The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-08-27
POTTERY WORKERS OF EAST
LIVERPOOL CALL ON
MAI. MKINLEY.
PROTECTIVE TARIFF SPEECH, MOSTLY
\ Review of the History of the Pottery
Industry in This Country, With
Few Remarks on the Sound
Money Question.

scvcnty-five miles this morning to call on
Maj. Mckinley at his home. This glazed
ware industry has been established in
America since Maj. Mckinley was sent
to congress.
Chairman w. l.. Smith, Col. J. \. Tay-
lor and w. b. Lake headed the dccga
ton. The latter is II Lottery bench
worker and an eloquent talker. The
visitors on the way to Canton and later
on their march to Mckinley's residence
attracted recruits until 5000 enthusiastic
cheering people gathered about the Nc
Kinley home. Mr.. Blake acted as
spokesman.
Maj. Mckinley responded as follows:
Mr. Blake and My Fellow Citizcns-I
can not conceal. and would not the
pleasure which this visit on the part of
the citizens of East Liverpool and of
Columbiana county gives me. | nave
been deeply moved by the generous words
spoken by Mr.. Blake, and nothing gives
me greater pleasure or more satisfaction
than to feel that | have behind me, sup
porting the great principles for which |
stand, the workingmcn of my old con-
grcssional district. (Applause) The
message of good will so clouuently eX-
pressed by your fellow workman has
profoundly touched me. | can not for
get that you trusted me in my young
manhood, for which | am deeply crate
full, and that you have ever since fol-
lowed me with unfaltering confidence,
for which | am also duly appreciative.
| remember the first time that | ever
looked into the faces of an East Liver
pool audience, twenty years ago, and
then, as now, | was speaking for sound
money and II protective tariff. Great
checring) Your spokesman has alluded
most graciously to what he terms the
services | have given to your great in
dustry. If | have done anything to
bring work to you or my fellow men
anywhere and made the condition of the
American workingman easier, that is my
highest reward and greater reward no
man could have.
There is no industry. my fellow citi-
zens, in the United States which de-
serves protection through our tariff
laws more than yours. 1t is Il business
requiring technical and artistic kn0wl-
edge and the most careful attention to
the many and delicate processes through
which the raw material must pass to
lne COIplclCu product.
Down to 1862 the pottery industry of
the United States had achieved little or
no success and had made but slight adj
vancemcnt i'll Il practical and CONNER
cial way. At the close of the low tariff
period of 1860 there was but one white
ware pottery in the United States, with
two small kilnS. Decorating kilns were
not known. In 1873. encouraged by
the tariff and the gold premium, which
was an added protection, we had in
creased to twenty pottcrieS with sixty
kins, but with still no decorating kilns.
(Applause.) The capital invested was
Sl.O2O.OOO and the value of the products
was S1,1SO,OOO. In 1889 there were
fifty-ivc pottcrics 244 kilns. twcntysiX
decorating kilns. with Il capital invested
of S5.OT6,OOO and an annual production
of 5000. 40. The wages paid in the
pottcrics in 1882 were S2,3S70O and
1000 or 10 per cent. You have twenty
eight potteres in the city of East Liver
pool today. The difference between the
wages of labor i'll this country and of
foreign countries you know better than
| can tell YOU When the law of 1883
was enacted | stated on the floor of con-
grcss that if the duty Of % per cent and
60 per cent was given, as recommended
by the bill then pending. in less than five
NtuIS tnt uudlltN VI american way
would he improved. the quantity in
creased and the price to the consumer
scnsibly diminished. That prophecy
has been more than verified. Cries of
''You are right.'o In 1882 an assorted
crate of ware sold for SOL and the
same. only Il better ware, is now sold
for less than $40. In 1880 we paid for
the same crate of ware $40. On deco
rated ware the immense benefit to the
-. 'hn
selling price of all decorated ware was
from 30 to 100 per cent higher in 1SS2
than in 1890. In 1852, with the low
revenue, the tariff duty of "A per cent
and no domestic manufacturers, an as
sorted crate of whiteware sold at 800:
in 1890, with the 80 per cent duty and
domestic competition with large pot
teries. which are the pride of the coun-
try, employing labor and capital at
same assorted crate is selling for $40.
(Appause.)
What the state of business has been
in the past three years YOU know better
than | can tell you. Without any ac-
tual knowledge about it, | think | can
safely say that you have not been so
prosperous as you were previous to 1913
(cries of You are right; we have not)
and that the past three years have been
.
ployment. reduced wages, less work and
less money.
My fellow citizens. the people in 1892
were busy at work and gave little atten-
ton to politics. They will not be so
indifferent again. (Applause) They
have more time this year Qaughter) than
they had four years ago and are giving
earnest attention and active work to the
national contest which is engaging the
country. We are growing more and
more to recognize the great necessity of
every citizen giving serious thought to
his political duty. Business men. work
ingmcn and the people generally are
coming 20 realize that business and poll
tics are closely related: that bad politics
means bad business and that politics
can not be neglected without endanger--
ing our occupations, our earnings and
our labor. We have had some dis
tressing experience in this direction
which has taught us that if we do not
keep our business, our business will not
keep us, and that if somebody else does
our work we will have no work to do
at home. (Applause.)
The people are settled in one purpose
this year-they will not tolerate the sur
render of any more of their business and
will as quickly as possible recover what
they have already lost They know
how they lost, know when they lost it
and know how 70 ppt If hack and mean