of stockings nom YOU
which y0G 9 say a %ee ed m INFORM You as to whether
such stockings as you SEND us can be made In the
also writes us you propose TO answer our former
letter by you by open letter In The Boston nor
qulrles you make of through Governor Long by an
open letter to the press In answer TO the nrst part
OF your question to whether such stockings as you
send us can be made in the United states, we make
answer that they can be, and have been' ana 10 d
limited extent arc now being made here, but OWING
TO foreign competition and DIFFERENTIATION, ana inc
very low wages paid for labor In foreign countries IL
compete with such foreign manufacturers without pro-
tecon or without paying the low rate OF wages
Is pad by foregn Manufacturers Concerning the
second part of your inquiry, We would say that Mr.
chnery for producing the same kind Of work as the
sample sent US by yCT The Joseph HsgRsS od %a
chine Company, Of Laconia r. H.. nave built. and
can, and will build on order, machines that will pro
and we have now in possession stocking made
by Mr. IIeglnbothom which has the same structural
F. Bush, Of Laconia n H.. has made stockings with
the same workmanship in them as your sample. A. b.
make these goods and has made thcm, and we now
have stocking made by Mr. olzendam exactly Ike
those you The two lots OF machinery mentioned
idle to-day owing TO undervaluaton and insufficient
protection, and we have no doubt that there are many
Ir he found elsewhere throughout the United
States. These goods, OF which you send us sample,
can also be made in waltham and Ipswich Mass, and
probably in many other places, for their manufacture
The more you state your knowledge OF the seamless
boci ind Ceau a understand for In
sending this sample you contradict your original state
ment viz that seamless stockings cannot be made In
this country, and you take refuge behind pair OF
full fashioned, regular made stockings, which are
scanned from the top of the leg to the point of the toe
saxonyS foot. These stockings which you claim
were made in Chemnitz. Germany are stamped Win IN
shamrocks and thistles and surmounted by an irish
harp on Sc9 FOR her cdGr and tho hi MISTAKES Of
some Of our Congressman, who are ", Amerlc an
enough TO Join hands with the Golden So ana and
the working classes OF this country down to tho level
Of the poorly paid working OF Io E bSPe sent
IS Dutch, then we'll go to Texas. We are OF me
Op9V R that haYS Ireland sssn mot Oa
Is considerable hosiery business carried on In that
country At any rate, the stamp put upon pom your your
are OF Irish manufacture. In view OF the TACT that
you have made several mistakes concerning this THIS
matter, both in your Providence speech and since
then. Is 1t not possible that you are making sun
greater mistake in advocating free trade at all, or
ideas, and It not possible, also that the
welfare of the country IS not to be advanced by the
adoption OF your peculiar notions relating TO the
tariff We SEQ it stated that you chairman of the
Committee on Ways and Means, refused a hearing
TO certain manufacturers claiming that yoO had all tho
information that YOU cared for, and that what you
got from manufacturers was misleading, but II seems
10 ms that If YOU would listen 10 reliable American
manufacturers rather than Golden Club sympa
thizcrs with foreign Int cts. you would be put In
possession of facts which would save you from such
an amusing and wides prcad exposure Of msinforna-
tlon as followed your Providence speech.
AS to your STA eren that American Manufacturers
cannot get into foreign mills TO gain knowledeg OF
their socalled secrets" say that you are In error
and that Il 10 done. for have been there ann
know what falling about, and We might add
that while there we found the foreign manufacturers
working day and night filling American orders aud
they told us that II would abolish our protective
tariff they would food US with roCds.7 To come
back 10 the seamless stocking question, we claim mat
Il is purely hmeri, an invention. We have q
machine for making seamless stockings In our posses
sion which was patented IN 1851 and II Is as COCO
order tot day. II used for making seamless
hosiery by A H. and c. b. Allng, of Birmingham
Conn. soon after II first out
In conc fusion think We have shown and demon
s oil 10 your entire satisfaction thai machinery has
been built, and goods like the sample you sent us can
be, have Dcon and being made In this country
and our manufacturers would like TO be able to MAKE
them in quantities. sufficient 10 supply our markets
and at the time give employ ment at good wages
10 thousands OF wOIkmen, but We venture the Hser
ton that manufacturer VIII Invest his cepiib o
mac hlnery for this purpose with the fate OF our IN
dustres uncertain a. now IT, but rather eonsen'