The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1893-06-08
WORLDS FAIR TARIFF INTERVIEWS.

The Worlds Fair tariff interviews Of
american Industries are very signifi-
caut, as illustrating the estimate man
ufacturers place upon the Mckinley
tariff,
One of the largest selling agents of
wooden manufacturers in this country
said that the much talked of higher
wages in this country, under high
tariff, existed largely in imagination;
that the very cheapest foreign labor
was employed in the manufacture of
worsted fabrics in this country, and
that the product Of each operative was
considerably greater than that of the
English worker. That, therefore, the
cry of tarifites, that the duties must be
kept up to equalize the labor cost, was
political fraud, as the advantage was
really, all things considered, in favor OF
the American manufacturer today.
Mr.. Guenther, representing the Cru
son Works, Germany, engineers and
makers of mining and other machinery
said he shared the opinion expressed by
his fellow countrymen generally that
the high tariff was operative as bar
rier to trade between Germany and the
United States, for the German mer-
! chants were restricting their operations
| in this country to such articles as their
necessities demanded, while they were
seeking to establish connections of a
reciprocal nature elsewhere. This
spirit of commercial lettering would
result in diverting more and more the
purchases of Germany from the United
States said Mr.. Guenther, and this can
only be regarded as natural protec-
ton forced upon them by tariffs which
are prohibitiye.
He said the necessity for high tariffs
does not appear to him to be establish
ed, for he found that America supplied
Europe with the very best machine
tools obtainable, and at prices which
assured their ready sale. His own firm,
like so many others, used chiefly Amer
lean made tools, and itseemed to him
an anomaly that we should maintain
tariff imposts where our power to COM
pete with the world was manifested.
The result of such q policy, in the
opinion of Germans, will be that
America will have to reopen markets,
which will gradually close to her under
the present system, at a great expense,
and after considerable loss.
Mr.. Galley, representing the Manu-
facturers of Fine Textile Fabrics of
Chester, Pa, whose products include the
finest of shirtings and dress goods, re-
pudiated the necessity of protection
and stated that what the home manu-
facturers had to fight was the pre-
judice of buyers. His first goods
placed with leading merchants were at
sellers risk and engagement to take
back same if they did not prove not
only reliable, but salable, but that long
before the Mckinley act went into
effect they had captured the home
market,
Mr.. Sargent, in charge of the Worsted
Woolen and Silk exhibit at the
Worlds Fair, said that the industries
N which he was interested needed no
high tariff to enable them to compete
with foreign manufacturers. They
were quite able to sustain themselves
on bona fide commercial principles and
the import duties on raw material in
itself was an evil which excused, if 1t
did not altogether justify, the demand
for tariff on manufactured articles.
The whole question of the tariff was
one which concerns politics more
than manufacturing" Mr.. Sargent
insisted, and the Mckinley act had
proved very disastrous politics for the
party supporting it.