Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-12-14
MACBETH Asks NO FAVOR
His Banners Hang Upon the
Outward Walls.
AND TARIFFS DAUNT HIM NOT
He Needs no Bounty From the
Public Fund
To Assist Him in Running His Business
An Instructive Letter to EVERY Even
ing's" Readers From the Pittsburg
Lamp Chimney Manufacturer.

From Every Evening Of yesterday.
Several days ago EVERY EVENING
found, in one of its exchanges, brief
| Mr.. George A. Macbeth of Pittsburg,
and made the same the basis of an edi-
torial note, as follows:
George A. Macbeth, lamp chimney
manufacturer Of Pittsburg, comes forward
with that true American spirit which asks
no passing around Of the hat to help him
| to make his way, saying: "There has been
too much tariff on glassware. If it were
taken off altogether it would be a good
thing, which other manufacturers cannot
see now, but will later. Without tariff
on the finished product the market of the
world would be open to US. We care
| nothing in our business for foreign com
petition. Labor-sayng machinery, skilled
workmen, and all the natural benefits we
| possess give the Americans an advantage
in manufacturing which no other country
| possesses" This is the spirit of manliness
the manliness that goes in and wins on
It's merits, without asking the government
| to tax A. B, G and all the rest of the alpha
bet to enable Y to pile up fortune.
This little tribute TO the true American
spirit displayed by Mr.. Macbeth called
forth reply from the Morning NeUs,
and a communication printed in this
| paper over the signature "Protectionist. :"
The Morning NeDs said:
Mr.. Macbeth, of whom we happen to
know, spoke the truth when he uttered
the words quoted; but he did not tell all
that he knew about his own business. MIR.
| Macbeth is the manufacturer of q special
grade of lamp chimneys, which are
patented, which are in great demand,
which are not made by any one else, aud
which have no competitors. OF course he
cares nothing for foreign competition. Mr..
Macbeth speaks of the markets of the
world, " but fails to explain why his fac
tory is not employed in making opal
| goods and various grades Of lamp chin
| neys which come into competition with
the goods made in Belgium. Almost his
entire business is done in his especial
| patented line, hence he has good thing,
Tariff or no tariff, and the open narket'
in his natural and unobstructed field.
| The duty on opal goods and ordinary
lamp chimneys is go per centum ad va
loren, and even with that rate MIR. Mac
| beth cannot compete successfully with the
Belgium manufacturers of the same grade
of goods. With his special goods he can
| get into the markets of the world" which
means to the rest of the world the mar
kets of the United States. The EVERY
IL
half statement attempts to deceive its
readers.
While the communication of "Protec-
tionist," printed In EVERY EVENING of
December Alb, ran as follows:
Editor Egery Ecesi,g: Noting your edi-
torial in this friday evenings paper as
| to the true American spirit OF Mr.. George
A. Macbeth, lamp chimney manufacturer
of Pittsburg, | would say that this gentle
man appeared before the ways and means
committee of the 5lst Congress praying for
free raw material. He was questioned by
| Chairman Mckinley as to what effect il
would have on the price Of lamp Chin
neys. My recollection of his answer is
this: $3.50 per week on my plant"
| When questioned further by Governor
Gray as TO how it would affect the man
| who went to the store to buy a chimney,
his answer was to the effect that he would
not get the article any cheaper than he did
under the now existing law. | merely
| quote this from memory, but you can find
| it in the proceedings OF the tarii1 discus
sion Of the 51st Congress. understand
that Mr.. Macbeth's manufactures are pro-
| tected by patents, therefore free raw ma
| terlal is gain to him but not of any bene-
| fit to the consumer. hope that you do not
consider this true American spirit"
- 5-.. PRoTEcTIoNIsT.
Desiring to obtain an authoritative
statement, EVERY EVENING thereupon
concluded to go to headquarters-to Mr..
Macbeth himself-for explicit informa-
ton as to that gentleman's attitude upon
projection" versus free raw materials,
and the other points at issue. The mat
ter quoted above was, therefore, for
warded to Mr.. Macbeth, with an invita-
ton to favor EVERY EVENING with any
comments he saw fit to make thereon.
In response to this invitation EVERY
EVENING now has the pleasure of lay
ing before its readers the following ill.,
structive letter from a practical man,
who knows just what he is talking
about.
Mr.. MAcBETH's LETTER.
Editor Eeery Evening: | am Just in re.
ceipt of your esteemed favor of the 9TH,
and although very busy, l am glad to have
an opportunity to make, at least, a
hasty reply to the newspaper clippings
which you sent. The quotation referred
to, is not complete, and little misleading,
in that 1t does not put quite proper con-
struction on the interview, nevertheless
what have to say, and what my expert
ence teaches me as fact, does not lessen
the truth of the condensed statement, but
adds to 1t, and, first, let me mention the
very apparent idea which seems to be
grated into the minds of many of our
well meaning people, and which seems al
ways uppermost in the minds of the pro-
tectionist. namely, chat the functions of
this government are, to secure to every
body profit ut any business that he sees
fit to carry on. How very many think
nowadays, that they can go to Washing
ton and get their business fixed up. The
m al tIuF H..
an expression of economical fact can be
given one way or the other, without some
personal motive be attributed to it. Let me
say once for all, that my views on tariff
or any tariff, were settled long before |
ever dreamed of this business, and all ex-
pressions on this whole subject, have been
entirely, outside of, and independent of
personal interests, and as result or confir-
nation of my practical observations in
the last twenty-five years.
Let me say for the benefit of 'Protec-
ZIONIST" that he would be correct in say
ing we make some articles. the design Of
which are protected oy patents, but only
the design. But let us go further than
this. They are OH sale in the city of Dub
lin, ireland, at retail at 24c each, while
those OF Belgian make-made precisely
like it--sell over the same counter for 1Sc;
the difference is in the quality, and that
those made here cost more by reason of
the tariff. But let us go further, and take
another article and .foilow IL out, and maybe
by this. we can find out what we are
actually doing, taking another kind of
chimney which has been imported largely,
which we also make, and OH which there
is no patent whatever. Previous to the
Mckinley bill, there was 40 per cent duty
on this article, and the imported ones sold
IN New. York city al wholesale at 14c
dozen; the Az per cent duty amounted to as
much as 2tc dozen; the duty at that
time was only on the article, and not on
the packages. Our price was 4oc per dozen.