The morning call., 1893-05-21
A NEW INDUSTRY.
The Manufacture of Linen in Iowa
Minnesota and Wisconsin.

HAihhNoOIo anu w ISNOuolh.
l find the new industry of making linen
cloth has got foothod in Iowa, Mime
sofa and Wisconsin, and that the industry
is growing as pottery grew in New jersey
and East Liverpool, Ohio. SAYS a st. Paul
correspondent Of the New York Sun. The
Chicago exhibit of linen machinery is going
TO be an object lesson to our people. Up to
1876 our potters had made nothing but the
crudest wash-bowls and pitchers. The
Doulton people from Lambeth. the
WedeewoOds, Mintons, and the potters
from Limoges. France, brought their warss
to Philadelphia and taught school. Our
young DotterS saw their excellent work
retained many of their skilled workmen in
America. and pow you will see Tren ton
and East Liverpool ware in almost every
great hotel in the country. John Bennett,
the head man of the Lambeth pottery,
stayed with us in New York and agents of
the Limoges potterieS went TO Cincinnati.
Mrs. Bellamy Storer Wsrd (nee Long
WORTH and Miss Louisa Mclaughlin,
whose lockwood pottery will beat the
best Limoges at Chicago this year, got
their Inspiration from Philadelphia. The
tariff law has established pottery in
America.
Now comes linen. To-day l visited the
linen factory at Eau Claire, Wis. This
factory is making excellent linen and is
prosperous and growing fast. 1t was es-
| tablished by Belfast linen spinners, who
moved their plant over to America, And
now more linen-makers are coming Ger
many, Belgium and Ireland will not con-
tinue to send $50. 100000 worth of linen
cloth annually to this country. We are
about to grow this fue fax and make this
linen ourselves.
Yesterday met in Minneapolis James
Girdwood of the firm of James Girdwood
~ C0 RpIfaSt Iralapd FEbau Uni 10
a display of linen and linen ma hinery at
the fair, and then start linen factory in
Minnesota.
Can you make fine linen here?" said L
Just as well as in Ireland" he said.
1T is all made by machinery now. There
are hand looms.'
But an we bleach it as in Ireland?"
why, certainly. Grass bleaching is
even out of date In Iceland. We don't
depend upon nature there We make our
own ozone as the Wilimantic thread
people make their own humid air. This
Irish machinery can make just as good
linen cloth here as III Ireland"
But can you raise the Irish fax here ?"
The same flax can be raised here as in
Germany or Ireland. In fact. the Irish
flax story is myth, like the Welsh tin ORE
Ireland doesn't raise one-tenth of the flax
she uses. 1t comes from other countries
the same as Welsh tin comes from
Malacca"
Are other Irish manufacturers coming
to American"
They are all looking this way now. We
are tired paying this duty on manufac-
ured linen. We can do better to manu-
factnre it here. as the Coats thread people
do their thread
But what national policy do you want
to insure linen In America ?"I asked.
we want permanent policy. We
want raw material free. at first, or till we
can establish Onr manufactures, and we
want the same protection you have now
on manufactured linen. You must let raw
lax G. me as free as tin comes"
When Can our farmers make this fine
fiax?"
well, it will take some time. This fax
is raised for fiber and not for seed. Yon
raise flax for seed and throw away the
hDre. Minnesota and Wisconsin could
raise the loveliest Irish fiat. In fact, I've
seen specimens raised in Wisconsin. But
first you must get the manufactures aud
then the flax will follow. You can never
get the manufactures till you let the first
raw material In free to supply them. You
Americans should put linen man nufactories
on the same basis that you put cotton,
leather and tin manufacturies-that is.
they should have raw material free and
have protection against foreign manufac-
tured linen. leather, cloth and tin."