Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1894-10-06
FRENCH FASHIONS.
James Gordon Bennett Wants Us
TO Use Them.
Ee Urges Larger Importations OF French
NIiks and tho Idiencss of American
Labor Would Close Our silk Fac
t~ories-The Motto OF the
New York Herald.

Mr.. James Gordon Bennett, of the
Franco American Herald, is developing
into quite a humorist. This latent tall
ent will be a surprise TO Mr.. Benefits
many friends. but possibly they have
never heard his discussions upon econ
omic questions wherein lies the hui
nor, a dry humor in this instance, be-
cause it bears only upon silk goods, in
ferentially upon French silks, but the
humOr may develop moisture when il
reaches the wine and spirit schedule,
even should it be extra dry" humor.
As this student passes the A 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. 1t is, per-
haps, not surprising that the lectures
of Prof Wilson Lave befoggcd School.
boy Bennett, who says:
American ladies generally will have 70 get
sloAg with few ana scant silk dresses If the
seuate's protective" tariff becomes law.
This may he true. but not in the way
Mr.. Bennett looks ut the question. He
says that:
. silk goods OF all kinds, which have been very
high priced, especially since the Mckinley
tarin went into operation, Will not be sensiOly
cheapcncd.
Here is a deliberate falsehood, writ
ten and printed either through gross
ignorance or with a maliciously deceit.
full intent. If Mr.. James Gordon Ben.
nett were a married man, and if 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. If Mr.. Bennett's paper speaks Of
the price Of French silk dress goods in
the French market, OF which his bach
elor experience nay constitute him an
expert authority, we bow to his supe.
rior knowledge, but when he makes
any such statement regarding the
American market ii is so grossly false
as to be regarded almost as d 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 silk man
ufacturers 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 IS 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 n few confines a day, the
same as the French do? Under no
other possible conditions is there mo
shadow of excuse for placing any pro
t~ective' duty on silk goods"
But let US look a little further and
we find the true inwardness of the
French advocates pleading:
A lower rate of duty would permit larger i'm
portations and yield the treasury more rcve-
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 transat-
lantic subsidized steamship lines.
Under such conditions it is true that
American ladies would have 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:
Vire liz Frdncei A bas les Flats Unis!
This would lie in full accord with his
sheets editorial teachings-to stifie
American industry and to pauperize
A. -.