New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-07-24
ANOTHER GRAND OLD MAN.
THE OLDEST AND RICHEST MEMBER VI Liz
HOUSE OF COMMONS.

While Mr. Gladstone is by common consent "''
"Grand Old Man" of English politics. ''e''
among his colleagues and supporters aho'nei e.
teman who might well claim a share IN tlie "'io
lie is by no means az conspicuous politician %
Mr. Gladstone. nor has he had as long Parha-
menary career Indeed, Mr.. Gladstones siA@
years of service-he will complete his siA'c'h
year in the Commons next fall-form an uicA
ample record. But the second Grand oiu No"
is both older and younger than Mr. "laus'one'
lie is older in years having been born III i0V''
against Mr.. Gladstone in 1909; and ne If younger
in spirits and in physical vigor. lie has this au
vantage over his more illustrous colleague 'oo'
that he has Just been reelected to Parliament
without opposition in the Keighley DIVISION oil
Yorkshire, while Mr.. Gladstone will be returned
from Midlothian only after a desperate fight and
with, doubtless, much reduced majority.
Mr. Isaac Holden, the oldest and probably the
richest Member Of the House of Commons, as well
IA physically the smallest, has been more con-
spicuoIs figure in the manufacturing and com
mercIal world than in the realm OF politics. Like
Mr.. Gladstone, he is Scotchman, though Tor
most of his life he has been identified with YORK
shire His origin was humble, and his early
years spent in poverty as an apprentice TO shawl
weaver For some time thereafter he was
schoolmastcr; and it was while serving IN that
capacity that he bestowed upon the world great
benefit. which was, however, slight benefit to
him. This was the invention Of the lucfer match,
which he came upon Unexpectedly while making
some chemical experiments for the instruction of
his pupils Other men took up the discovery.
and he made nothing out of it,
Next he became a bookkceper, and while thus
employed he made his second great invention.
from which he did derive much profit. While
working at his edaers and journals his mind went
back to his shawlweaving apprenticeship, ana ne
became interested in the manufacture Of woollen
cloth. and sought to construct machine for card
ing the wool. For years he studied the problem.
making many apparently frutless experiments.
All his savings from his salary were given to the
enterprise The friends TO whom he confded his
scheme looked with little favor upon 1t. But
his persc yerancc-and enthusiastically trIumpLed.
and lie completed and perfected a cardngnachlne
which has reyolutOnizcd the wool industry OF
the world Happily. he secured letters patent
unon the invention, and as a result handsome
profits soon came 70 him. He established mills
in Yorkshire. literally creating large centres OF
industry lie also built several mills in France.
For many years his income from them has been
enormous. averaging probably 100000 a year.
His French mills founded in partnership
with Mr. S c. Lister the famous silk king OF
Bradford, and were situated at ST. Denis Rheims.
and Croix Mr. Lister himself has been notable
inventor and is a. earnest in mechanical progress
az lie is in advocating fair trade instead Of
free trade" In talking the subject he once
said: " | stand alone Where il the man In Eng
land or in the world who can say, as | can say,
that he has spent 50, 100000 in working ont
new ideas? Ny business life now is almost COM
plcted, and in all likelihood | shall never take
ont another patent, but some time ago | sent TO
my agent for my patent list, which | had not
seen for many years. How many patents DO you
think were on it? hundred and seven! All
for inventions in the silk and wool manufacture
| don't suppose that is a record that can be beaten
by any one. ! have never gone in for anything
less than $3.50, 900 year. have never applied
myself TO any invention which before taking up
I did not see was worth $3.50 900 a year. And
have won four! To give an illustration Of what
| have had TO 20 through; When Mr. Burnley
was bringing out the second edition of his book.
Fortunes Made in Business | had the curiosity
10 make inquiries how many years | lost money
in making my velvet loom success. How many
years do You think? For seven years in sue
ccsslon | lost heavily. All the time | had lots
Of people working on the loom for me Take my
wool-combinS patents again. | warned re-
pcatcdly by my friends not to 90 in for wool
combinc machine. because everybody who at
tempted the ta>l, before me had been ruined and
that fate was predicted for myself. But saw the
S2jOO0O year there, and in the end | won it,
My sk-combng machine cost me the most, how
ever and | thought M one time il would be my
ruiz My last partner left me believing that il
would. Is you know, my idea was 10 work up
the waste silk of India. which had never been
made usc of before, and could he bought in Lon
fo,n i,ff. loI a.,
inventions in the end. and have since rcaped
the benefit. My success. you see, is all owing 10
original inventions, and is no argument for your
so-callcd free trade With fair trade or real
free trade it would have been immensely greater
and the country would have psoportonately bene-
utcd.'
Thus started on the theme of fair trade Mr..
Lister went on Let me give you an illustration
of what took place here in my oNh mills. Ii will
show you how free trade works. | began the
fair trade movement with n lecture To my own
working people in the Mechanics Institute |
pointed odt that with free trade all the hand
Dom vclyct-weavcrs in England had been starved
out and the trade went to France and Germany.
brought it back with my velvet power-loom
pointed ont that If the foreigners got my power
loom the same thing would happen again and
asked my workpeople if they would like to make
such fight a. the hand-weavcrs did and suffer
rs they did. They all started laughing Nv own
work girls up III the gallery giggcd at the bare
idea of such thing. which they then believed
could not come TO pass. But what happened in
1886 The Germans, who had 90: a thousand OF my
looms working, glutted the London market with
velvet made for America, but which had been
thrown on their hands Fortunately, between the
time had delivered my lecture and 1856 all nv
looms had been turned on TO plush Had been
weaving velvet | should have actually been
beaten 10 the ground-not compelled merely to
lower wages, mind you, but actually to stop all
my looms; for. thanks to onesided free trade.
the market swampcd.'
Mr. Lister is confident that the fpr trade