Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1891-10-01
MKINLEY AT PIoUA.
The Great Protectionist Takes the Place of a
Workman and Makes Tin Himself.

plate? Mckinley has made it. He
made it this morning. He took the
place OF the bather, stood over the
cauldron OF molten tin, and with
hands steady as an old time work
man, grasped the timers tongs and
carefully gave the sheet steel its bath
that converted it into terne tin.
"A cheer went up from the hundred
OF men in the Cincinnati Corrugating
company's shops as the major lifted
the plate from its bath as perfect a
piece OF terne tin plate as could be
made" said the foreman, who stood
by his side anxiously watching the per-
formance. 1t was purely American
tin. plate, although Governor Camp
bell yesterday asserted that no tin
plate could be made in this country;
that every bit of tin plate used in
America was made from foreign sheet
steel coated with European tin and by
European workmen.
The plate made today was from
American sheet steel rolled from bill
lets made OF ore mined in Ohio and
made at Midelport. The pig tin came
| from the Temescal mines in San Bar
nardino county, California, and the
lead from Missouri.
! There was no doubt about the Amer
icanlsm of the workman. It was Nc
Kinley.
When the major had breakfasted
| this morning his host, James Hicks,
president OF the Corrugated company,
and secretary OF Piqua Rolling Mill
company, invited him to take drive.
j. q. Batelle, president OF the Roller
Mill company; Colonel w. 2. Orr, one
OF the directors OF the company; III.
L. Nellis, vice president OF the wooden
mill; Colonel Harris, the Republican
candidate for lieutenant governor, and
the newspaper correspondents who
have been travelling with Mckinley,
were invited to accompany the party.
The Major did not know the destina-
| ton OF this drive until Mr.. Hicks
| wheeled his team into the street past
the strawboard factory and leading to
| the roller mills and corrugatlng works.
Instantly the whistles OF all the fac
tories began to blow, and the men
rushed out to cheer Mckinley. 1t was
surprise to the major, but Il very
| pleasant one. Such a greeting could
not be otherwise. The party alighted
| at the rolling mill, and the perspiring
and blackened workmen crowded
| around him to shake hands and thank
him for his great speech last night.
He shook hands until his right hand
was as black as theirs.
Then he went into the mill, the
whistles still blowing and the men
cheering while they returned to their
furnaces and rollers to add the clang
OF these to the other noise. The major
was first escorted to the furnaces,
where he saw steel billets dropped in
pates h sfse We're % carried to other hss
and again they came out white with
heat to be sent through othe and finer
rollers and until they were as thin as
paper The heat of the furnaces made
the place almost unbearable to all the
party except the ma lor, who stood
among the half-naked workmen watch
ing with interest every feature OF the
process. He had put a tariff on tin
plate that made it's manufacture in
this country possibly, and he wanted
| to see it made that he might know
whether Governor Campbell spoke the
| truth when he declared that not a
piece OF tin plate had been or could be
made i'll America.
When he had seen the steel rolled
President Hicks led the way across the
yards into the corrugating works.
The plates were there ahead OF them.
The workmen gave the major another
cheer and then proceeded to show him
how these plates were bathed in tin.
Nc cKinley watched them closely and
asked questions about the process
until he knew it all. Then the old tin
ner at the bath handed over the tongs
to the major and suggested that he
try it himself With his Prince Albert
coat buttoned close about him, the
major took place on the platform over
the great cauldron of tin. He grasped
the tongs, put in the steel plate and
/. slowly lowered it for the bath. The
. timers watched him as closely as he
had watched them. The visitors also
lcrowded around to see the champion
: of tin plate making it with his owl
hands. His hand was as steady a:
had been that of the practised timer
and as he slowly lifted the plate iron
the bath, the workmen led the cheer o
7 approval. The plate was perfect
e They congratulated the major on hi
a success and assured him that he wa
Just the man for governor.
In few moments the plate wascoo
: and the major took it, wrote his aut
$ ograph with "a steel pencil, and had /
4 mailed to Mrs. Mckinley as a souveni
. of his first tin-plate making.
So successful had been his first eX
pertinent that Mr.. Hicks insisted ol
s his bathing another plate to be KEEP
~. <.ft . h ia
also successful, and the major bathei
another for the Inter Ocean, as tn
VI most reliable champion OF the tir
= plate tariff in the west.
:, He was kept over the cauldron 10
half an hour making tin plate befor
: he was allowed to step down from on
- OF the most responsible places IN th
II mill. As the old timer again took I'll
ir tongs he assured the major that i
- had done his work in an admirab
manner and could be trusted to maI
~ tin plate.
,r Mckinley then visited the Favorit
al Stove Works, whose proprietors al
10 all Democrats, and they invited hi
to go through the shops. Mr.. Boa
ie one of the proprietors, a stanch Den
T. ocrat, accompanied him and intr'
ic duced him to the moulders, al
@ he laughed heartily when the wor
49, men cheered his guest and crowdt
ca around to shake his hand. 1t was e
'e. ident that there were a good man
,h Mckinley men in this Democrat
er shop.
~ Mckinley was besieged with invit
tions to visit the other industries
d. Piqua, and he went to the wooden m
and silken mill and several 9th
places in hurried way before he hS
to leave Piqua on the noon train I
Greenville, where he spoke this afte
noon.
Governor Campbell should Wis