The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-10-31

! toned as TO the clause and it's meaning,
but they refused to make any answer.
They would not deny that they had signed
\ the contract, but refused to explain why
they feared the election of Bryan so much
! as to make the contract void in the event
OF his success. Mr.. Davis was more out
| spoken. @ Nv
| 'sWhy Is 1t that the clause was inserted
! in the agreement making the force OF the
| whole contract conditional upon .McKin-
fley's SUGGEST" he was asked yesterday.
II am not quite sure" he said after a
moments hesitation Il don't know that
we discussed that very much" -. $50
| :'But the clause is there, and 1t must
have been inserted for some special rea-
SON."
TRUSTS FEAR THE PEOPLES CAM
DIDATE. ~ @
"Well, you see," was the slow response,
1--WE all know the election Of Bryan would
prevent%us doing any business"
"You mean by that that you regard Bry-
an as an enemy to such agreements as
| the one your firm signed 2" . FL
| "Now, look here" said Mr.. Davis. IT
am not authorized to speak in this mat
ter. That clause was not discussed much.
I! Every one accepted it at once. If you
! want to know why it was put in and just
what it means you had better go to Henry
Brrk, Of Burk Brothers, Philadelphia. He
| has done most Of the active work in this
!! matter, ard knows just how the contract
reads, and why each clause was put in.
He is the only one authorized to talk
about it, q
| Then Mr.. Davis refused to make any
more explanatory statements regarding
| the trusts plans. @j
| Aside from the election Of Bryan there
| is only one thing, say prominent leather
men, which can prevent the successful es-
| Enlistment of the trust. This obstacle is
| Martin Dennis, chief owner Of the Mar
tin Dennis Chrome Tanning Company, Of
| Newark who owns patent under which
| leather of the same kind-and some say
better qllality-can be manufactured as is
turned out by the members of the pro-
| posed trust. Mr.. Dennis is now in Eu-
rope, and up to the time Of his departure
had not received any definite offers from
! the men promoting the new combine. He
| was told, however, that he would be APP
preached and asked eitherto join the COM
bination or sell his patent.
| IT don't believe they have money
enough to buy it," he replied. Then he
started for Europe.
/ But mere financial disagreement does
not seem insurmountab1e to the promo
tiers of the proposed trust. 1t is a fact,
too, and there may be some significance
in it, that Mr.. Blu1nenthal, the head OF
the firm of F. Blumenthal & Co., one
Of those chiefly interested in the monop-
oily, is in Europe at present, and that the
date Of his return is not definitely known
at his offices. Neither is it known in New
ark just when Mr.. Dennis will come back.
The full extent Of the power of the pro-
posed trust can scarcely be realized by a
person wholly unfamiliar with the manu-
facture of leather. In the old days of tam
ming, when the bark of oak, hemlock and
sumac were used to change rough hide
| to fine-grained leather, there were no pat
ents and any one who knew how was
| free to start a tannery.
| THE FIRST PATENTS.
| In making morocco and glazed kid by
this process the goatskins were sewed so
as to form bags and a solution Of sumac
| forced through the skin and the! leather
thereby tanned. This was slow, cumber-
some and costly, and for years tanners
searched and experimental for something
| to replace it.
At length it was found that prepara-
| tons in which salts>2f chromium were the
principal Ingredient were much better
| than the old way Of using bark. Angus
! tus Schultz, who at the time was sales
man in leather dye house, secured a pat
ent on a process which is now known as
| the "two-bath method" In this the
goatskins are given bath in solution
| of bi-chromate of potash and nuriattc
acid. After this the skin is soaked in 9
second solution, which is formed OF
acid is added. BY the chemical reaction
| sulphurous acid is set free, and this acts
as reducing agent on the chronic acid,
which unite.s the fbres of the skin and
produces the leather from which are made
all women's and children's shoes, the up
pers of mems shoes and gloves. III
Schultz secured his patent January 8,
1884, and as consequence it still has more
than four years to run. It is this patent
on which the promoters of the present
trust base their hopes Of g. monopoly.
Mr.. Schultz and William Zahn, who con-
frn1 f11or h1vyn fnfn m
| tent to allow its use in different factories
| and receive a royalty based on the capac-
ity of the establishment. E.A.
The advantages Of chrome leather, as
this product is called, are so multifarious
that when the public learns Of them none
forced into the leather during it's treat
ment render it practically hreproof, en-
| tirely waterproof and soft and p1iable far
beyond other kinds. Besides this, 1T in
creases its wearing power fully fourfold.
This is the only objection the leather man
ufacturers have to it, as 1t Is cheaper,
quicker and simpler than the old process.
They do not like it, as it increases the
wearing power Of shoe SO much that IT
is feared its general use would tend to re-
duce the demand for shoes.
Having full control of the Schultz pat
emit the promoters Of the trust would
have everything their own way We're 1t
not for Mr.. Dennis, who owns two patents
on q process by which chrome leather is
also produced. His is known as the
'one-bath method" and is simpler than
the Schultz process.
In 1t the goatskir is soaked In a solution
Of a basic or oxy-salt of chromium. The
chronic oxide is held so loosely in solu-
ton in this that 1t yields the oxide freely
to the skin which absorbs it as 1t does the
tanntn in the old processes. Mr.. Dennis
patent is applicable not only to light leath-
ers, such as morocco and glazed kid. but
can be used for sole leather and the heavy
grades from which harness and betting
are made. His patents were obtained
October 3, 1892, and are of great value to
the promoters Of the proposed monopoly.
He does not lease his discovery on royal.
ty, but manufa ctures the tanning solution
and sells it to tanners outright, shipping
to all parts 9fathe world, as his patent is
binding in alT Countries
+, It is for this reason that Mr.. Dennis
will soon be asked to Join the new trust
OF. sell to it the sole right to use his patent.
His Importance as a factor in the deal
may also account for the presence in Eu-i
rope Of Mr.. Blumenthal. 81.
Aside from the firms that. have already
signed the agreement and the others who,
have expressed their willingness to do SO,
a number Of Their. manufacturers In Phil
adelphia, Lynn, Mass, and Newark will
he asked to cast their fortunes with the
big combfnat ion. Some Of these have
been '.sounded,@as to their support OF the
scheme, and have been reported to the:
promoters as fall right. :" This confidence