The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-10-12
THEY KNOW ABOUT TIN.
Practical Tin Workers toll of
their Experience.
ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ATLANTIC
Tho Unphtrlotio and Childish "Can't
do 1t" of tho FREQ Traders En-
p~hatically and Encctually An.
swcrcu..Amcrlcn can Produce bet
ter Tin Plato than Wales.

A very interesting meeting Of tho
Martins Ferry Republican club was
held on Saturday night. Mr.. Dan Nor
gan spoke for q hall hour on the manu-
%facture Of tin and was listened to with
intense interest. Ilo said: Tho ques.
ton Is, can VIC mako timed plato in the
United States? Ny answer is that We
Gun. In 1873 n tin plato mill was built
in Wcllsville where terne plato was
made. When this terno plate was tested
by experts 1t was pronounced II first
class article. Evan II. Davis had charge
OF tho mill department with John D.
Morgan in charge OF tho finishing or
turning department. In 1874 n mill was
built at Lcechburg, Pa. This plant was
operated successfully, turning out an
average OF thirty boxes or 1000 pounds
OF terno plate per day. Tho Dcmmlcr,
Pa, plant was the largest ever operated
in this country. This plant was in oper-
alton from January 1915 to 1878, turn.
ing out ninety boxes or II 900 pounds
OF finished plato per day. and We would
have worked straight ahead had it not
been for u wrong decision made by tho
Secretary OF the Treasury through igno-
rance. When tho Wcllsville mill was
started tin plate was quoted at Sl3 SO
per box. lin plate could DO made then
ut $500, making Il profit OF S. to the en-
ployers. The Leechburg mill started
under tho same conditions, tin plate
selling at from ST. 50 to Sl3 so. Steel
cost 81 90 per box, leaving q nice profit.
The manufacture OF tin plate was very
profitable and the Demmler mill made
more money making tin plate than in
all OF the other departments combined.
The success attained here frightened
the importers and tho Welsh manufac-
turers andthe tariff being low they began
to try to knock out the tin plate indus
try in the United States and succeeded.
They cut prices to $40, later to 50, then
s., s., So, IS and finally down to 81 30.
We could not manufacture here ut those
prices and that was the end OF tho tin
plate industryin those days, but now it
is getting 4 foot hold and coming to
stay.
Ever since 1878 1t has been claimed
that timed plate could not be made in
tho United States. To prove the con-
trary tho timed plate association erect
ed q small plant on the exposition
grounds ut Pittsburgh in August, 1889.
This plant proved 4 great attraction, not
only to the manufacturers, but to tho
great number OF tin plate workers in
Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Senator Wood and n number OF Con-
grcssmen visited it, and ut the EXPOSE
ton we proved that We could make as
good tin plate rs the English or Welsh
article and manufacture successfully,
provided we had q protective tariff, the
difference in wages being so great,
rollers in Great Britain getting So 25,
while ours received 81 so, catchers 60
cents, against 81 so to 50 %; tinmen 6
cents, against II cents per box; wash
men & cents, against 70 cents, and SO on.
We don't want to work at such wages in
this country. z.
While making tin plate at the expo
sition l convcrsed with Mr.. Grifiths,
Mr.. Hamilton, Of Fleming & Hamilton,
and many timers. Mr.. Gvitliths, SUI
p%erlntendent Of Fleming & Hamilton,
saw the process, was satisfied with it.
and pronounced the process the most
perfect he had ever seen. Fleming 4
Hamilton tested 4 dozen sheets of our
tin plate and broke only one out of the
twelve, while the average OF the Welsh
was Il out OF seven, and they pro-
nounced our plating better and said it
was easier worked. Mr.. Waters has n
tea pot made OF the tin We made Mt the
exposition. He is here tonight and
can tell YOU about its superiority over
Welsh tin. One roofer who called and
was greatly taken with our work told
lis OF a roof put on with the Demmlcr
tin in 1875, and said it would last fifteen
years longer. These are MI facts and
ought to convince any man who is open
to conviction that the United States
does not need to depend on England or
Wales for its supply OF timed plate,
but that We can make it Mt home and
keep the millions OF dollars sent to Ell
rope every year for this product and
circulate them in our " country.
England may be all right for those who
like it, but America is good enough for
me.
The manufacturers and workingmen
sent committees TO Washington, and
they met the gallant Mckinley, the
greatest of NIL p~rotcctionists, whose SEN
timents are America for the Americans.
This, gentlemen, is the kind OF n man
you will have IN opportunity Of voting
for next month, against Campbell, who
We are afraid will close down our great
manufacturing establishments with his
contounded cry OF Stree trade"
Mr.. John L. Morgan, another tin
worker, now asheet roller at the Stand
ard mill, denied the allegation made Lv
the Register that he was the author Of
the articles signed "Tin Worker" He
said we produced right here MS good
steel for timing as is made in the
world, and why can't We mako tin plate
in Martins Ferry as well as in Wales?
Why can't we make everything here.
instead OF importing what we use? We
are more advanced here, learn more,
and now tin plate has n foothold and
has come to stay. Yaikee ingenuity
will conquer Wales. l was born in
Wales and had enough Of it in mine.
Mr.. Stephen Hipkins, proprietor OF
the Novelty Glass Mould Works, criti-
cized the Democratic party severely
and showed the absurdity in their con.
tinued cries that We can'td do this andwe
can't do that, and proved that we have
done all Of these things. He said he
was born in England, but his good old
father talked America to him in his
infancy, and they came to the United
States and have never had any desire
to return to England.
Mr.. Madison Aldredge gave a black