Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-08-17
SOLID AGAINST FREE TRADE
Democratic Nil Owners Of Tacoma
Who VIII Not Vote for Cleveland.

Recently . reporter for the Manchester
IN. H. Mirror visited Laeonia in order to
gain more thorough understanding of the
hosiery business Of the State and the effect
upon il of the present agitation Of the tariff
question az represented by the Mills bill
He found the Democratic mill proprietors
solidly opposed to the Mills bill and its party
because whatever benefit wooden manufac-
turers might get from free wool would be
more than Offset by the reduction of duty on
the manufactured goods and they would have
to quit business.
The manufacturer whose opinion Is most
highly regarded by his associates in the bus
mess, and who is Democrat, requested for
personal reasons the Withholding of his name.
but said at may be said that the trouble
with the wooden industry to-day is overpro-
duetion, stimulated by a high tariff that,
you know, is a favorite Democratic argument
but 1t is not the tariff but good business in
the past that has encouraged the manufacture
of hosiery. and the wooden industry of the
United States is not suffering any more from
overproduction to-day than the same industry
is at Nottingham in England"
What, in a few words, would be the
effect of the passage of the Mills billg"
GAS briefly as | can state it, and as plainly,
it would be just this Whatever benefit we
as manufacturers would get from free wool
would be more than Offset by the reduction
of duty on the manufactured goods, and We
should be compelled to go out of the bust
ness. That's all there is to it. OF course.
| do not expect the Mills bill will pass, but
this protracted discussion has worked in
calculable injury, and look upon the bill
as the index finger pointing the direction
which the Democratic party is taking toward
Free Trade"
What is the condition of the mills in the
state?"
THE Ashland Mill has stopped entirely
at Meredith Hodgdon's Mill is running very
short, at Lake Village the Halifax Mill only
is running on full time Here in Laconia J.
W, Busiel s Co., the Pitman Manufacturing
Company, Coburn, & Leavitt, Henry Tlton
and the O'Shea Brothers are at present run
ming on full time, filling old orders New
business is extremely light and unpromising.
l.. F. Busiel and the Clifford Mill have shut
down and Frank p. Holt is running only
five days in the week At Titon the mills
are shut down entirely and indefinitely. and
Sulloway of Franklin has closed his mill
and gone to Europe. The outlook in general
is not good. | attribute the discouraging
situation to the tariff discussion. am
Democrat, but | am Randall Democrat,
and | shall not vote for Cleveland"
Mr.. Dennis O'Shea, one of the proprie-
tors of the Laconis Knitting Mill another
Democrat, pronounced the Mills bill 1.-the
first step in the wrong direction"
e. Henry Tilton, another hosiery manu-
facturer, ex-Chairman of the Democratic
Town Committee, said: Under the present
circumstances | feel it my duty to resign
that office, as do not intend to vote for
Cleveland though have always voted the
Democratic ticket for many years. be-
lieve the passage of the Mills bill would
work very injuriously to our business; free
wool would not make us good for the loss of
protection on the foreign manufactured ar
ticles. We cannot reduce the price on labor
enough to effect it, and, even if we could
none of us want to do that" The capacity
of Mr.. Tiltons mill is $50 dozens a day
He employs from 70 to so hands.
Charles F. Pitman, the head of the Pit
man Manufacturing Company, indorsed en-
phatieally the views expressed by the gem
tlemen previously interviewed Mr.. Pitman
is another Democrat who will not vote for
Cleveland.
Albion l.. Hilton, of Rowe & Hilton, wool.
en- yarn makers, who have four sets of cards
and capacity of 600 to 800 pounds of yarn
day, said I'VE are only running two sets
of cards now. We ought TO be running all
we can do. Two years ago 10 sets of cards
would not FIJI our orders. As Republican
| am, of course. opposed to the Mills bill,
aud my partner, Mr.. Rowe, is as much
against it as am. | cannot say positively
whether he will vote for Cleveland or not"
Other manufacturers were seen. Invest
eating the subject as fully and as carefully
as possible, it was learned that out of ten
manufacturers of hosiery in Tilton now en-
gagged in business, seven are Democrats.
Not one of these seven is in favor of the
Mills bill, and it is stated that not one of
them will vote for Cleveland