The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1894-02-22
What a "SuhsidvU Is.


To the Editor OF The Republican.
To just think for one moment
what vast amount of misery and
actual suffering may, by good man
agement, be extracted from very
little thing.
Here, for instance, is heart
rendlng account of the manner in
which the Diamond Match company
is carrying on that is enough to
cause every man, woman and child
in America to boycott every match
factory in the Union and to for
swear the use of matches forever
and ever.
The Diamond Match company
aforesaid, has been carving things
with high hand If what we read
in the Democrat is true, and perish
the thought that any mortal man
should ever dare to question the We
raclty of the MOuntaiB Democrat.
According to the Democrat the
said company has had the temerlty
to 90 and declare whole lot of div
ldends to the tune of some three
quarters of a million of dollars at a
Whack without ever consulting the
Democrat or tlinging it so much as
a bone. 1t might have known that
the Dem0cr0t would not like it; and
that is not the worst of the matter,
for this cOrmOTant of a company,
according to the Democrat, had the
superlatlve audacIty to suggest that
an additional duty Of Is per cent.
would not be Objectionable. This
seems to have been the last straw
that broke the Democratic camel S
back, and no wonder there is an
aching void, metaphoricalIy speak
ing, in the breast OF the Democrat.
There is no telling where 1t will
all end, for the Democrat is arous-
ed; it is after the match company
with a sharp stick, and it never
does things by halves or in half
hearted way.
Ii has not only presented an APP
palllng array of figures sufficient to
damn Gf figures can danny all the
match factories from Chicago to
Kingdom Come, but it has scared
away into the realm Of speculation
and shown with figures which can
not lie (although liars sometimes do
figure), what the dividends might,
cond, would or should have been.
If the match company in question
had secured the additional Is per
cent. Of protection asked for.
Taken altogether it reminds one
Of an old Irish song | remember
reading in my boyhood which ran
something like the following:
Tom, it seems, had been paying
his addresses to Nan, and the old
woman on going to "Ietch pail
of water and-overstaving her time
was joined by the old man to whom
she unbosomed herself thus: eff
Tom and Nan should wed, and such
a thing there maybe, their marriage
may bring forth Il prattIing little
baby, and when the baby walks and
just begins to waddlc, by chance it
may come here and in the water
paddle;" and then the old man
broke in: "Oh, Kate, very true,
the baby may be drowned, be cast
upon the shore and afterwards be
found" and then 'they both fell
a-crying.'
The distress Of the Democrat on
account of the Is per cent. whicn
never was granted is like the poor
"httle baby ghost that never was
born which "comes every night
when the moon shines bright"
| etc.
But let us examine this question
seriously and see how utterly ride
ulous it all appears.
Chicago is situated on the shore
Of Lake Michigan. just beyond
the northern extremity of said lake
lies the Dominion Of Canada where
the cost of labor IS from so to so
per cent. less than it IS in any part
of the United States except IN the
old slave states. In Canada and
British Columbia, Chinese and
every other sort of cheap labor is
imported, and without duty equal
to the difference in the cost of labor,
what would hinder the Canadian
from underselling the American in
his own market, his labor and ma.
terial beng so much cheaper.