The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-09-29
M'KINLEY TIN.

A few days age we published an ex'
posture of the fraud perpetrated by the
republican campaign managers in Ohio
in distributing a little tin button, to be
worn in the coat lapel of party workers.
The button was labeled american TIM
but a d~isgruntled republican clerk eased
his conscience by confessing that not
only the tin, but the entire button, was
imported from Wales. That was the
end of the campaign button, the repub.
lican organs ceased to dwell on its
beauties and it disappeared from view.
One day last week we had a touching
account of how the great high priest OF
protection, Maj. Mckinley, had with his
own hand dipped a sheet-iron plato into
q bath OF genuine American tin and
held this triumph Of American industry
up to view amid the cheers and applause
Of assembled thousands. All this hap
pened in Piqua, Ohio, and our neighbor,
the Journal. and other hard-worked
party organs shouted in acclaim: "The
tin plato liars compelled to take a back
seat" The Journal, IN fact, assured US
that "the skeptics on the tin question
can now take to the woods. If this is
not pure American tin, will some POOR,
misguided democrat tell us what it is?"
Well, there are a few poor misguided
democrats who did not take to the
woods, but remained behind to investi-
gate, and they are now prepared to say
that the so-called American tin, made at
Piqua, Ohio, Is a ranker fraud than the
tin button. The exposure all came
about in this way: The alleged Ameri-
oan tin that Maj. Mckinley made was
produced at the corrugated iron works
in Piqua. When the works we're located
there the city entered into a contract to
furnish free natural gas for fuel for a
certain number of years, the gas to be
used only IN running the works for the
purpose of making corrugated iron
plate. Two leading citizens of the
town, both wicked democrats, sus-
pected something crooked in the tin
business and began au Investigation.
They soon learned that on the day be-
fore Maj. McKinley's visit the managers
Of the corrugated iron works had Dor
rowed 500 pounds of pig lead from Capt.
Keller, superintendent of the Piqua
water works. This confirmed the eus-
picions of the investigators, but, to
make doubly sure Of the fraud, they
waited upon the proprietors Of the iron
works and told them that as their con-
tract with the city, by which they got
free gas, provided that only corrugated
iron should be made at the works, the
city would have to annul the agreement.
on the ground that the works were man
ufacturing something not named in the
bond. Then it was, as the esteemed
Journal would say, that "the tin plate
liars were compelled to take a back
seat" and there they are yet, only wait
ing for a chance to get down and take to
the woods in lieu Of those skeptical
democrats, who propose to stay in
Piqua.
Who we're the liars, does the. reader
ask! Why, the proprietors of the COR
rugated iron works, to be sure. Threat
ened with a loss of their contract, they
made confession that they had taken
the iron plates that they, in common
with thousands of other manufacturers
in this country, produce, and dipped
them in a bath of the melted lead Dor
rowed from Capt. Keller. A little roll
ing gave the plates a polish, and made
them look like tin till after Mckinley
had left town. But, in sober fact, the
plates that the great high priest held up
before an American public did not CON
tain a single particle Of American tin, or
any other tin. And SO endeth the Sec
ond lesson.