The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-04-26

| started again III lCOo, ItH I1dCnlnti1 u
their own invention and construction
and now turn out daily 1900 wstcl
movements, 800 gold cases. and 600 sil
yer cases, and employ 3l00 hands, will
at least half as many more who furnish
supplies. Including families and de
pendents, from 10 900 to $4,000 derive
their support from the work Of thu
company. The, average daily wages
paid to womenis 81 40 and to mer
SO so to SO 90. In the United State'
there are now Is companies making
watch movements and 40 making watch
casea, one OF which is in Covington, KY
The estimated annual value of the pro-
duct ia 1000. 900, and the number OI
hands many thousands. In 1860 good
English silver lever watch cnst from $4C
to 800. An equally good running watch
can now be had at from $ll to $l5. and
excellent watches may be had at from 81
to $40 each. Many curious and expensive
wa ches are still imported, but last year
the watches exported to EOgland alone
amounted to $l8l .015. The ElRin Qll.,
Watch Co. paid no dividends for many
years, but is now prosperous. l have
risked wearying the Senate with these
details because many other manufac
lures have a similar history. by which
the American people have been largely
benefited.
These are representative specimens OF
few of the minor enterprises which
are rapidly decorating all parts Of OUT
country, and do not embrace the larger
branches of manufactures to which so
many cities and towns owe their pros
| ln h,,Il 1f thatr VNnp,,Iafi finr
In this diversity of employ re-
sulting from tariff protection, American
women have been elevated aud made
much more independent, Largely par
ticipating in the worlds useful work.
they were never more charming than
today. There is much fine and light
work, often that connected with the
manipulation of machinery, where their
tact and aptitude has been found supe-
rior to that of men, and the wages OF
women for a week now often exceeds
what was formerly paid for a month.
Far more than men would the fortunes
of women be adversely affected by any
steps toward the British goal of free
trade.
1t appears that what really constitutes
the tariff doctrine of the present Demo
cratic administration radically changes
| from year to year. The latest bill,
which is said to have the approval of
those in authority. not only reduces the
nominal rate OF duties but proposes to
change the method of ascertaining the
amount by an abandonment OF the sys-
tenn Of specific duties now so largely in
force, and substituting therefor the old
system of ad valorems, rejected every
where, as far as practicable, by all en-
hghtened nations, Obviously specific
duties are uniform at all points. require
less numerous custom house forces, and
they are the only complete remedy
against undervaluation. This was the
opinion of Mr.. Manning, the late Secre-
Uary of the Treasury, whose ability, once
everywhere recognized, Democratic oti
cials appear no longer to reverence. In
his report on the revision of ihe tariff,
February 16, 1886, he suggested and
urged
| A plan for the prudent enlargement OF specific
rates which will greatly promote the welfare o.
the government and Of the country. and as mat
ter of administration not work injustice to any
class in the community.
The advantage ls, he said. that under
| it
duties are levied by positive test
| And
and according to standard which is altogetht
national and domestic.
How could the Secretary have de
nounveu the ad valorem system with
more vigor than is shown in the follow
ing paragraph.
| s,cnescfnl In onera
ton today to evade the revenue by false invoices
or by undervaluations, or by any other meant
under an ad valorem system. will not cease eve
If the ad vaorem rates shall have been largel
reduced. They are incontestably. they are eve
notoriousy inherent in that system.
1t ia evident that the authors of tn
administration tariff bill either wer
not profoundly read in the literature O
the Treasury Department, or felt tha
the perpetrators of fraud, false invoice
and undervalua,Ions, when mainly lin
tied to the specific system, were too cir
cumscribed, and that they should hav
the wide field of the advalorem system
where false invoices and undervdlua
tions, according to Mr.. Manning, ar
'notoriously inherent AR a lesson i
political economy, the change to ad Vi
lorems is much more than an age To
late, and by no means credItable to tn
: intelligence OF American statesman
ship.
An examination Of the new tari
bill-which is supposed to have bee
prepared by Democratic syndicate
secret, all solemnly saying to one al
other
Let not thy left hand know what thy right har
, doeth,
will show that, were it to become a law
there is hardly any American manufat
! ture named in it that would not
more or less crippled, and many tht
would be cut up, root and branch, {
would force the wages of employees
= be cut down much nearer to foreig
] standards, The rates of reduction
proposed on the manufactures Of iror
d wool, silk and cotton would. by largel
importations of foreign merchandise, /
!, likely to produce an increase Of revenu
l rather than reduction, as the au'hol
of the bill must know, and the real pur
pose of the bill is, therefore, indicate
, TO be hostility to the protection of mar
l ufactures and not hostility to surplu
revenue.
, While any free trade blow at manu-
factures, in its rebound will prove M
less detrimental to agriculture. as bot
. never fail to flourish or languish togett
-. er, vet this Democratic tariff bill dlrect
ly, as we'll as indirectly, makes lou
. and radical demands upon farmers an
: calls upon them to place more numel
a GUS and costly sacrifices on the altar
. free trade than any tariff reformer ht
ever before ventured to suggest. Frol
= the long list of articles upon which 1t
proposed by the administration now
. power that all tariff duties shall be su
rendered, will select and call atientio
I. to some portions Of the compulsory col
tribution to be made by American farm
ers and the list will be found perhaI
sufficiently extensive to console and rec
: ooncile our neighbors of the Canada
, Dominion for their recent loss OF II
cIprocity treaty,
= Here is profuse magnanimity-tf
3 free surrender Of all our border marke
to those who will not permit our peOp
q to fish or cut bait within three miles
:. their shore.
7 In addition to the free list the cult
Q vators OF the soil will also find the tari
r is to be reduced on many other article
!. which seriously touch their interest
: For instance. the rates on leaf tobacC
for wrappers, on rice and paddy, 9
o sugar and on corn rice and potato stare
are all TO be reduced II farmers, hoV
Q ever, should feel respondent IN lookir
4 over this bill, the only relief offered a
=. pears TO be Opium, crude, containir
nine per cent, and over of morpha
which, as we'll as wool, is 10 be free
= duty.
Extracts from the FREQ lists OF the Democrat
!, tariff bill Wool OF all kinds; wool on the ski