Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-10-01
M'KINLEY TO STAND SPONSOR.


come to hand when it should have done
SO.
MKINLEy TO STAND SPONSOR.
But Mr.. Hicks insisted on adding q
maj flourish to the triumph of protec.
1--WE principles and the consignment Of
lead went astray. Mr.. Hicks determined
that nothing would do but that Major
Mckinley should personally inspect The
Tin plate plant and himself take a hand
IN the promotion of the great new in.
dustry which his bill had rendered DOS.
siole in America. So it was arranged
that the morning after the celebration
Mckinley should visit the works and
personally dip tin plate.
collie THREATENS THE TIN BABY.
Preparations for the suspicious event
were going on swimmngly, when it was
discovered that lot Of lead ordered
from 81. Louis had not arrived. Gamer.
lean tin plate couldn't emade without
lead, and the infant industry threatened
to die OF collie on the spot. The only
institution in Piqua likely to have any
quantity OF lead on hand was the w ater
Company, and superintendent Leopold
hlefer, OF that concern, was leading
Democrat. Itwould never do TO let him
suspect the straits into which the
American tim industry had fallen, 50
a plumber was hired to 60 TO Mr.. Kiefer
and ask for the loan of some lead for a
Few days, on the pretense that it was
needed for big job of plumbing at the
rolling mill. Superintendent Kiefer
admitted that the Water Company had
QUO pounds of lead and was about to
hand il over, when he remembered that
the plumber who applied for it was one
VINO had not taken out license ms re-
CURED by local ordinance. The Water
Company having had some trouble with
work done by unlicensed plumbers, Mr..
Aiefer refused to lend the lead and sent
word TO Mr.. Hicks that he must have
ms plumbing done by q regularly
licensed man II he expected any favors
from the Water Company.
A DEMOCRATIC DOCTOR SUMMONED.
Subterfuge having failed and the lead
being necessary at any cost, Mr.. Kicks
went straight to Mr.. Kiefer, with whom
his relations are most friendly, and ex-
planned the exact situation, begging him
not to "give it away" "You can have
the lead and welcome" said Mr.. Kiefer,
but | won't promise not to tell of it,"
Mr.. Hicks coaxed hard, but Mr.. Kiefer
was obdurate. "If you don't want the
lead, don't take il" he said, "but if you
take 1t I'm going to tell about it,"
Having no other choice, Mr.. Hicks
took it, and it was duly dumped into
the spelter-pot along with some bars of
{ nlifnrniQ N xtfhifh Io1
hioition for several days in store win
dow up in town. Major Mckinley, in
the presence Of an admiring group of
Republicans and newspaper men, took
a pair of tongs and ducked into the
molten bath piece of sheet steel. The
product was called an american tin
plate" and the infant industry had had
its christening.
TILL THE FRAUD rs EXPOSED
Republican jubilation went on in ever
increasing waves, and the project of
monument to the fame of Mr.. Hicks was
being seriously discussed, when Mr..
Kiefer, thinking the affair about ripe,
told the story of the borrowed lead.
Everybody jumped at the conclusion
that the whole tin-plate business had
been fraud and that Major Mckinley
had merely dipped sheet-iron into
melted lead.
The revulsion of feeling was comical
and within "a hours Mr.. Hicks, who is a
great big jolly fellow, known and liked
by every one in Piqua, took trip to
Cincinnati TO get rest from the gibes
OF the townsfolks and particularly of
the Democrats, who lay in wait for him
on the street corners to ask him how the
American tin business was getting on.
He came back next morning disconso-
late. The story had spread to Cincin-
natl, where he is also well known, and
he couldn't walk block without some
body calling "Tin, TIM" at him.
M'KINLEY MADE LAUGHING STOCK.
But that was only the beginning.
began to come in asking
what he meant by making a laughing
stock of Mckinley, and newspaper men
who had reported the opening of the
new industry in good faith, wired him
questions as to what he meant by put
ting up such job on them. Piqua is a
little off the track of the regular travel,
but several of the injured correspondents
got here this morning to demand a per-
sonal explanation. Mr.. Hicks admitted
rest Of il was ali stroight and that he he
really was in the lin hns;ness RI nrovo
4 he tool, them nut 10 he NH, III e and
,nade some Nora far thana H. o 80
let them do the McKinlav oct of Az, v
ning No shoets themsaiuos am5 ass, va
t iha,S7, that tLav ,,a-a raaIi,,' a ~,
niote III We iei tbem 't tal9s snpa M III
in t ~ have !, anaiv, a Thav =, ue e,,e
wa nrofess;ng satisfac, i; A's "0"D
'"s' '"'S'es'oA'
NOT REAL TIN-PLATE, You KNOW.
To a World reporter later in the day
Mr.. Hicks was frank and satisfactory.
we really are making tin-plate," he
said. 1--WE made some this morning. of