New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-02-28
HINTS FROM MANY WRITE RS
THE PEARL BUTTON INDUSTRY
v,v.px MANUFACTURER. REPLIES TO A CAP

4
rIous CRITIC IN g THE TlM'S
y. m, ydttor Of The Tribune.
SIR: When I read in THE tRiboSh VI o0 ."a@
n an article headed "Ruined ny h"" Am
CA,ch shows how the pearl button industry mas occ"
~.s,rovod through failure of the law-making power
AZ the cerntry TO give it proper po"cuoh' eNPo'c"
ar, o ono benefited by the existing state of things
,n,d sock 70 break the force Of the truth and throw
snp IN the ewes Of those who may be considering ths
enestion find that the man who has undertaken
iris sort Of business is Mr. j. Moore, who comes 10
,he front in recent number OF The New-iofk
a,mess His assertions, however, are a long way
from meeting the and he lodges the real issue
nv presenting figures which have bearing whatever
In the arst place while the article in TIE TRIBUNE
referred exclusively to pearl buttons, Mr. Moore uil-
dertakoS 20 show that the Importation OF bntionS'
mot including brass gilt silk buttons was re-
dlced Instead OF Increased after the passage OF The
act Which lowered the duty on pearl buttons nom
30 to % per cent
II Is possible that Mr. Moore lmagines that he can
gull the public with such figures when every inel'i-
gent child knows that there are many varieties Oh
buttons beside pearl which are not " pfasS' gin VI
slk.s For his information i VIII mention rev
;yory horn bone, rubber cellnlold wood, cioth'
steel tin linen and metal composition OF various
Kinds let Mr. Moore get up his statistics on pearl
buttons a,ons tho next tmo he desires to mako pub
lie exhibition OF his hatred for American INDUSTRY
Those he has given amount 20 aesoIntciy h"'hns ia
the present controversy
For the purpose Of proving that the pesrlbutton
,,.rufacture did not furnish bread to $4,000 people
.v,ous TO ifs murder by Of low tariff, as
s,.,ea In TIE TRBTNE's article, Mr. Moore says mat
according TO the census Of 1880 - only o,s21 bSnos
vrrr employed IN the manufacture OF buttons IL
vas newhore asserted hat there were 5000 persons
employed In the manufacture, hut that 5000 persons
y,er. nj one time supported by IL II Mr.. Moore Is
nRn uf family BE VIII hardly assert thai ne IS the olS
wrssn supported by his occupation YET ne seems 10
fuarN believe
$4,000 hands were employed in the poductlon Oh
sTm"rted by f. II Mr. Moore is SO much Interested
IN neutralzing the efforts Of the pesIntt9n matters
to place themselves on a footing with the other
mechanical Industries Of the country LET him find )u
tho true facts II he viii como to newark we Wiz Wiz
show him orr once busy factories now deserted ana
onr IDLE wmRmen II he will take the trouble to look
around him he find the same condition ~ things
IN New-York city regards eal1button MAKING
These arc facts which mono OF his irrelevant figures
can refuto While he is the subject let him explain
ha can why the manufacture of pearl buttons has dc
nra,.sed nearly 100 per in birmingham, England
during the last few years. Until the pauper and con
t hc Of Austria began To food other countries with
VT, r Mttons more pearl buttons were moducrd in
birmingham than in all the rest 81 the world II ar.
Moore sreals candidy he viii admit that birmingham IS
tho wages paid to pcarlbuton makers thG[e are OYER
ncsc In Dirmingham the manufacturers could not com.
pe,n with the prison labor OF Austria. Bnt MI Moore
Carefully avoids any reference to the wages paid to tho
Snsiris1 mechanic or to the employment of convict
labor there which play such prominent part In me
decline Of this industry here. IN this 10 shows his
Wisdom. p,rhars al the expense Of his canlor.
IN Mr.. Moore IS fond of statistics will give him
few IT, button rrG ma n Newark seventeen
establishments with capital OF S1s8l01 Ih'y en-
wages amounted TO s25s,5 the materials they worked
pp eS4 and ,Ss Taan Cv there Wsye
nine establishments with a capital Of sl55.O0o They
employed men r s9a eo e9 .pc 'nntere
fhev nscd cost RiG7 $3.50, and the products sold for
sdQ1 0o7 In tho citIos above the wages paid for
he nrcducts we've worth Al 1o4 4O7. In the light IT
these facts will Mr. Moore continue 10 claim hat IN the
whee United States the indNsry OF pearl button max ne
did not furnish bread to $1,000 Amelcsns' before 1T
was ruined by a low tariff THOMAS A. WE'VE
Neuo1, v. j., Feb. g. 1ssS
LyvFR WAGES FOR ONE LOWER WAGES FOR ALL.
To Ms Ysifsr % 7he gribWp@
sIss yh-s,s II nne f.aHn1~ of t7,e rresds nts mes
sage no w4iran nezas or no alluslon made
namely hls assumption that change from our poi
icv of protection can only affect those mechanics
who produce protected articles. That he fails en-
tlroly 70 take any broader view Of the subject IL
clearly shown by the paragraph in which he deducts
from the grand total of artisans, carpenters, black
smiths agricultural implement makers etc. Also by
another paragraph in which he speaks of the tariff
as "a scheme which permits a tax to be laid upon
every consumer In the land for the benefit Of our
manufacturers"
II does not need the insight Of a statesman to
perceive that even were Instant read1ustmeht OF
the wages of artisans possible, enabling manufacturers
materially reduced tariff such readjustmcnt would
be followed by a adjustment OF labor. The ma
chinist or wheeright who found his wages lower
than these OF the blacksmith would enter the latter
field Of labor, become competitor, and thus force
him TO accept lower wages in his turn Inc same
would be true with the carpenter, and in fact with
every one who tolls with hand and brain, whether no
be artisan or clerk for the supply Of mechanics
diminishing, factories would be closed one after
another and not only the hands" but the salesncn
clerks and boOkkeepcrs would DO forced 10 seek en-
ploynent elsewhere, crOwdng out, or lowering tho
wages Of those already engaged in these pursuits
No doubt quite large pro ortlon OF artisans woulu
nrOve too ncaetc To adapt themselves TO change
of Occupa ion and would be therefore oDseu ~ aSp,
lower wages and give up a corresponding Proportion
of the Joy ments OF life, bua they wouid noI Die
,tp their children to follow in their footsteps 50
long a. any chance Of better pay In otef WOrK was
left them Thus after short time only the least
intelligent would be left TO compete with Tie I'M
pnrters President Cleveland mistruss his own
country men, who. he thinks FORM wlVhcu WIN t
To keep up prices of manufactured articles 10 inc
highest roint which wicked tariff PERMITS. Is
his love for and confidence in his friends the phll-
antbropc English manufacturers, so strong that nc
has no fear that thcy might taae advantage OF ms
weak, ned condition OF our own maiuiactur IRE ~
form a combination and by the sacrifice Of all or
part Of qcir roh,s for year or two reluo S
to a point which would crush ont what little hIo
wal lett IT, American mannlactorles III. =
Tie fi.t is tht th5 Pre- dent, being IN Spte Oh
the Mugwumps a Democrat. and knowing as every
Democ al does. that vast majority Of he wealth
and intelligence Of the North is Republican ana pro,
tectionst has the Inherited Democratic hatred ana
mistrust Of The prosperity which he wisdom OF tho
Republican party has Produced and that ne : OWs
uis cloyou foot very clearly in his message T. Z.
he'- York. ian. &c, 1888.
A CORREC TON IN THE YARD CASE
To the EdftOr Of The TrfbWne.
sr: Your article of to-day relative to the dismissal