The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1892-09-30

"A MICHIGAN MAN GIVES SOME
INTERESTING FACTS.
American silks In the Lead - Hfxbe4t
Wages In the World Paid Here---The
Benign Influence of the Protective
Tariff Demonstrated

/
one of the Oldest silk manufacturers in
this country. Their factories at Beth
lehem, Pa, were started in 1852. Mr..
E. b. Fenton, of Detroit, represents
this firm and travels from the Atlantic
to the Pacific in search of business for
his employers. He thoroughly under
stands and appreciates the benefits
which the Mckinley law has afforded
the silk industry of America. From
him we learned the facts embodied in
| this article:
"The American manufacturer makes
the BEST silks in the world, as is shown
| by an order given to the above firm in
August by a. San Francisco dry goods
house for piece of black silk to be
| sent to Paris, France. 1t was for
| lady living there, who had worn this
make of silk before and was satisfied
that she could find nothing to equal it
| in the French market.
"From the landing of Columbus to
the close of the war of the rebellion,
England and France supplied the
American market. Macclesield, Eng
land, was the head center of the silk
| industry, until England adopted free
| trade, when the advantage slipped from
her, and today Lyons, France, is the
| silk center of all the foreign countries.
''The industry in our own country
began as an experiment, nearly 40
years ago, and now occupies more than
| 700 establishments, gives employment
to more than $4,000 persons, and yields
| yearly product, at present, valued at
| about SIS, 00O,0 900. Looking backward
10 years, lin 1882, it was $35, 1O2, 900.
"The duty on manufactured dress
silks is so per cent. / am sometimes
asked by a merchant who leans toward
free trade What will your mills do
when we elect Mr. Cleveland and take
the duty off of silks?' l simply say 1T
will make no difference to the manu-
| facturer, because we will have to cut
the wages of the help to meet it, This
would be the only way we could COM
| pete if we kept running Should we
maintain the same wages, foreigners
could and would advance the price of
silks. Or we should have to close the
mills for we could not compete in
wages.
Statements made before the ways
and means committee of Congress, of
which Roger O. Mills, Roswell p.
Flower and John G. Carlisle, among
others, were members, showed that in
Italy labor employed in reeling silk
| cost 10 cents day. The labor in this
country, for the same work, costs from
| $3.50 to 5000 per week. In Germany
the same labor costs from rs cents to
so cents per day.
"a witness brought before these
apostles of reform was asked what
was the difference between the wages
of labor in the manufacture of silk in
the countries with which the American
manufacturers has to compete. His re-
reply was: we pay about TWICE as
much as they do in England, about
THREE TIMES as much they do in France,
Observation-Disclosures TIMES what they
do in Italy, and TEN TIMES as much as
they do in China and Japan Against
this ruinous competition, our benificent
tariff protects American workers in the
silk industry.
During Clevelspd's administration
the wages of 81 x workers declined
about 10 per cent, but in 1891
change came, wages began to go up,
and continued to go up until now they
are equal to, and IN some instances in
excess of, those of The flush times be-
fore the administrd ton referred to-
AZ buc bliuc VI llc pdSSdSc VI UhC
Mckinley bill, imported silk plush cost
$1.00 per yard. The Mckinley bill put
duty of $3.50 yard on silk plush.
For a time the price went up, but
American manufa o, 'ers started up to
produce the article, ...il it is now Soda
better article-for ~ cents per yard.
"a recent write n the Macclesfield,
(England), Herald. after showing the
effects of foreign tariffs on the silk
trade of that city, Concludes with the
following questions: is it not time
yet to look into these matters? Is there
any wonder that the trade of the coun-
try is bad? Do the weavers of Maccles-
field know the reason that they have
so many weeks of play lately,
against their wish? Shall we longer
wait to see other trades drifting away
from us like the silk trade? Shall we
continue to find employment for the
foreigner, and starve our own people?
1t is time we were thinking of these
questions seriously
"The Mckinley tariff has certainly
secured the establishment of many new
silk mills and impaired vitality and ex-
pansion to many old ones, giving en-
ployment to an increased number OF
laborers, at higher wages than at any
time during the past 10 or IL years."
The neonle If the limited States