Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-05-04
A CALAMITY HOWL.
THE NEW YORK PRESS PREDICTS
DISASTER MOST DIRE.

- ~F~~~~~-~
~ Reform Than the Out Of Power Re-
pubiieans-How the Protectionists Are
Striving 70 Hoodwink the People.
Since the Reform club has made pub
lie its proposed tariff bill, with duties OF
25 per cent on the great bulk Of imported
dutiable articles, the protectionists have
been predicting direful things If such q
bill should become q law. The New
York Press sets up howl about the pro
posed 25 per cent duty on gloves. 1t
says: "This would be deat blow to
one Of the most prosperous industries OF
this state. in Fulton county alone fully
$4,000 persons depend for livelihood
either entirely or in part on glovemak-
ing. The % per cent tariff would drive
the industry out of existence. The labor
cost of glovemaking is something like
$50 per cent more in this country than
in Europe. The reformers propose to
meet this by 25 per cent duty, or one
sixth of the difference between the for
eign and American wage rates. Under
this schedule the foreign manufacturers
would take complete possession Of the
American markets and close every glove
making establishment in the country"
As this is sample Of the thousands Of
howls started by the out Of power Re-
<publicans, it may be well to analyze it
to see what truth, If any, it contains.
We will let the manufacturers speak for
themselves.
Lucien Littauer, the largest manufac-
turer Of gloves in Fulton county and the
United States, said in 1888: 1--WE can dc
just as well, pay our employees just as
high wages and conduct just as prosper
ous business under 40 per cent Mills
bill as under so per cent tariff. AL
this is demonstrable if man will sit
down and think 1t out for himself"
Mr.. d. B. Judson Of Fulton county,
the oldest and greatest and until within
q few years the largest manufacturer Of
gloves in this country, said in 1888: "Un
der 40 per cent tariff we shall still have
an advantage over foreign manufactur
ers of from 60 to 70 cents per dozen
That is to say, we will continue to pay
about double the wages paid in England
and turn out gloves and mittens at from
go to rs c0nts dozen cheaper than th'
English manufacturers. AS matter O.
fact, the tariff does not affect the manu-
facture Of heavy gloves-the gloves 70,
the million, mean. On the very fines
qualities it does have an effect, but ther,
are only one or two firms in this vicinit.
that make that class of goods"
Another manufacturer, also Of Glovers
vile, Fulton county, and one Of the larg
est five manufacturers there, said in 1891
"There is no real foreign competition Oh
more than 10 per cent of the goods solt
here. Fully two-thirds Of the heav.
goods made in the United States are of
class of goods neither produced nor con
sumed anywhere else in the world
Gloves to protect the hands of common
laborers are unknown outside Of thi
country. More than 80 per cent of tn
ladies' gloves imported are of class 0
goods not made here, nor will they b
made here in your and my time"
There seems to be slight differenc
of opinion between The Press and thes
manufacturers. What The Press ma
have meant, and what it should hav
said, was that wages are 15O per cen
higher here than in Europe. But wage
differ from labor cost as much as steaI
differs from steam engine. A highl
effective modern steam engine, unde
high pressure, produces greater effect
and uses less steam than an old style, II
effective engine under low pressure
Highly skilled labor, with high wages
produces greater results than unskille
labor at low wages. Hence the highl
skilled labor is cheaper. This is evider
from the fact that the high wage labc
of England has for generations bee
more than able to compete with To-
wage labor of the rest Of Europe and I
Asia. England's manufactured prot
ucts sell all over the world.
But it SO happens in the case Of GLOW,
that nearly half Of the SIC, 900, 900 wort
annually consumed and fully two-thirt
Of those made here are mems heay
gloves, neither made nor worn In az
other country. That, this part of the i
dustry would not be driven out of exis
ence by 20 per cent, or by any 9th
duty, is clear from what Mr.. Judson al
many others say. Heavy gloves are,
spite of high wages, like boots and shoe
actually made cheaper in this than
any other country. But then this is &
.. year for The Press and other good Repu
hcan papers to close up factories, exit
guish industries and lower wages, and
} they sometimes become overzealous al
. make leaky statements we should ]
. member that calamity bowling is
present their only occupation, as futu
calamity is their only salvation, and n
!: criticise them too severely. The cou
try must go to the dogs under free ira
or the protectionists are lost. --Byr