The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1894-09-28
FRENCH FASHIONS.
James Gordon Bennett Wants Us
to Use Them.
He Urges Larger Importatiens of French
SILKS and the Idiencss OF American
Labor Would Close Our sIiisfac-
torles-rhc Motto OF the
New York Herald.

tories-The Motto OF the
New York Herald.
Mr. James Gordon Bennett, Of the
Franco-American Herald, is developing
into quite humorist This latent tall
ent will be surprise to Mr.. BENEFITS
many friends, but possibly they have
never heard his discussions upon econ
omic questions wherein lies the hui
NOR, dry humor in this instance. be-
cause 1t bears only upon silk goods. in
ferentially upon French silks, but the
humor may develop moisture when 1t
reaches the wine and spirit schedule,
even should 1t be extra dry humor.
AS this student passes the A h of
tariff rudiments we may look for some
profound lectures upon the utility Of
French goods carried In French steam
ers to the American market. II is, per-
haps, not surprising that the lectures
of Prof. Wilson have befogged School
boy Bennett, who says:
American ladies' generally will have To get
along with few and scant silk dresses II the
senates protective tarin becomes law,
This may be true, but not in the way
Mr. Bennett looks at the question. He
says that:
rstlk goods of all kinds, which have been very
high priced. especially since tho Mckinley
tarin went into operation, will mot be sensibly
cheapened.
Here is deliberate faIsehood, writ
ten and printed either through gross
ignorance or with maliciously deceit
full intent. II Mr.. James Gordon BEN
nett We're a married. man, and II he
lived in America instead of In France,
his wife would be able to tell him that
! the price Of silk dress goods has never
been cheaper in the American market
than since the Mckinley tariff became
law. II Mr.. Bennett's paper speaks OF
the price of French silk dress goods In
| the French market, of which his bach
| elor experience may constitute him an
| expert authority. we bow to isfsupe.
rior knowledge, but when he makes
any such statement regarding the
American market il is so grossly false
as to be regarded almost as species
of French extra dry after dinner
humor.
The schoolboy economist says farther:
There is no shadow OF excuse for placing any
protective" duty on silk goods. Our siiit man
| ufaeturers get their raw silks and reeled silk
| free OF duty and have every facility for manu-
featuring.
But what Of the labor? Does not this
one item constitute at least rs per cent
of the total cost of manufacturing silk
dresses?" Does Mr.. James Gordon BEN
nett mean that Americans who earn
their living in our silk factories should
work for few confines q day, the
same as the French dop Under no
other possible conditions Is there ssno
shadow of excuse for placing any pro
tective' duty on silk goods =
But let us look little further and
we find the true inwardness Of the
French advocates pleading:s
A lower rate Of duty would permit larger i'm.
persations and yield the treasury more reye-
nue..
So SO. The aim and object of the
Herald is, therefore, TO permit larger
importations'' of French silk goods, to
close the American silk factories, to
deprive the American workers of the
opportunity to earn an honest living,
unless at low French wages, and TO
provide freight for the French transit
lantic subsidized steamship lines.
Under such conditions it is true that
American ladies would ehaye to get
along with few and scant silk dresses .
because their husbands being out Of
work, earning nothing, and unable to
purchase from others, the general dull
times that would follow would pre-
clude the purchase of French silk
goods. upon which the French manu-
facturers would promptly mark up the
prices as soon as they had effectually
closed the American factories. That
lobby of French bankers, capitalists
and manufacturers appears to have
been doing more effective work at
home, with the proprietor Of the
Franco-American paper, than they even
succeeded in accomplishing with Prof.
Wilson at Washington.
We would suggest to Mr.. James Cor.
don Bennett that he place at the head
of the editorial columns of his paper.
misnamed the New York Herald, the
following motto:
Wee La Francei A bGs les Eats Unsi
This would be in full accord with his
sheets editorial teachings-to stifie
American industry and to pauperize
usa1.l