Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-10-10

municatlon from Hon. A. w. CAMPBELL:
10 ne Ea1or Of he RssIsnsr
In commenting on someo of my remarks at
the Grand Opera House meeting on Thurs
day night last you make the following OBJ
servations in regard TO the sale OF Amerl-
lean cotton goods in England:
In discussing raw materials Mr.. Campbell
again knocked ont his own Argument He said:
Cotton is on Iha free list, aud II by taxing
The tariff of wool we shall be able 70 manu-
iaclWre all our wooden goods, why don't we
manufacture all our cotton goods"
Then he paused, according 10 the Iattthgtn-
Gers report FOR an answer from some Demo-
crat in his audience, but that was unnecessary
because further along in his spesch he an
Swered 10 himself by showing what Tree raw
material has done for the American cotton
manufacturing industry in his statement OF me
fact thai "Aasricaa cotton 9o0as are sos@ %
EgOiGad."
Isubmit, Mr.. Editor, that your com
ments are calculated to miSle2d your read
ers as 10 what / said on the subject re-
ferred TO- You have cut my statement
square in two, although IL was contlnu-
Gus sentence and used only so mucn OF III
as suited you. What 1 said was THIS, as
you were certainly aware, for you were
quoting from the Intelligencer's report VIZ
that american cotton goods are solu IN
LllEA0Au DIN0Aol ivy N~N ~N~~~-t
they cost moro"
Twas speaking Of the fact that there are
exceptional sales Of certain American
goods In England because of their excel
lence aud because they suit the fAncy OF
purchasers, as in the case VI hatchels,
hammers, saws, farm fOrk5. etc, ana not
Dv any means seeking TO convey the I'M
preston that we were undressing Eng-
land on her own soil. Such a statement as
that would De 10 the last degree ABSURD,
ana no one Of the most ordinary lnioriha.
ton would make It. IRe bare mention Oh
the fact that England is such an immense
| exporter Of cotton goods le'utes OF ltseII
! the idea Of our seriously invading aeF nome
market with our American-made goods.
Ny single purp0se at the Grand
Opera House was TO show tnaJ
inlsmuch as free raw cotton had not en-
abled Us 10 suppant England Ia the markets
of the world in the matter OF cotton goods,
so neither would free wool enable US 10
supply the world with wooden goods. Un-
I'll we make the goods as cheap as England,
that is, until we come down 70 her LABOR
cost, we could not expect % compete with
her in that utopia called the markets OF
the worldn But what we could do, ana
ought 20 DO, as / was endeavoring TO show
20 the aud ience, is TO make sure OF the
one great market of the world that's right
fully ours, viz: our American home market,
the richest and greatest of all the markets,
aud, therefore. tue envy of England and ali
the manufacturing nations. This was the
point ia my remarks at the meeting which
you have so carefully Obscured.
Very respectfully yours,
a. w. CAMPBELL.
Mr.. CAMPBELL does the REGISTER
great injustice in accusing it of gar
bling his speech in its comments. The
only point the REGISTER aimed TO
make in this connection was that
which Mr. CAMPBELL admits, namely,
that American cotton goods are sold
in England and that American woolens
are not Cotton is free and wool is not.
The fact that Mr.. CAMPBELL stated in
the same sentence that these cotton
goods were sold in England because
they are better though they cost more. "
only adds TO the effectiveness or
the REGIsTER's argument. We re-
greet having overlooked the point,
which Mr.. CAMPBELL made against
himself-and we thank him for the sug-
gestion-in showing that the superior
skill Of American workmen enables
American manufacturers who are not
shackled by a high tariff on their raw
materials, not only to sell Ia foreign mar
ketS but at higher prices than are COM
manded by the same articles made in
Europe.
Mr.. CAMPBELL adds one more argu-
ment TO the many on the tariff reform
side by showing that the rate Of wages
has nothing whatever to do with the
tariff question. He admits that Amer
lean agricultural implements and iron
and steel manufactures are sold on free
trade English soil in competition with
England, though the American work
men who make these goods are paid
higher wages than the English work
men. But, In this connection Mr..
CAMPBELL neglected to state the vital
fact that the American consumers OF
these American-made goods are CON-
PEELED TO pay from to so per cent
more for them at The factory doors
ia The United States. II, as Mr..
CAMPBELL. holds, the tariff is not tax
and American trusts and combines do
not put up prices under cover
OF the tariff which shields
them from competition, why
is it they sell cheaper to the English
the French and the Germans than they
do to Americans?
Mr.. CAMPBELL's admission is OF it.
self conclusive proof not only that the
rate Of wages has no connection with
the question of foreign competition in
our home market or any other market
but. also, that the American consumer
pays not only the tariff tax on the i'm
ported article but also whatever in
crease the tarif-5red and taritf-shel-
tered trusts choose to make in prices
by virtue OF McKInleyism.
When the protected American manu-
facturer went to Washington and had
the Mckinley committee raise the duty
on his product he pleaded that be had
TO pay higher wages than the English
manufacturer and consequently could
not compete with him. Yet
Mr.. CAMPBELL admits, and
the totally different foreign and
-. --a.. L.. - Ahn Arnnricnn