The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1891-11-28

he would do if seated in the Mayors
chair at the City Hall is matter of
guess work, except in SO far as his politi-
cal associations offer ground for not too
pleasant conjecture. No voter, be he
Republican or be he Democrat, can af-
ford to pin his faith to an untried man.
RAMPANT JOY OF FREE TRADERS.
The free trade, pro-English coterie
that insists that tin plate cannot be made
in this country have another reason for
JOY. To be sure it would appear to the
man who looks at the matter in COM
mon sense light as very small reason
for throwing up hat in glee at the
prospect of failure of the industry
here, but it is as strong as any the free
traders have produced within the past
year. 1t requires but little to make one
of the dlsgruntled opponents of any
thing that that is good, bad or indiffer-
ent in the tariff law happy, especially
since the prosperity of the nation gives
him as much cause for unhappiness and
he grasps at straws with avidity.
There is a paper published in New
York with the high-sounding name of
The National ProUisioner. Possibly few
people ever heard of it, but it appears to
be the especial organ of those who insist
that the country is going to the dogs be-
cause a protective tariff was placed upon
tin plate. The proprietors Of the paper
| learning that the material was being
manufactured for canning purposes by
the u. S. Iron & Tin Plate Co., of
| Demmler, Pa, wrote to the New York
agents for the lowest price for two car
loads of l. G. 14x20 Bessemer steel coke
tin pretending that the inquiry was being
made in the interest of large canning
firm but neglecting to give the name Of
| the firm.
Ely d Williams the agents for the
Demmler company replied promptly.
| They refused however to be led into a
trap. Part Of their letter is worthy of
reproduction
| we nave your somewhat peculiar, ana we
| suspect not entirely innocent, inquiry of the
| 18th inst. We see that you are very largely
connected with European interests and sup
pose you are in some way being used for other
| purposes than TO actually buy our tin plates.
| We are not making prices to newspapers, and
| If your subscribers are unit or unwilling TO
| deal with Us openly and directly we should de-
| cline to furnish our product To you for them
| at any price. We very strongly suspect they
are among the industrial traitors who have
| stupidity opposed the protective duty upon So
called tin and terne plates, which cannot fail
| TO be of great benefit to them. Their domestic
business will, Of course, be benefited by the
| by increasing the demand for their products.
| The net cost of the foreign tin used for
| ming export goods will be cheaper than it
would have been except for the provisions of
| the Mckinley bill.
VIII you please state frankly why that
Large canning firm" has acted in this strange
| way through you?
The proprietors of the National Propi-
sion evidently thought that two car
loads of tin plate could be quoted at
price as easily as quart of potatoes in a
corner grocery. They refused still to
| give the name of the big canning COM
pany but promised, though they showed
no grounds upon which they could
make their promise good, that they
would fill Ely q Williams order book
| for year ahead. Weak as their promise
was the Demmler agents answered it.
They said:
We think IL is ridiculous that either Gamers
| or newspaper editors should consider them
| selves interested in a suppression of an i'm
portant branch of iron and steel manufacture.
| We do not believe that you are as ignorant as
YOU pretend To be In relation TO the ability of
American iron masters To produce what are
known as tin and terne plates of excellent
| quality and at reasonable prices. The position
taken by newspapers OF your class indicates to
| us quite clearly that you are employed by i'm
| porters to make hostile agitation. We see
! you have written asking "a lot of questions from
| our mill folks and have a copy OF the reply
| they have made To YOU. Ii Is pretty near time
| that blacksmiths and merchant tailors should
sSg f and Bar
The position taken by some Gamers has been
| discreditable, but they have been deceived by
! importers and newspapers Of your class, and
| we are happy TO say as they discover how false
| such statements have been they are becoming
| strong friends of the new law, because they
| see extensive preparations are going on To
| make these products, and that they cannot
| fail to be benefited by an increased competi-
tion from their orders IL must be mighty
stupid canning concern which don't see this
and cannot appreciate that canned goods will
be more largely used when many thousands of
men are engaged In the United States In max
ing the tin plates now imported
Why don't you permit your readers to have
the truth2 Perhaps you don't know IL is about
twelve months OPERATION 70 put up a large
works like ours and that being erected BY
Somers Bros, Brooklyn. and the others who
are preparing. You are simply our enemies so
far as we know, and have nothing 10 do with
buying tin plates.
Because Ely g. Williams refused TO
deal through probably irresponsible
publishers, the free traders kick up
their heels in JOY. Possibly plain busi-
ness men will only find fault with the
firm for applying to the publishers of
- III