The times., 1892-10-14
AMERICAN HATS.
BETTER THAN THE FOREIGN
AND JUST AS CHEAP.
English Hats Worn Only to Crafty Per-
sonal Wilma Whole Tariff Argument
In One Shot Interview-some Demo-
cratic Logic,

The oracles of Democracy told the
people of Michigan last campaign that
the Mckinley tariff would increase the
prices of all the necessaries of life.
Now a hat, in this climate, is one of
those neccessaries. Hence, according
to Democratic teaching, a hat ought to
cost more thap it did two years ago.
But does 1T?
Democratic logic is very convincing
to man who doesn't know or believe
anything more than the Democrats
teach him. 1t works about this way:
A man must buy hat; =
A tariff duty is levied on English
hats;
The tariff duty is added to the cost
for Cleveland says so;
Since a man must pay the cost and
the tariff added the tariff is tax and
increases the price of the hat.
Can anything be palmer? Certainly
not from Democratic stand point.
But the Republican party does not stop
here. 1t teaches the people many an
economic fact bearing on the question.
The Republican party agrees with the
Democratic that man must buy a hat
and that tariff duty is levied on Eng
lish hats. But there the agreement
ends, and the real process of education
begins.
The Republican party teaches what
the Democracy never does-that hats
are made in America and that no man
is obliged to buy an English hat upon
which tariff duty is levied. The Re-
publican party also teaches that the
tariff is tax upon the foreigner who
wants to get the benefit of our markets
and that he cannot add the duty to the
cost, for he has to meet the active COM
petition of American manufacturers.
Why is it that Democratic orators
and journals say so little about Ameri-
can manufactures? Simply because
they wish the people to think that
everyone has to buy goods upon which
tariff duties are laid and because they
wish the people to overlook the fact
that there is any American compete
tion to keep foreign prices down.
The whole subject is finely illus
trated in an interview had with G. IL.
Dickerson, of Detroit, of the firm of
Dickerson & Co., dealers in hats, caps,
furs and straw goods. Speaking of the
Mckinley law, he said:
1.-THE increased duty on felt hats neces-
Stated either an increased price to the
merchant and the customer or, to retain
the price prevailing before the increased
duty obtained, an inferior quality OF ma
terial. He had, however, stood a portion of
the increased duty and he was thus en-
abled to retail the hats Ut the old prices,
while the deteriorated quality OF the ma
terial used is so inconsiderable as to be no
factor in its appearance or durability
So much for the foreign article.
Now hear what he said Of the home
product:
''The best grades Of American made hats
are SUPERIOR In EVERY WAY TO THE BEST
FOREIGN MADE and these goods have not
been affected in any way by the Mckinley
BILL AND ARE SOLD A. CHEAPLY AS EVER BE-
FORE"
So long as the American citizen can
get better hats, made at home by
American laborers, paid American
wages, as cheaply as ever before, it
will be hard for tho Democrats to con-
vince the people g.. ,chigan that they
are being swindlrd by the Mckinley
law.
But Mr.. Dickerson let's the Demo-
why Grover Cleveland, Don Nj. Dick
inson and other man ufacturers of Demo-
cratic campaign thunder raise such a
howl about tariff IN hats. American
hats are not exquisite enough for them.
They're not English, y'l1now." Those
gentlemen belong I'd the class of Gus
toners described ~ Mr.. Dickerson
when he Said
There is ceria II class of customers
who will have the Ehglish made hat and no
other. This class has grown to considerable
numbers, and are of the class who aim 10
he EXCLUSIVE and to whom the cost of graf
flying a whim is of no consequence
Patriotic American citizens have
little in sympathy with such "exclu-
sive" gentlemen, for whose elegant
heads an American hat is not good
enough. The American vote will go
with the American hat.