The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-09-14
aaaersat gatetligemesr.
Five Dollars for o Hat.

"Pretty la;e for straw hat, old man."
"I agree with you, Billy" answered
the man who was wearing the hat, "butI
shan't have S. to buy derby with till
pay day. So suppose that I'll have to
stick to the straw"
''By the wsy, Billy, do you know any
way by which I can get good hat for
less than S5?"
"Be Democrat, Jack"
"What did you say?"
''Be Democrat"
"Be Democrat. Do Democrats buy
hat, cheaper than Republicans CAM"
"No, not that; but Democrats believe
in cheap hats and will give them to the
people if they ever get a chance, while
the Republicans believe in making every
body who wears hat pay two prices for
it,"
"I'm Republican, Billy, as you sug-
gest, but I don't believe in paying two
prices for hat"
"Yes you do, too. You believe in the
Mckinley tariff, don't you?"
eyes"
"And in protecting the infant hatmak-
ers?"
"Infant grandmothers Why don't
you say what you are going to say and
be done with it? You're trying to get
me into corner"
"Oh, well, if you would rather |
wouldn't, I'll not. 1 was intending to
say just this, that any man who said that
the Mckinley tariff vas all right, had no
business to find fault when he is called
upon to pay IS for hat"
"It's different in my case. I've been
a Democrat ever since the tariff reform
agitation began, and pye right to
'kick' at that tax of 55 per cent. on hats. ,
give dollars is an abominable price
to pay for hat, and yet one can't get a
hat that will wear we'll for less than that.
I've bought hats for 81 so, So and 81,
but not one of them ever gave satisfac-
ton, and 80, though I am poor, buy the
five dollar hat nowadays. Every time I
do it, though, I feel ugly, because I
know that part of that IS is taken out Of
me by the government and that 1 get
nothing in return for it.
CHOW, some of these glib fellows who
do the "spouting" for the Republican
party say that this duty Of IS per cent.
on hats does not affect prices at all. The
foreigner pays the duty, they say"
"Well, isn't it true, Billy?"
"Well, is it? An intelligent man like
you ought to be ashamed to ask such q
question as that. Don't you know that
the Euglishman buys his hats far cheap
er than the American buys his? Why,
over in England anybody can wear q
good hat, but in this country the price
of good hat is large slice out of the
average young mans weekly wages.
And it is all because of that tariff tax.
"But how about the men who work on
the American hats, Billy? Do you wish
to wear hat that has been made by pau
per laborers?"
"Stuff and nonsense There isn't any
thing in that question. Give to hat
manufacturers what they need to put in
to their hats free Of duty, get rid of the
monopolies which have been built up
under the tariff, and I'll risk the labor
ers. Don't be so silly as to think that
the duty that you pay every time yon
buy hat is divided among the laborers
that made it and that it represents the
difference of " ages between this country
and England. By the time that the du,
ties on things that 60 into the manufac
ture of these hats have been taken out
and the manufacturer has got his share
of the protection there's mighty lit
tle' left for the workingmen.
"Be Democrat, Jack, if you want
cheap hats, and don't be scared by that
bungaboo of 'pauper labor. .'"-N Y.
| Times.