Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-08-21
Backed UP BY sHopDY.


The Manufacturers of Shoddy claraor For
Friend and Their Enemy-They Were OPP
posed to Cleveland. But Supported Har-
rfson.
A late number of the New York Dry
Goods Economist the leading paper of
the dry goods trade in the United States,
furnishes very Interesting evidence of
the attitude Of the regular wooden man
ufacturers and of the shoddy manufact-
urers toward the Mckinley bill
OF the shoddy men it says: "Manu-
facturers of goods from wool substitutes
applaud the measure before Congress
and are championing its proponents and
abettors.''
But the wooden manufacturers are by
no means enthusiastic in their support
of the Mckinley wool schedule. The
Economist says: 1.-The tariff measure
now before Congress, or such portion of
it as applies to wool and its manufact-
ures, has been opposed by greater
mum Der of wool manufacturers and more
practical logic than has ever been sub
mitted against any previous customs rev.
enue measure. The wool manufacturing
industry has been waiting for eighteen
months for Congressional relief which
at this moment appears further off than
ever. The manufacturers are suffering,
inasmuch as their mills are partly or
wholly idle, and their output barely re-
imburses the costs of manufacture. Free
wool is wanted to employ the wooden
goods machinery of the country, for un-
til that can be started up both the man
ufacturing and the wool-growing inter
est must languish. When will Repre-
sentatives be- placed in Congress who
will execute the wishes of the masses?
From this summary it will be seen how
the wooden goods interest is handi-
capped"
But the shoddy men are backing up
Mckinley, because they look forward to
a great boom in the shoddy business
when the new Tariff bill becomes law
The shodoy men, too, are right They
see that McKin1ey's heavy duties in
wool will make it more difficult for the
people to wear good WOODEN clothing
and will force them to clothe them
selves in shoddy. That is why the
makers of hpmbug clothing are IN favor
of Mckinley.
The shoddy men know a good thing
when they see it; they know that the
Mckinley bill is measure which will
add immensely to their gains; and
therefore they are throwing up their
hats for Mckinley and would doubtless
be glad to support him for President,
just as they supported Harrison and
Morton two years ago
While the shoddy men look upon Nc
Kinley as their friend they felt quite
the other way about Roger Q. Mills two
years ago when he was making tariff.
It will be remembered that Mills had
the boldness to put wool on the free list,
claiming that this would result in
cheaper and better clothing for the peo-
pie. But this action of the wild Texan
excited the deepest hostility of the
shoddy men, and they became at once
his sworn enemies, for the shoddy men
are utterly and forever opposed to any
man who wants to let the people have
good, cheap WOODEN clothing. They
therefore ranged themselves in opposl-
ton to Cleveland in 1888. During the
campaign of that year circular was
scattered abroad by the Republican Ma
tiona1 Committee, signed by seventeen
rag and shoddy men. The following is
taken from their circular:
Dear Sir: You are doubtless aware OF the
fact that the Mills Tariff bill, which has been
passed by the Democratic majority of the
House of Representatives, places on the
free list wool, wooden rags OF every descrip-
tion, and all grades of shoddy. 1t also
abolishes the weight duty on wooden goods
This bill. therefore, far it affects the
industry in which we are engaged, is free
trade measure, and as such we are decidedly
opposed to it. No manufacturer of shoddy
in this country could. under these circum
stances, compete with the English Ger
man manufacturers, and, therefore, their
business would be entirely ruined. and all
imported from Europe Our customers thus
ruined, what would become of our business,
1t also would be ruined. and we and those
upon us would suffer.
There is only one way to avoid this loss to
ourselves, and that is by the defeat of the
candidate of the free trade party, Grover
Cleveland. We have determined in the
coming election TO support the candidates
OF the protection party, Harrison and Nor
ton. Their election we consider to be intifs-
pensable to the maintenance of our bust
ness.
And in August, 1885, the following
news item appeared in the New York
Press, one of the highest of high pro-
lection papers in the country:
The manufacturing firm of j G. Fennfng
& Co., at Ludlow, n. Y, shut down their
works yesterday, throwing out OF employ
ment some forty operatives OF both sexes.
They were engaged in extracting wool from
delaines and other rag materials to be used
IN tne man u1acture OF SQOQQE clOtQ. I0eY
say that the passage of the Mills bill In the
Lower House of Congress admitting Who'll
free of duty has deferred them from con-
tinuing their industry.
Quite natural that they should sup
port Mckinley now-'san in the family,
you know" 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 $4,000, 600 pounds of raw
shoddy. In 1880 they used 81 600. 600
pounds, and the census just taken will
show an amazing increase for the past
ten years There are now more than 10O
shoddy mills in the United States, and
about $50, OOO, 900 is invested in handling
and manufacturing shoddy.
The use of shoddy in clothing has i'm
creased enormously of late. The CEN
sus of 1850 shows that 1eS pounds of |
shoddy are mixed with lis pounds OF |
pure wool to make our SO called wooden
goods But it is in carpets that shoddy |
has made the greatest strides indisplae- |
n Tn 1871 -oro ~, do If 4