Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-09-26
COUNTERPART TIN.
Sheet Iron Dipped In Lead-A False
Rautisnf-

Sheet Iron Dipped In Lead-A False
BaptisTn-
CINCINNATI, September 25.-A Lima
correspondent of the Enquirer says: The
elaborate effort made by the indignant
Republicans" of PiQua to cover up the
fraud recently perpetrated In that city
concerning the manufacture of tin plate
in the papers this morning excites not
only contempt and ridicule in that city,
but everywhere else in this part of the
State, where all the parties are known.
The correspondent who talks about
"terne tin plate" with the solemn as
surance Of an owl, only betrays either
his absolute ignorance of that which he
writes, or is willing to help few badly
ratified demagogues out OF hole.
This subject should not be confused
nor muddled. Here are the facts:
The claim was set up that the PiQua
rolling mill was making american tin
plate from American TIM" and that on
such day Major Mckinley appeared
in his own proper person and "dipped"
some of the plate in the aforesaid Amer
lean tin. 1t so happened that l was In
the city of Plqua at the time, and was
informed as to the transaction, namely,
that the alleged tin-plate was not dipped
in American tin, but In borrowed lead,
and was fraud upon its face. gave
as my authority the name OF gentle
man whose word goes everywhere in
the Miami Valley.
If had misled or misinformed the
public 1t was an easy matter to have
convicted me of uttering an untruth.
But there has been no attempt to do
that, for the most excellent reason that
my facts were indisputable.
Mr.. Boyle admits that the lead was
borrowed, as l stated, but excused the
fraud by claiming that the Corrugated
company ran short of California pig tin
about the time Mckinley arrived in
town to give his show, and the lead
had to be borrowed or that the crowd
of guys would be disappointed.
He admits the borrowing Of the lead
and its use in making american tin
platte" but disputes the accur acy OF
my figures.
He says that 314 pounds of lead was
used in the dip, whereas / said that 500
Possibly he is correct as to the amount
melted for the Mckinley performance,
but the amount borrowed was 500
pounds and that amount was weighed
back to the Piqua Water Works Com
pany by the Corrugated Company on
Monday last, in the presence of Senator
Shaw and Mr.. Layton, Of Wapakoneta,
and others.
The fraud of this whole business was
that the claim set up was that the mol
ten bath was pure American tin.
OF course, there were people who
knew at the moment that it was not.
They understood the fraud fully, and
the question arises: "Did the Star per-
former, Mckinley, understand it?"
have the statement OF a most relia-
BILE gentleman that Major Mckinley
knew all about the bogus character Of
"bath" into which he dipped the ordi-
nary sheet-iron, and then held it aloft
crying:
''Behold the genuine Mckinley tin
PLATED"
1 was 10th to believe that Major Nc
Kinley would be party TO such fraud,
but the gentlemen who gave me the in
formation did it from personal knowl-
edge, and Is in every way reliable.
That the lead was borrowed and used
for the shameful fraud is admitted by
the correspondent, who seeks to defend
and evade it in three columns of
floundering assertion.
Now comes the equally startling ALE
CATION that Major Mckinley, who ex-
pected to profit by it in political way,
knew that he was dippinRsheet iron in
molten pig lead, while pretending to
make American tin-plate.
Could any thing be more ridiculous
than gubernatorial candidate going
about the State indulging in such mum
meries?
The silly reflections made on Captain
Keller, because he told the truth abost
Republican fraud, do not invalidate
the damning facts In the case, which
the correspondent himself admits to be
true-that the lead was borrowed, and
that the sheet-iron dipped in it was
paraded as American tin-plate.