Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1892-01-16
THE PARROTS CHATTER.
THE BIRD WHICH CRIES 1.-THE TARIFF
IS A TAX"

He Is Now In the New York World Of
fice-The Tax" on Socks, Shirts, Eye
glasses and Ciothes-Some Points About
American Watches.
Many Of our Free trade contemporaries
pleased themselves and their Anglo
maniac readers and owners by mention
ing the duties imposed on articles used
at the Tariff league dinner or worn by
the guests, and asserting, either directly
or by implication, that these duties were
added to the cost of the articles used.
The World in particular was very
much exercised over the increased cost
of clothing, and gave long list Of gar
ments and other eccoutrements with the
duty and what it calls the tax added.
Some of these items are reproduced, as:
Duty. Tax.
pair socks, cotton. 81 doz. and 40 D. c. 2l
Now man has either TO buy some
thing extremely fancy or 60 to the store
of a performer" to pay more than %
cents for pair of cotton socks.
Duty Tax.
shirt .................... IS p. C. .55
These are sold at any store off from
Fifth avenue boiled and starched for 81,
or unlaundered for SO cents.
Duty. Tax.
suit clothing...... f91Sc h. and 90 p. c. l4.49
The stores are full of good suits of
clothes for $40, and more suits of clothes,
coat, vest and trousers, are sold in this
city for less than $15 than at greater
price.
Duty. Tax.
pair eyeglasses. ........,, COP. G. 60
pair eyegiass frames. COP. C. Is
Possibly The Worlds nose is SO con
structed that it is necessary for it ON
buying pair of eyeglasses to immedi-
ately purchase pair of eyeglass frames,
but most people don't have TO do it.
Duty. Tax.
cord for eyegiasses..... so C. a5
This is "snide" charge. Even the
street vendors who peddle eyeglasses at
25 cents pair throw in cord.
Duty. Tax.
l watch. Is p. c. 500
This is rather an unfortunate item, in
view of the following which appeared
in many newspapers just before the
dinner, from paper read by Mr.. Jere-
miah Head, of Middlesborough, Eng
land, on his visit to this country.
''If you think exaggerate, let me ask
you TO compare the manufacture of
watches as it existed in England twenty
years ago with the same as it exists in
Waltham to-day. All materials, labor,
prestige and experience were in our
favor, and we ought TO have retained
the trade. Nevertheless. English con.
sumers are today buying American
watches in large quantities, and better
ones for the money than can be made
here"
Mr.. Head further says:
'All this is because they have per.
fected their types and organized the
manufacture in a more thoroughly sci
entifc and better manner than our habit
and prejudices would admit of our
doing"
But, as matter of fact, American
watches are cheaper and better than En-
glish watches because this duty which
The World calls tax encouraged Amer
lean watch makers to organize their
factories in more thoroughly scientific
manner than their English and Swiss
competitors are willing to, with their
determination to keep both their invest
ments in the machinery and wages low
The cheap production OF watches, like
the production Of anything else to
which machineryis applicable, Is merely
a matter of the capital the producers
can raise toput into machinery and the
intelligence Of the operatives.
The lifelong effort of The World has
been to destroy confidence in the future
of American manufacturing, both in
the cause Of the English, whose indus
trial and banking interests it champions,
and because the making and operating
Of the machinery necessitated by our
high wages requires intelligent and well
paid operatives-men as class who do
not support The World nor approve of
its objects.