Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-04-06
Democratic Northwest.
HONEST CONFESSION.
A CONNECTICUT WooLEN MANuFAc-
TURER TELLS SOME TRUTHS.

OnEH lilo OOMG NJ no.
Compensatory Duties Have Debased Wool
en- Goods, Caused the General Use o.
Adulterants and Demoralized the Trade
Use of Adulterants.
The American Wool and Cotton Re
porter is greatly worried over rumol
that it is proposed to reduce the duties
npon woolens to about 35 per cent. II
prophesies the total destruction of the
woolen manufacturing industry if con.
gress reduces the duties below 40 pei
cent, and in justification of its fears
makes the humiliating confession that
the protection long enjoyed by our man
ufacturers has SO enervated them as to
render them incapable of honest self
effort.
This plea, shameful as it is, finds its
confirmation in q confession made by q
large manufacturer of woolens in Con-
necticut to Mr.. W. B. Estell, an agent
of the Reform club, who Travelled through
the New England states searching for
truth as to the effect upon the woolen
manufacturing establishments of the du-
ties upon raw wool and manufactured
woolens In the course of o long con.
versation this manufacturer said to Mr..
Estell:
Twenty-Five or thirty years ago was
making as fine grade of woolens as could
be found anywhere in the world. Icould
import my foreign wool, which is abso-
lutely necessary to the manufacture of
good cloth, free of duty. This enabled
me to pay better price for the domestic
wool, which is just as essential as the
foreign article, and yet place upon the
market at a fair profit to myself grade
of goods which defied "pauper made
goods" from abroad. In those days
was selling the products of my factory
not only in America, but in foreign coun-
tries as well. would be doing SO today
were it not for the insane duties on raw
material.
The compensatory duties which have
been levied for the protection of myself
and the workingmen / employ have not
borne the good fruit promised, but have
resulted in debasing the manufacturing
of woolen goods until venture to say
there is not one manufacturer in Ameri-
ca who caters to the ordinary trade who
is not using more or less adulterants
instead of the pure wool and must do
SO if he wishes to continue in business.
When we could import our raw wool
free Of duty, we took delight in manu-
featuring the very best quality of cloth
indeed we were compelled to do so
because of the low duties on the foreign
manufactured product. We would make
a certain pattern of good quality, send
samples of it to our customers with price
list and always got good orders Now
all is changed. Instead of sending sam
pies the clothing manufacturers send us
sample of the kind and weight of cloth
they want to sell at certain price and
expect us to give the usual guarantee to
show their customers that the cloth is
warranted to be "all WOOL" They know
full well that we must adulterate with
shoddy, perhaps to the extent of so or 60
per cent, to reach the price named, but
they prefer to rely implicitly on our
guarantee. Sometimes, however, they
excuse themselves by saying that after
all shoddy is wool, and that therefore the
goods are as represented.
The duty upon raw wool made the
compensatory duties on manufactured
woolens necessary in order to enable us
to do business, but no sooner were we
protected by high duty upon the goods
which competed with ours than we be-
gan to cast about for means to increase
our profits. One of the most effective
means we found to be the introduction
of shoddy into our fabrics-not in place
of the foreign wool, but to take the place
of the high priced American woods. Our
large profits did not materialize because
the very high duties upon woolens gave
the business an unhealthy boom. The
result was that everywhere wooden mills
sprang up, and the competition, instead
of continuing in the healthy way in
which the increased duties upon woolens
found it, developed into fight to the
death. Every known adulterant was
used, and others were sought until the
the trade became thoroughly demoral-
lied. 1t has never recovered and never
will until the. old conditions are re-
stored, and the manufacturing of wool
ems is once more placed upon a sound
business basis.
Give us free wool and take the duty
off manufactured woolens, and I ven
ture the prediction that no factory
which deserves to live will die. Instead
of free wool and free woolens injuring
the employers and employees and reduc-
ing wages, we will extend our markets,
pay just as high wages, employ more
hands and give the American consum-