The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1891-03-12
WHAT IS UN-AMERIcAN.

The burning question, says Belford's g
Magazine, would appear to be whether
the coat makes the American, or the
American makes the coat. The writer
then quotes McKinley's assertion that
"cheapness is un-American," and com.
ments as follows:
The observation was not a mere
casual, accidental remark. On the con-
trary, 1t is the natural expression of the
policy to which the school of politics
that the speaker belongs to is devoted.
1t is the shibboleth of McKinleyism
To raise prices has been the aim Of the
legislation to which that political
school has devoted all its energies aud
resources, and which it has finally sue
ceeded in engrafting upon our national
statutes. Naturally enough, it is in the
matter of clothing that the test of its
policy has been most conspicuously ap-
piled. The materials of which our gar
ments are made; the wool, the thread,
the buttons, the buckles, arc all ad-
vanced in cost under McKinleyism,
The coat becomes an emblem of leg.
islative system, the standard of party.
Now according to the Lodge McKin-
ley idea there can be no controversy as
to who are our bes. Americans. The
man who comes from abroad, and, after
making fortune by selling his "pro-
tected" wares at exorbitant prices to
our citizens, goes back to his Scottish
castle to spend his money, is a model
American. The man VINO piles up his
millions by taxing American transpor-
tation, and then goes to Paris to pur-
chase life's costliest epjoyments with
his treasure, is first-class American.
The man who, by working trust, OF
some other monopoly for all its worth,
rises in wealth SO far above his
countrymen that he scorns their
society, purchases matrimonial al
liances with foreign nabobs, and claps
a coat Of arms on his carriage door, is
an unexcelled American. The argu-
ment is clear enough. There is moth
ing cheap about the coats worn by these
men. The materials that enter into
them are the costliest, the tailors by
whom they are made are the highest
priced, and the cut, the style, the finish
are all after the latest and most expen,
sive patterns. Yes, sir; there can be
no flaw in that line of reasoning.
But-itseems almost presumptuous
to ask the question-is the coat, after
all, the best test of the wearer's quail
ityP Can we have good Americans
that wear cheap clothes? The coat is
all on the outside. Are the internal
organs and structures-t the heart, the
lungs, the liver, the backbone-that
are hidden under the outer garment, to
count for nothing? Might Il not just
be possible that we could have a tOler-
able good sample of an American with
out a coat to his back? There Is
story among the Orientals of king
who, being very wretched for some oc-
culent reason, was told that if he could
find perfectly contented man, and get
bis shirt to wear, he would obtain re-
lief, but who found the contented man,
only to discover that he had no shirt.
Is 1t not supposable-we would not as
sert it for fact--that the man who
would most quickly lay down his life
for his country, who is the best neigh.
bor among his fellows, who labors hard
est to bring up his children to be use
full members of society, who is indis- |
putably that "noblest work of God"
An honest man, and who, living and |
acting In all things conscientiously,
and unexceptionably, is really the high |
est type of the American citizen, il he |
we're found to-day, might, under the
operation of the Mckinley bill, be |
,oatless?