New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-09-05
AMERICAN WOOLLENS.
PROSPERITY OF A GREAT CONNECTICUT
INDUSTRY.
FIVE MILLS IN ROCKVILLE FOR MAKING THE
FINEST QUALITIES OF GooDs-THE SAME
INDUSTRY UNDER TWO POLITICAL AD-
ILLUSTRATIONS FREETRADERS
IN AMERICAN wOoLLENS
vrruorT KNOWING, IT

ILLUSTRATIONS - FREETRADERS
IN AMERICAN wooLLENs
WITHOUT KNOWING IT.
frRoM SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT TRBuxE)
Rockville. Conn, Sept 2.-In the early part
of this century the site upon which this city is
built wa giveu in exchange for lot that was
needed ~ the town Of Bolton to complete the
svnmetry Of its villase e'een The exchange
was thought TO be, 80 tradition goes. to The
advantage Of the town. This place was then
nothing but wild and desoate ravine Of unusual
sze Its hills were rugged, its valleys stony
and the turbid Hockanum River and the Snipsic
lake a mile and half above, did not enhance
the value of this tract of land. IL was most
unattractive place for agricultural purposes. and
in those days the value of land remote from
settlements estimated to large extent on
that basis Even then Connecticut was not
strictly a farming community. All of lis
farming implements and one-half Of the clothing
worn was manufactured in the State and as
water power has always been at premium 1T
was not long before a mill was built on the banks
NJ the Hockanum. That river now affords the
hcst water power to be found in New-Eng-
land! and there has grown up near its banks a
citv of ten thousand which is constantly increas-
ing in population. The surrounding hills are
.hickly covered with houses, hundreds Of which
are owned by mill operatives. There are several
banks and many large stores memorial
building of unusual beauty is chief attracr
ton. and along the bank of the now placid
stream are five of the largest and oldest woollen
mills in Connecticut-thc Rock. the Hockanum.
the New-England. the Springville and the
American Together they employ 1000 hands;
thew pay out about $ss4,oo year for wages
and the combined capital invested amounts to
nearly $25OO,OO0. There Is deposited in the
savings banks tile gum of Isl 5000. and 1t Is
estimated by the bank officers that at least two
thirds Of this amount belongs to the operatives
in the woOllen mills.
The prosperity of this little city has been
very closely identified with the history Of the
protective tariff system. Prior to 1853 It's
progress fuctuated with the success or defeat
of the protective tariff. but the suostanua1
growth of the city and the prosperity OF lth
manufactures began with ohe Morriil 'ariil
Since that time, however. there have been several
distressing periods The first began early IN the
Cleveland Administration: when Secretary Man
ming. by o forced construction Of the tarln OF
1888 permitted worsteds to come in as wooilens
I,efore that time worsteds never had been useo
excent for trimmings. But this ruling was
an inducement to the English manufacturers u
change the character of the fabrics whlch '''es
had formerly imported and which were CON-
monty known as woollens. Consequently iarge
Quantities of worsted goods came into TINS coun
,rv and. of course, in direct competition WIN
the woollens manufactured here. Ihis chahgco
condition of the trade involved great haroship
for the domestic manufacturers, WHICH con-
tipued until General Harrison was elec'eo' ZINC
~ The first things that he did. President, was
% Sirec, the ruling of Secretary Manning to be
revealed While this action was beneficial, TO
he cifp of PrcS0enS NltNe-
lands Administration did not wear away un'i
after the passage of the Mckinley Dill Large
quantities of English worsteds were rushed lh'"
this country prior to its PASSAGE ana 'ieS Ha'e
been ON the market ever since. III mas ,aAo"
nearly two years 10 absorb those lnpor'auone-
put that bill marks a new era IL the prosperity
of this city. 49,: ,,
There are thousands of Free-Iraders in this coun-
49,, ,bo want to have the Mckinley bill repealed
7, NAV interest them to know something ABOUT "ie
Growth Of the manufacture Of woollens IN thh
Country II has prospered wonderfully since Gen
oroI Harrison has entered the White House. ana
tbn,e are now. within the bounds OF this STATE
over ono hundred manufactures OF wooleh iao-
rics AS a matter of history perhaps THESE Z rec
Traders NAV not know that IT was In THIS o'a'c
that the first woollen factory IN America "uo
starteds and that the suit of clothes 0eneral "ash
inaton wore when he was inaugura'eo tie hin'
time was made from the first product OF TINS HIM.
II these Free Traders further interested IN these
historical incidents they may care 10 Nho" '''a'
Tho yiccPresident and the Connecticut deiega-
tion in Congress wore clothes OF similar co'h'
And to bring these incidents down to more re-
cent date. it may be worth while to mention 'ha'
when General Harrison was lnauguraOco as Iicn-
der+ no wore a suit of clothes which was maze
from, cloth woven in one Of the mills OF TINS CITY
and upon the occasion Of the centennial ceieora-
ton of the anniversary OF the CONSTITUTIONS
which was incidentally a commentator OF 'he oc
Ginning Of the manufacture or WOOL III America
President Harrison clad in suit oil co'hcS
which was made from the cloth woven in another
Rockville mill To continue this lesson LII n,'-
tory the following excerpt from the Annals Oh '"o
inauguration of Washington is given
The cloth is of so fine fabric and so hand
soneIv finished that it was universally mistaken
for foreign manufactured supcrnhe cio'h VI
cumsance which must be considered az noo Vn,s On.
fattering to our manufacturers In particular, ou.
interesting TO our countrymen Ill general ana
that the appearance of the PRESIDENT,
dents and several members OF Congress IN suits OF
American manufacture was a distinguished token
~ attention TO the manufacturing interests OF the
country
General Harrison has given several distn-
guished tokens OF attention to the manufacturing
interests Of the country" To conclude this little
chapter in history. it may be stated that the
goods worn by President Harrison similar III
quality, texture and workmanship to- those I'M
ported. The English manufacturers cannot tell
the difference. The same wool and the same looms
are used, and practically the sane skill is excr-
cised Many of the American weavers are Of for
eign birth and learned their trade before they
came to this country. And TO styles: which it
is maintained. make English goods superior to