Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1891-05-30
our WASHINGTON WOMEN.
How Their Wearing Apparel Is AEected
by the Mckinley Bill.


by the Mckinley Bill.
The Jenness- Miller gospel has SO per-
meated fashionable society that the lead
ing dressmaker in Washington refuses to
fit customer unless she present herself
in glove fitting garments of either cotton,
Isle, wool or silk. 1t may be of interest
to know that these goods of American
manufacture have surpassed those of
foreign make, and thus far the retail
dealers have not greedily and maliciously
taken advantage of women's ignorance
of the Mckinley bill to raise the prices
on these goods. was informed by Miss
O'Leary, an expert buyer in this line for
the largest dry goods house in Washing
ton, that the effect of the Mckinley bill
meant reduction of prices after little
time. She said that some of her fashion
able customers still preferred imported
underwear, fancying that it was trife
better in shape and finish of seams, but
that in all middle class manufacture of
these cottons and woods, such as is worn
by the great mass of our people, Amer
lean goods have surpassed those of
foreign make, and that better quality
for less money is made in this country,
and notably in Michigan, than anywhere
else in the world. 1t lis astonishing how
little the average woman knows either
of the theory of Protection in general or
of the Mckinley bill in particular The
consequence Of this is that women have
been the principal sufferers from the
shrewd dealers who raised their prices
on the strength of the new tariff law.
Had the women at large taken any sort
of interest in the late campaign of edu-
cation they might have suspected that a
tradesman was lying when he asked an
advanced price on articles which must
have been cheapened in manufacture
under the new law. Apropos of this, it
is rather good story that one prominent
Ohio ex-congressman is telling at the ex-
pense of another Democratic statesman
and wife.
The wife of Representative Cultivate,
of the Thirteenth Ohio district, has for
many years purchased her fine boots of a
certain Columbia (O.) dealer. The boots
were made to order, and were uniformly
marked nine dollars A week or two
after the Mckinley bill became law
the lady, as was customary, had ordered
her winter boots. Calling for them on
the date agreed upon she found the order
filled by the prompt and efficient boot
maker, but to her establishment an
eleven dollar tag had supplanted the
usual nine dollar bill.
Inquiring as to the meaning. Mrs
Cultivate was calmly informed that the
passage of this nefarious tariff law had
compelled them to raise the price of all
goods.
Surprised and suspicious, but wholly
unable to meet the case, the lady put
down the parcel and refused to take the
boots until she had consulted with her
husband.
When his wife had hurriedly poured
forth her grievance the Democratic
statesman, forgetting everything but his
familiarity with the subject and the
atrocious swindle, sprang to his feet and
exclaimed, so it is averred by the Demo-
cratic ex-member, why, the - -
liar; you just go back and tell him that
the Mckinley bill kept hides on the free
list, and that if he is going to make any
change he wants to take off two dollars
and sell his measly old truck for seven
dollars. Florence Huntley in Ameri-
can Economist.