Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1894-05-30
THE TALE OF A TAILOR.
The Free Trade Times Have Nearly Cooked
His Goose.

had occasion to visit Germantown. That
used to be ono of the busiest sections Of
the country. It's full of factories, which
used to be all running full time, and
many of them overtime, in 1892. But
the fear of free trade played havoc with
Germantown, its stores and its wage
earners. Thousands of hands have been
idle or working only on part time, and
many of them have not had dollar to
spend in retail store for months, being
dependent upon relief societies and soup
house organizations for their very exist
ence.
While in Germantown [ met a friend
and asked him how things were. He
used to have a fine position in factory,
and I was astonished to hear him say:
Chimes have been very bad with me.
I lost my job at the factory because it
closed down, and have been trying to
keep up the payments on our nice home
for my wife and children by working
as a bill collector. There has been
plenty of business in that line, but it is
hard work to make shoe leather because
the people have no money to pay their
bills. "
81 am indeed sorry to hear this, J."
was my reply, ''but is there no chance
of your factory resuming?"
st don't like to think when that will
be, 3" said my friend, the new bill col
lector. ST would rather think of the
troubles of other people than my own. !"
care the people here in distress and
trouble with all these factories, emblems
of industry, around u.s." ]. asked.
"Yes," he said, ''they are emblems
of idleness now. I have just left sad
case. Let me tell you about it. -
Certainly" / said. Try good do
nestle cigar" He lighted up and be-
gan:
GA few years ago a humble tailor
came to Germantown. He had few
hundred dollars saved up and rented a
room in the mill district where he could
do work and take odd jobs of repairing.
He had an industrious wife, who assist
ed him, and they got along nicely, add
ing to their savings
Finally he had his window enlarg-
ed and bought few portions of pieces
of cloth at time, with the necessary
trimmings, and paid cash for his pur-
chases. He did we'll and was able to
buy whole piece of cloth from the
manufacturer, and as his custom in
creased he bought several pieces at the
same time. His trade was among the
mill hands; he gave them good salts
faction and had quite nice little bust
ness, becoming more and more prosper
Gus every year and always paying
promptly for all his purchases.
"After the panic of last summer ne
became somewhat slow in his payments,
to such an extent that the cloth house
has at last sent me to collect their bill
and to seek information as to the cause
of his falling behind.
HE explained that some Of the mill
| operators in the district in which he
was located were his customers. They
had ordered suits of clothes to be made;
the mills had shut down; they were
thrown out of employment and were
unable to take the clothes they had or
dered. They asked him to carry the gar
ments for them until the mills started
up and their circumstances became
brighter.
''The cloth and trimmings that he
had purchased were hanging in his store
in the shape Of suits Of clothes that had
been made up for bona fide orders; his
customers had been unable to take the
clothes; he was without payment for
them. Therefore he was cramped for
means to meet his obligations to the
cloth house. That is about the whole
story in "a few words, and it illustrates
the condition Of many thousands of 9TH
ers similarly situated, many of whom I
am now daily forced into contact with
through my new business as a bill col
lector. ;"
''Lt is hard case indeed said.
''It shows how the loss of work affects
the manufacturer in the round of trade,
a condition that will be worse instead
| Of better if the Wilson bill becomes a
law and allows large foreign importa-
tions to come into our markets Cur
manufacturers must make less goods
and our men must work less. Free trade
must always cook the tailor's goose.
B. thinker.
New York, April 20.