Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1892-10-14
Charles Broadway Rouss on Mckinley.

MIR. Charles DrOduWay ieouoo, ehc
great dry goods merchant OF New
York, was recently interviewed by q
reporter. Speaking OF the Mckinley
bill land no man is better qualified to
iudge of the good or ill Of that meas
nre than Mr.. Rouss), he said:
II don't believe that you can find
single man in the dry goods trade who,
when speaking his honest convictions,
will say that the Mckinley tariff act
has put one dollar in his pocket or in
those of the people dealing with him.
Il am opposed to the Mckinley
tariff because you will find without
a single exception those things that
are used by the American working.
man cost more to day than they did
before the passage of the bill, while
q articles that can be purchased only
nv the rich have either not changed
in nrice or cost less than they did
nrior to the passage of the bill. l
nav mention, among other things,
buttons. Pearl buttons, and other
cheap buttons, such as you would eX-
meet y moor man to use, have been
Unprotected" by the Mckinley law,
while the finer buttons, such as agate
and porcelain, remain as they were.
Protectionists say we cannot manu-
facture the latter in this country.
Any man who sells large quantities of
buttons will tell you that 1T is impos-
sible for us to meet the demand for
nearl buttons unless we import them
from abroad.
THAT which l say of buttons is also
true of cutlery, such as knives, shears,
sc Mr.. Rouss said further: Clocks,
handkerchiefs, linen goods generally,
stationery, musical instruments, cheap
iewelry, millinery, silks, indeed, l
could take you through one floor OF
nv establishment and show you l,OOO
things in everyday use by poor peo-
ple that now cost them a dollar, but
which before the Mckinley law went
into effect could be bought for nifty
cents. On another floor l can show
Won a great number of articles, that
ONLY the more prosperous are able to
buy. which | can sell to-day at, If any
thing, a lower price than before the
Mckinley bill was passed:
eft is simply a tax of from 80 per
cent ND. all of which the millions and
millions OF people OF this country have
to nav in order that a dozen or per
haps less number OF manufacturers
may profit, and they do not pay one
penny more wages than they did be-
fore the passage of this bill. The In
Jury that has been done to this great
country of ours, it seems to me, Is as
plain as day. go
"A man discusses the tariff every
time he puts his hand in his pocket, "
Mr.. Rouss went on. lit touches him
on that tender, sensitive nerve. When
he has to pay one dollar for what
ought not to cost more than twenty
five cents. he naturally asks himself
why this is so. And it is this very
thing that has set the intelligent peo-
pie thinking and that will continual
ly keep them from being humbugged
by such men as Mckinley, Harrison
and Reid, who are intlicting bur
den upon the poor people In order
that few monopolists may be bene-
flied.
Another article which we can never
hope to produce in this country, prin-
cipally on account of unfavorable
climatic conditions, and which has
been taxed to a point where we call
not bring it in, is velveteen, of the
quality used alone by the middle and
poorer classes"
Mr.. Rouss said in conclusion, They
are now compelled to buy inferior
cloth of home manufacture at
much higher price. AT best, under
the Mckinley bill, we can only hope
to build upa factory here and there.
We give employment in each of one
of these factories perhaps to 200 peo-
pie and in order TO do this we have
placed a most exorbitant tax upon
1000 900. Do you see the fallacy OF
the argument of the gentleman from
Ohio? If by putting on a protective
tariff we could build up factories
enough to bring about a healthy
state of competition, competition
which would eventually prevent mo-
nopoly, that would be all right; the
more the merrier, for the benefit
would eventually fall upon the poor
people. But as the protective tarl1
is regulated at present it simply ben
etts few while it increases the cost
of living for the many"