The Forrest City times., 1891-11-06
WHAT FLANNEL SHIRTS COST.
How the Tariff Puts All-wool Clothes Out
 of inc Reach of the Poor,

How the Tariff Puts Ar-Wool Clothes Out
 of the Reach of the Poor,
 Under the Mckinley bill plain ordi- nary flannel shirt sells at the cheapest retail stores in St. Louis for s2 90. This shirt is all wool, well made and warm, such garment as every working man ex- posed to the weather in this climate ought to wear. The full suit of this flannel, shirt and drawers costs s5. shirt; shoddy and cotton mixed, with the wool predominsting. and having the appear. ance of an all wool garment, can be had for s2, or s4 the suit For S1 25 for the shirt or g.. 50 for the suit wool and shoddy mixture or cotton warp is offered. and this, no doubt VIII be taken by most people of limited ln- come. It is not so bad but that it might be a great deal worse as may be seen by comparing it with cheaper limitations ot flannel It takes the place of the wool and eamels hair mixtures sold in 1888 and 1859 at s2 and g. 50 the sult the suit lasting two years, with wear from September to June l of each year. The imitation flannel, which must now be taken as substitute, loses most Of US wool by washing, only enough remaining with the cotton to make it hard and stiff. After few washings there is lit- tie warmth loft in such goods
 But, leaving the limitations Of alt grades from very bad to very good out of consideration, take the real flannel, the plain, substantial all-wool shirt at S.. 50, or suit at S5. The lowest possible cost here for fiannels for the winter for one man is sl0 for two suits, or Sl5 for an extra suit, such as every work ingman should have against emergencies when dry fiannels are needed and his change suit is in the wash 2"
 It is clear that under Mckinley prices real flame is out of the reach of peo- pie who have small incomes. The aver age wage earner cannot afford it at all He must put up with the limitations, for at the average wages of S1 a day he would have to work five days to get single suit of fannels. When it comes to buying for himself, his wife, for the ave age family of five persons, two or three changes apiece, including under skirts for the females, he can no more afford real fannels than he can diamonds and rubie'. Under the Mckinley bill real flannel is a luxury for those only whose incomes are much above the aver age It will often happen that men of family with an income of $50 or over week will be compelled to lay aside re- luctantly the real tlannels when buying for themselves and take the cotton and shoddy mixtures, which, however skill fully made as limitations, are very Tar from being flannels.
 Any head of tho family who goes to lay in the winter supply of clothing will see at once how greatly the total expense for all-wool and imitation woolen goods has been increased by this vicious and demoralizing taxation. The best grade of all wool flannel shirts, ready made, would not sell for more than Sl.25 were there no tax on the ma erial or the fin ished goods The real value of the i'm itaton woo'en shirts is much less, and without the tax they would sell by their grade or their merit As 1t is, the buyer is compelled to take what he can get The retail seller does the best he can for him, but with double and triple taxation on every article of woolen goods in his trade. the dealers power to please his customers is minimlzed. and his trade is minimized with it. For it is not every one who, after paying real flannel price for an imitat on flannel shirt, understands the political economy of it. He finds that he has been swim dled, and he thinks he has been swindled by dealer who has done his best under a law which does its worst St Louis Republic