New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-10-29
HOPEFUL VIEWS OF TRADE.
HOW MERCHANTS IN WASHINGTON REGARD
THE MCKINLEY BILL
GENERAL, PROSPERITY IN VARIOUS LINES OF
BrsINEsS-TALKS WITH PRoMI-
iBY TELEGRAPH TO TIE TRIBUsE.l

washington, bct. sS.--NO RcHeTdi iS''N"
Of living to the poor man or the ordinary ciho'
or OF the various industries through which he lives In
the United states, affected practically or thruS"
imperfect knowledge OF II by the Mckinley oi can DC
measurably correct without brief survey OF ule
conditions ut present existing In this CRY. lhesc
conditions are naturally peculiar. The stains OF WASH
ingtOu Is that Of great commercial OF man"
featuring centre: il lies outside OF the grand cen'rai
lines Of trade both by land and water ana aoout hu
way between the great agricultural ana "ii"s
communities Of the North and OF the " New SOUTH
being, in fact great political and private residence
city," Nor it properly be left out OF tne aoooS
for other reasons pertinent To ITSELF TOT us
Increase OF population during the last decade mas
been little less than phenomenal WHEN ls pecuiia'
conditions arc considered; BECAUSE althouSh IL mas
rctrograded from It's former position OF the ec'eh''
city in the Union to that Of the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES sp
parently three steps in the race lor preeouoh'0
has increased by the extraordinary figures OF nearly
onetrd Of its population shown by the tenth census
much larger increase In fact, than that OF Boston,
A tour by n representative OF The Tribune aIncng
some Of the retail and wholesale cstsohshmehV 10
yoals the following condition OF AFFAIRS concerning Al
tho first place. that which the ordinary ctu"eh ca"
and drinks: Teas were found to have advanced Oy
somo = cent? nor nound and in one two instances
tho smaller tradesmcn were inclined to charge ts 10
the tariff but the latter has OF course nothing 70 10
with IT. The same may be said OF the lcresse Va
price in barreed fish, The high price Oh Deahs 'au'
complaint for the reason that this item FORMS large
proportion OF the food Of w0rkngmens la'nes' anu
some OF the retailers blamed the tsriH' WHICH theS
claimed protects the anraiser OF Western New-lo rH
and Michigan Among several Of the minor storeA
there were dark prophecies Of high prices in one near
future In many Items snch cheese, pickles. sauces,
p;rines. oil, maccaroni. soaps ana cahhe
goods the prophets maintaining that even where tlo
tariff didn't actually affect these commodities uo
greed OF home producers would inevitably cause them
to up prices.
In the line OF native products however. prices were
found to rule as they had done previous 10 tha
| passage Of the new Tariff law, and large hrm OF
wholesale dealers gave many rcasShrng iacIS' ""r"
might we'll have cheercd some OF the small IetallFr-
Except from reasons due to shorag" Of crops or over
produc he sald prices al the present tnlc "'c
not unusually high. nor. except N some Jew minor
Items was an immediate increase II price anticipated,
unless in where the stock on hand had become
exhausted ard needed immediate rcpleniNhment OF d-
| vanced prices, in lines OF imported goods Home
produce had not advanced in price on account Of the
! Mckinley bill Imported pickles sauces ard similar
gods In bottles slightly enhanced, but THAT wa
due more to the cost OF the bottles through the de-
cisis under the Administrative Customs bin than TO
any other Imported ales and st0atS, Tor eX-
ample had Increased some five cents per dozen from
the same cause. The increase in rai>irS. ALMONDS,
p1ncs In fat. in all products raised upon the P%ihc
| Slope had not yet affected trade nor lad the ad-
d,tionA duty on imported chceSes wines or b1ndieI.
except In cases where traders had been cau1ht mapping
like the foolish vr-ln>' and neglected to replenish
| their stocks before the passage OF the new law
Regarding the anomalous condition OF the bean
| trade a member Of the firm gave curious piece o!
information stating that although tue great majority
Of Tho beans now CONSUMED imported aud prices
necessarily ruled high ii largely dnc 70 the Nhphc
pcs, IL The American producer \ Yea" or tWb "co Il"
had advised a small farmer who had c,r'" here from
tho Norh To Try u crop of that Mnd. a. to profits
were unusually large. tn" farmer took his advice.
planted l-O acres Of land In TIE vicinity Of Washing
ton with beans. making crop If sixty bushels Ia the
| acre and rrazin: no lcss than 212.-0). with the
| major portion OF which he went North rejoicing and
| lifted" heavy mortgage on his farm
The poor man in the District ~ jumh!a can ~till
warm himself aud have his husal meal ""ok"d 81 Tic
same price, that formerly prevailed fr. in spite Of
the fact that tnc great trace via the chesapeake
and Ohio Canal is absolutely wiped out. the cost OF
incl her, is ahnOrmay low. Not only tile Iab0rirG
| man. bu the skilled artisan, and the av-
crasc clerk ard merchant as well. n"h an
| tIcipatc no unusual Outlay for clothing, lot
| both tho smaller class of manufacturing tiilorr
and tic great ready made clothing houses maintain
Tim, until the stock on hand. which is an anolinllly
large one shall have been exhausted there will be 10
advance In the price ~ sutS Of clothes to customers
! and when asked II the Of buttons. threads and
! " trimmings" generally woHld enhance IN" price OF
| ,ut, the response was i ncgatv" one. ono great
melancholy View Of the trade status when the present
! ,turk> should LccOmc exhausted. American manu-
fcturrr said the proprietor had already announced
schedules Increasing price, II their poorer class OF
Goods some per cent. while in the higher grades
they only claimed 10 per cent advance" Upon the
| ,tror hand a clothcr who's" operations Il
c,niic scale averaging between two and three mill
ion, per aunum. and who possesses some eight
or nine large stores. In different cities. besides
largo and thoroughly equipped clothing factory. took
roscatc view of the situation, even after the Mckinley
bin shall have become permanent factor in the trade.
said this patriotic gentleman: Not only do not
PROPOSE Ia advance my present prices. brt have
] grave doubts whether | shall do later You
-re the prices which got for clothing are, TO ay
| the least ample living prices The best male of
| American goods in my uin"-the cloth itself.
| mcan-iS close In every particular to
! the British that | can take some experts IN
| that line and placing cloth produced in my own
| factory beside similar Enel material have them
select NV own product the fol ci2n make WHY.
| we already Manufacture here cloths that more
durable than the foreign article; and while II Is true
that certain classes Of imported gods SIN hold their
own In gloss and beauty Of finish or general appear
| ancc | firmly believe that atmospheric climatic
conditions which is claimed necessary to the ~,
! suits obtained can bc artiiicilly produced in
| facto-cs here. In fact hr continued, am
perlmentinS in that line al the present time"
Several Of these dealers. re'errIng To Instances
wherein customer had been recently charged advances
Of price upon ovcrc"ats suits Of clothing IN Wash
ington remarked that these were extremely rare.
and only happened whcT dishonest dealer In
"A small business IOok advantage Of some stranger
visiting the city, claiming that tho new tarin had
already caused rise in prices.
| The WashingtoEan still proudly presses " his native
heath" with foot shod at the cost formerly
although one Of the travellers for large NewY0rk
boot aud shoe concern told The Tribune representative
he had Just returned from tour through the South
wherr he had under orders charged average Increase
! Of - cents per pair boots and shoes. We have
already been informed said several dealers. >" Of in
creased prices To the tune of from 10 to % cents pei
pair upon goods according to the different grades but
We intend to continue selling at the old prices. ness
the additional charge by the wholesalers Is materially