New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-04-24

From The American silk Journal for April
We have lately received from the Census ONE
IN the Textile Manufacturing Industries IN ne
United states at the Eleventh Census $50. Wi"SSm
includes Inc report on silk and silk goods mdde ~
Mir Byron Rose. Of THE American SIX Journal
ms latter report was prepared with much care.
January 26 1895. IL was issued as ,,S. 1
and line Tor line it would have appeared III me
volume above alluded t. had the Hon koDett H.
Census. he however resigned Ju/ a., l,s am, 90 -
October g.. ls@. Carroll H. NmshL 'oi'niSs',f1 ="
Labor and rampant Free LI"Hti; Ms "pP ID
TO complete he work 'iGW MI IDiI,,,t, g., an
article in The New-No Tribune OF AirI T. WHICH,
after abiding o. jhr appearance on M''tH - i'9''
THE proof of this important monograph was De-
Ing corrected nearly eisnt months "rioir an" ,v
why WAS this long. eNasperai!ng needless anu
Injurious delay? Well it partly due to the
as editor-n-chief Of the census publications a
Tennessee Democrat whose chief If not sole qi41ii-
In the Free-Traie publication bureau al IN" ma
quarters OF the Democraur Na,@nSi Thi ,
inediateiy proceeded not oniy To edit current publ
cations. but to edit and revise matter which had
been correct and officially approved 10y MI Nrght :
pages out Of s. i2rsereotyreI prior 10 July 81 1898;
and he has used the blue pencil win such deadly
effect that one Of the most Competent experts IN
Washington estimates that the cost Of the changes
all around, includins the sums alre1dy eNP,ngiSd
for composition. paper press WORN ana slSSre0Epins
OF matter which is 70 be cNpnrEaied VIII amount
ID ti arN
In the report on silk and silk goods nearly every
line showing The growth Of the Industry under
protective tariff. the adva4tagcS resulting ihere-
from through a large employment OF Wel-rem"-
nerated labor and To consumers through the lower
prices obtaining consequent upon tne n.mv conf
tition thereby engend red ana the extensive as
placement in our markets of foreign SILK goods 10y
a maevolence born onN ~ ire u"!e 'il a.,
Among the omissions from the bulletin OF
January &c 1893, we cite the following:
THINGS FREE TRADERS DID NOT LIKE.
Under the heading development OF silk Manu-
factures" where alluson is made to the decline in
prices. the following lines are missing:
:" through which. owing to a growing home com
benefited
the statement Is made that this manufacture IS al
present OF paramount importance the blue
pencil Of the free-trade editor gets IN It's work
on the following addition:
:" and doubtless viii SO continue in the future
There is no competition whatever in TINS DIanch
from abroad. b. one manufacturers having Kept tu.y
abreast OF the srownE requirements OF me trair'
and while d!stancng all foreign rivals nave mann
tanned low prices through the keene't competition
Under Broad SILKS" the following aluson to The
M9rriH tarin IS consit reg Wor,nE 81 eNpu'tiSn'
The enactment Of the Morrill, trh 81 I|i,
at the outbreak OF the late CiN war, 10y "hlch an
import duty of 81 per cent at Va.1rem vas imposed
upon SIX mtnuldc'utr' tooiS am NV IN A. p..
on the free list WAS the irSt step toWard pacing
the industry upon a solid foundation. .
10 Japanese competition IS omitted:
1T may be remarked in this connection that the
which is rapidly adopting the latest improved me
chancal methods ana appliances ana possesses suca
industrious labor. is well calculated to ncite ev-a
graver apprehension IN the minds ~ many Ain'
as to her possible competition with ms Ia other lines
Of the industry than exists at The present time
hardy meet WIKI free-;rade approval ana is con-
sequenty eliminated:
part of the a ..s cese nnoieiIv resied rom
TDGp "a ID
the clause in Schedule y OF the TariM act Of ls%.
The inadvertent omission Of the word vegetable in
said clause led to large importations Of laces being
claimed by the importers liable 10 duty OF but %
per cent al vaortm instead o. % Der cent as SIX
goods to which classification American manufact-
urers claimed they properly belonged. The resulting
lawsuits of importers for a refund OF duties
urally placed American manufacturers at disad-
the United states in 1859 sustained the claims Of the
importers and as result during the present census
year American lace machinery remained largely
idle. It being estimated by of the principal man
uiacturers IN ms me uat hot more man one-thrd
or the machinery was in operation during thai year
Early in 1880 this matter was rectihed by act OF
ported laces composed Of Xix or of which Xix is
the component material II chef value became sub
ject to duty Of 60 per cent"
TARIFF REFORM COULD Not STAND THIS
The average free-traie Editor never exactly rel
ishes goods Of American manufacture obtaining
preference over those OF foreign origin ana the gen
tleman in Washington who has been mutnatlng the
reports is evidently no exception FOR the
following. under "Velvets and Pushes whore al
fusion is made 10 the extensive employment OF
American pushes in the upholstery line, meets with
his condemna ton:
and have measurabiy superseded foreign
pushes in that direction. American-made goods OF
t tra5 CHARACTER having become very '0'' "'' '
Ana again, under The SANE hiding; WHERE Tef
erence IS made 70 our non-producron Of the highest
grades Of a-silk veve's. the following IS omitted.
THE demand for both the latter. however. is com
parativey limited. being manly restricted TO me
weather. classes while ne Iarger proportion OF ne
masses home competition having effected great re-
Eanally from free-trale standpoint the follow
ing. struck out from upholstery Goods. is not
worthy OF mention:
production in the whole line Of silk manufacture Is
nowhere better illustrated than in this branch. .
With the exception OF the most expensive grades,
American goods have largely replaced those Of for
We can easily imagine the intense satisfaction
'ghoulish gee" in fact-with which the follow
ing dangerously significant statement was elimi-
mated from Labor anad Wage
The amount of wages paid per capita in $3.50 was
1892; in 1890 it $s1. an increase of 49, or 1878
The above are but some Of the omissions from
the report on silk and silk goods as originally ap-
proved BY ex-Superintendent Porter. As whole.
this report has escaped lightly IL comparison with
those OF many other Industries especially that ON
wool and woollens. and even graver misdoings.
which in fact would fall little If any short Of actual
crimes on the part Of the free trade banditt now In
charge Of the Census Office are hinted a. in The
Tribune article, from which we have quoted above,
ITO what extent the census reports have been
lres have been changed and facts distorted web
as suppressed since Superintendent Porter retired
from Office eight months and Free Trade !
OF the Interior began to work his will
may never he known. unless all the facts be |
laid bare by thorough official investigation. The F.
facts herein related strongly indicate the need Of
such an investigation"
Possibly the best thing to DO. when the PrOtec- /
tive tariff party comes again into power IT sure
~ will. would be the authorization 10y Congress Of
the entire destruction OF the mutilated reports and
the reprinting Of them originally approved by !
Porter. that they may be |
worthy OF credence to future generations.
OPPOSING 4 STREET PsLWAy.