Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1891-11-21
How the Thread Industry Has
Been Stimulated and Prices
Reduced Under Protection.
A Letter Which Tets a Striking
story of the Wonderful
Effect of the Tariff.
Price Reduced 90 Per Cent. and
Wages Doubled on the
Average.

Mr. T. C. Richmond, of Madison, Wis,
is prominent lawyer and free trader
He is arching after information among
tbe manufacturing industries of this coun-
fry. which will sustain him in his Idea
that protection bars competition and in.
orpases prices. So he wrote a letter of
INQUIRY to the Willimantic Linen COM
many. down in Connecticut for figures
which would brace him up and give mm
a text for free trade speech. The
answer is rich in figures and racy in sentl-
ment. Here II is:
HARTFORD. Conn, Oct l9, 1891
Z. C. RICHMOND, Esq, Madison, Wis;
my DEAR SrR-Yours Of Oct. : was
received at Willimantic, Oct, Is, and is re-
ferred to me for answer
"You wish to know the effect Of the
tariff on our manufacturing industry,
which is spool cotton Prior to 1860 the
duty on spool cotton was from % per
cent. to 80 per cent. ad yalorem, which
was not sufficient to establish the business
in this country on a permanent and com
peting basis.
I'm 1861 the duty was made partly speci-
fc and partly ad valorem, and would now
if still in force, be equivalent to about %
cents on -each dozen of spools containing
900 wards on each spool. The present
duty is Ia cents on each dozen spools con-
tanning 200 yards each, the reduction be-
made in 1888
Under the high duty, the English
manufacturers who had previously supplied
this market (the Coats company and the
two Clarks), transferred their American
business to this country. expanding about
ten millions of dollars in mills and ma
cbinerv. In 1850 this company was al
ready manufacturing what Is known as
tbree.cord glace spool cotton. The price
of this article was then Az cents net for
one dozen spools containing 200 yards
each. We now receive for this article,
greatly improved in Quality, 1919 ce-ts
for the same quantity.
I'm 1860 our wages averaged about 81
Der week for each man employed. Now
our wages average about s. per week. In
short. while tie price of these goods has
been reduced 60 per cent, the average
wages paid have been doubled. There
has never been any duty on the raw ma
terial which is cotton.
The wages paid in Great Britain have
also been raised in the thirty .two years
and are now about cne-half what is paid
for this class of labor in this country. We
have the pay-rolls Of the principal manu-
facmars OF spool cotton in Europe and
find the above fair statement.
"Of course tine cost of spool cotton has
been greatly reduced in the thirty years by
the invention OF labor saving machines
and by acquired skill and experience. But,
without exception these special machines
have originated in this country, and have
later been adopted IN Great Britain.
In the manufacture OF spool cotton,
and indeed in all textiles, the labor on
both sides Of the Atlantic produces about
equal results per hand. II the laborar is
paid "a per week in Europe and s. per
week here. the actual labor cost here will
be double that in Europe The same ma
Chinery is used both here and there. 1t is
run at the same speed and wi n the same
attendants.
~ visited last May several of the best
mills in Manchester, Eng, and became
fully satisfied on this point
"There are three results we should dread
from removal Of the present duty. First,
a labor struggle which would be nevlta
Die, as the competition of English labor
would be instantaneous .and active.
Second. we should dread IN influx of in
ferior goods under false labels and with
short measure, which occurred constants
uriOr to the imposition of the high duty
Third, great and unnecessary loss which
must ensue trou a sudden and vast change
In values, in case a measure should be
adopted which would involve the whole
range Of manufacturing industry.
''Oi course this loss would ultimately
fall on the country at large, but the first
force of the blow would be felt in such in
justries as have been established AID con-
Quoted for the last thirty years under the
tariff system.
The difference between the wages paid
IN Great Britain and paid here amounts in
our case to about s.. 900 per week, which is
about double the profit we have earned in
the average Of the last three pears, say 6l7
per cent. on the capital of two million
dollars. Under the present system prices
have steadily declined and continue TO do
So, from the active home competition. UP
to this time this decline has in part been
subtracted from the profits and in part has
been met by better methods Of manufacture
and sale. We certainly could not abandon
the manufacture Of textiles IN this
country.
1T would seem to be cea, proposition
that any country which imrbr.s brains in
the shape Of invention, '.ste, skill and
accumulated experience ehd pays for the
same by sending away backaChe in the
form Of crude raw material, must suffer
periodical bankruptcy. as was the case in
this country before 1860, and is now the LOT
Of the Argentine republic Yours truly,
"WILLnfANTIC LINEN Co.
"A. C. DUNHAM. V. p
1t is needless to say, probably that Mr.
Richmond did not give the letter 10 the
press. The Willimantic company furnish.
ed copy to the Hartford Courant, and in
that way it came to Wisconsin.