Sharp County record., 1891-05-28
CUTTERS WITH CHEEK.


posrre.
at the recent protection banquet in
New York there was one little matter
which deserves to be mentioned as an
Illustration of high tariff cheek. At
this thoroughly American dinner it
was kind of school-boy fad to have
everything American, ''the product of
american labor, from American ma
terial made in American shops, OBJ
tained from American fields, streams
and forests and from American vine
yards"
The table knives used at this feast of
the protective lords of industry were
made by firm of Connecticut Yankees.
The story of these table knives is thus
told in the New York Press, Robert P.
Porters high tariff paper:
A neat conceit was exhibited upon the
table knives, manufactured by Landers,
Frary & Clark, OF New Britain, Conn, Upon
the polished steel blades appeared the name
Ofthe firm and the thoroughly sincere SEN
tence: "Cutlers to the American people 1"
Under the benefcent Mckinley tariff law
these five worls mean great deal more to
the people of this country than the empty
words Cutters to Her Maj asty," which is
stamped upon the cutlery which has hereto
fore been so largely used here. The former
words are full of patriotism, the latter but
an empty honor.
Now, while these enterprising Yam
KEGS are using the protection banquet
to advertise their knives, some people
may recall the fact that this firm was
heard of last year in the senate tariff
debate in way which does no great
credit to their character as ''cutlers to
the American people"
In the list of banqueters at this feast
of the high tariff lords appears the
name of Charles S. Landers, New
Britain, Conn.," he being the senior
member of the cutlery firm of Landers,
Frary & Clark. Last summer when the
hardware sections of the Mckinley bill
were under discussion this Mr.. Landers
was used by Senator Carlisle as an ex-
ample for exposing the falsity of the
claims often made before the ways and
means committee by men who pretend
to be on the verge of ruin and yet sell
their wares to foreigners at greatly re-
duced rates. Mr., Carlisle stated that
Mr.. Charles S. Landers had come before
the ways and means committee to ask
for increased duties; and the senator
read extracts from the testimony of this
manufacturer showing what gloomy
talk he then indulged in.
Before the committee Mr. Landers
had said: 81 am a manufacturer of
table cutlery at New Britain, Conn,
and represent before this committee
what is left Of that industry in the
United States" Another morsel from
the testimony of Mr.. Landers was this:
"As Stated here last night by Col. Brad
ley, in this Solingen district the Ger
mans manufacture very cheaply, and
unless we are protected they will drive
us out" To which he added eve
have got to have this protection.
have given the facts and do not propose
to argue the question"
The protective duty on table knives
under the old law was 95 per cent. on
all sizes and qualities, and Mckinley
raised it to a point averaging from SO
to 55 per cent
Notwithstanding the existing high
protection Mr.. Landers had nothing but
tales of ruin to tell before McKinley's
committee about the table knife indus
try in this country. One company had
been 'sold at auction and realized to
the creditors 20 cents on the dollar"
IN regard to the cor Germs which have
existed he went on" there is not one
single case where any concern, even
supported by auxiliary business, has
paid an average of per cent. on the
,apital The average interest paid
probably does not exceed per cent"
And then Mr. Landers rang the
,harges on the old story of ruinous
,ompetition with foreign labor; yet he
lad TO confess that wages were higher
= Tree trade England than in protected
aermany. The extent of this ruinous
ompetition may be seen from the fact
hat bur imports of all kinds of table
nives for the year 1889, the figures of
which were used in framing the tariff
III we're only S6sO,OoO. The duties
ollected on this amounted to $23S, ,OOO
dr, Landers stated that there were
bout 2, 900 men engaged as laborers in
ne Table cutlery business, If these
CURES arc correct, the people Of the
ountry pay q tax Of $ll0 to protect
ach one Of their laborers-rcckoning
he tax only on imported knives, and
aling no account whatever of the in
reased cost Of domestic made knives
reason Of the tariff.
During the senate debate last August
enator Carlisle took up the testimony
Mr.. Landers and let in some light
pom the transactions Of this "cutler to
% american people," which showed
early that he was using extra induce
en% to become cutler to foreign
eople. The senator read u news para
raph from the Hardware, q trade
'urnal, as follows: "Landers Frary g.
.. are now kept very busy supplying
leir western consumers with their SUI
rb cutlery. They were compelled
ring the spring to employ about two
indred new hands to be able to keep
Will the demand for their well
med goods" And II was just this
On who said he would have to go out
business unless he rot hiphcr protee-