Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1892-11-08
Charles Broadway Rouss on
Mckinley.

y
Mr.. Charles Broadway Rouss. the
great dry goods merchant of New
York was recently interviewed by a
reporter. Speaking of the Mckinley
bill (and no man is better qualified
to judge of the good or i'll of that
measure than Mr.. Rouss), he said:
Idon't believe that yon can find
a single manin dry goods trade who,
when speaking his honest conviction,
will say that the Mckinley tariff act
has put one dollar in his pocket or in
those of the people dealing with him.
j am opposed to the Mckinley
tariff because you Will find without a
single exception those things that are
used by the American workingman
cost more to-day than they did be-
fore the passage of the bill, while ar
ticles that can be purchased only by
the rich have eithe. not changed in
price or cost less than they did prior
to the passage of the bill. I may
mention, among other things, but
tons, pearl buttons, and other cheap
buttons. such as yon would expect
poor man 10 use. have been protect
ed by the Mckinley law, while tlh
tinrr button, lcll as agat md-3
celain. remain rs they were. Plp
tectionists say we cannot manufac-
ture the latter in this country. Any
man who sells large quantities of but
tons will tell you that it is impossi-
BILE for US to meet the demand for
pearl buttons unless we import them
from abroad:
''That which I say of buttons is
also true of cutlery, such as knives,
shears, &C." Mr.. Rouss said futher:
"Clocks, Handkerchief, linen goods
generally, stationery, musical instru-
ments, cheap jewelry, millionery
silks; indeed, could take you
through one floor ofimy establishment
and show you 1000 things in every
day used by poor people that now
cost them dollar, but which before
the Mckinley law went into effect
could be bought for fifty cents. On
another floor 1 can show you great
number of articles, that only the
more prosperous are able to buy,
which [ can sell to-day at, if anything
a lower price than before the McKin-
ley bill was passed.
SIT is simply tax OF from so per
cent. up, all of which the millions
and millions of people of this country
have to pay in order that dozen or
perhaps less number Of manufactures
may profit and they do not pay. one
penny more wages than they did be-
fore the passage of this bill. The
injury that has been done to this
great country of ours, it seems to me,
is as plain as day.
"a man discusses the tariff every
time he puts his hands in his pocket, y
Mr.. Rouss went on. sit 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
people thinking and that will con-
tinually keep them from being hum
plugged by such men as Mckinley,
Harrison and Reid, who are infIict-
ing a burden upon the poor people
in order that few monopolists may
be benefited.
"Another article which we can
never hope to produce in this country,
principally on account of unfavora-
BILE climatic condition, and which has
been taxed to point where we can:
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 in
ferior cloth or home manufacture at
a much higher price. At best, un.
der the Mckinley Bill, we can only
hope to build up factory here and
there. We give employment in each
one of these factories, perhaps to
200 people, and in order to do this
we have placed most exorbitant tax
upon 100000. Doyou see the. fall
lacy of the argument Of the gentle
man from Ohio? If by putting on q
protective tariff we could build up
factories enough to bring about a
healthy state of competition, COM
petition which would eventually pre-
vent monopoly, that would be all
right; the more the merrier, for the
benefit would eventually fall upon
the poor people. But as the protec-
tive tariff is regulated at present il
simply benefits few while it increase