The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1890-09-17
NO. 15.
THg saoooY MgN wANr n.

TIE sHoooY MEN WANT n.
fhey clanaor for the Passage OF the Ne
Kiniey Bill Owing 70 High Wool Daties-
While tho manufacturers of woolen
goods look upon the wool schedules of the
Mckinley y-bill as threatening theiralready
oppressed industry with still heavier
burdens. the makers of slloldy cloth and
clothing arc sapremely happy IN aatici-
patton of its passage. The shoddy men
know that the effect ef the bill VIII be
to Increase the demand for thair hum
bug stuff, and therefore they clanlor for
Its passage like all other good paSriots
whose pockets viii he replenishei by IL.
The attitude of the regular legitimate
manufacturers and of the shoddy men
is thus pointed out by The Dry Goods
Economist: s'The tariff measure now he
fore congress. or such portion of It as .sr-
plies to wool and its manufactures, has
been opposed by n greater number of
wool manufacturers and more practical
logic than has ever been submitted
against any previous customs revenue
measure. The wool manufacturing in
dustTy has been waiting for eighteen
months for Congressional relief which at
this n,onient appears further of than
ever Manufacturers of goods from wool
substitutes applaud the measure before
congress and are championing its mo-
ponents and abettors. The raanufact-
u-crs are suffering, inasmuch rs their
mills are partly or wholly idle. and their
output barely reimburses the cost of
manufacture. Free wool is wanted 10
employ the wooden goods machiner,- of
the country, for until that can be started
up both the manufacturing and the wool
growing interest must languish. Whom
viii representatives be placed in con-
gresS who win execute the wishes of the
lnassess From this summary It will be
seen how tho wooden goods interest Is
handicapped"
The most curious part of the whole
matter, however, is that while the tariff
bill largely increases the duties on pure
wool it actually makes slight reduction
on wool adulterants. This is another
reason why the shOddy men are IN favor
of the bill The past few years have
witnessed very great advance In the
use of shoddy in this country. Accord
ing to the census of 1870 our shoddy
mills used 100000 pounds OF raw
shoddy. In 1880 they used $4,000. COO
pounds, and the census Just taken viii
show an amazing increase for the mast
ten years. There are now more than 100
shoddy mills in the United States, and
about $50, 600, 900 is invested in handling
and manufacturing shoddy.
The use of shoddy in clothing has in
creased enormously of late. The census
of 1880 shows that los pounds of shoddy
are mixed with flS pounds of pure wool
to make our so called woolen goods. But
1t is IN carpet bshat shoddy has made tho
greatest strides in displacing WOOL In
1910 carpets were made of 50 parts OF
wool TO 20 OF shoddy; IN 1880 tlioro were
6S parts of wool to 32 parts of shoddy.
a later estimate is made by the Dobsons.
large firm of carpet makers in Phila-
delphia. According TO this firm, in 55.-
100000 pounds of carpet materials there
are 10000, 900 pounds of clean wool. 90
100000 pounds of shoddy and 25, 600, 600
pounds of other mixtures.
Those are alarming figures. but the in
Hasion OF ah0ddy Is still Advancing. The
manufacturers have recently scored q
point by introducing what Is called am
improved" style Of machinery. which
makes it possible to spin wretchei kind
of stuff which heretofore could net be
used.
The attitude of the shoddy men with
reference to the Mckinley bin offers a
NohNAact " AIllEuQg ON Ll0
Mills bill, which proposed to make wool
free. Two years ago they submitted a
report to the senate committee attacking
the Mills bill with all possible yi9or.
During the last presidential Campaign
the Republican national committee sent
out circular signed by seventeen shod-
dy firms attacking the free wool CLAUSE
OF the Mills bill.
''This BILL" they said, Gas far as it
nffafsfu t1Na fVNdVNafT-Tr III.
gagged. is u free trade measure. and a.
Such we are decidedly opposed to Il.
We have determined in the coming cleo
tion to support the candidates Of the
protection party, Harrison and Morton.
Their election we consider to be fndis-
pensable TO the maintenance of our bua-
mess"
Evidently the shoddy men know who
their friends are and who are their enc
mics.