The Irish standard., 1896-04-18
THE WORK or SILVER MEN.
, what a Groat Manufacturers Mas to say
About Protection and
Things.
ROBBERY is rHE GAME OF rue GANG
The Silver Question lsA Now the Great
Issue Before The
scf
Country.

ception in England, there is no Arm Of in
olvldudl manufacturers of larger capital
and wider business than that of John &
James DobSDn, OF this city. They have
made known all over the world the Amer
lcan industry in such forms as velvets,
plushes, woolen cloths. blankets worsted
yarns and carpets. For years, indeed
since 1881, they have stood in the van of
those who believe in protection to Amer
lcan labor as well as to American capital.
James Dobson has long stood high
: In the inner circles of the Republican par
!y HIS voice has been quietly potential
in guiding its policy in the past. Today,
ne gives a vivid picture Of the present
industrial conditions and Of what he con-
celNes 70 be our future industrial perils.
ii3elng asked Why he believed in bimetal-
Vlism he said
Beeause [ believe in protection to the
farmer as~Sell as to the manufactures SO
tnat DC ill be prosperous and have money
10 sperF, 10 whom are the manufacturers
going to sell their product? The farm
ers are m original creators Of wealth and
they are also the great market for the
nanufacturers. | claim that the farmer
can only secure protection through bimet-
ailsal for the simple season that the prices
81 wheat for the world are made in Lon
oog, upon a single gold standard: and
la lhat market and upon that standard the
American farmer must compete with the
Wheat 2npwers of the Argentine India
and Russia. When the Argentine farmer
EeIs "a. ir silver for bushel oh wheat the
. lis AIineEieaH farmer gets only 30 cents in
Soiu; and yet the Argentine farmer can
Duy more with his silver dollar in Buenos
Ayers than the American farmer can buy
win his 5Q1oents Of gold in New York"
l. asked Mr.. DoDson to explain in what
way our domestic industries are affected
by she imnortations from other countries
haY5ag currency based upon the silver
staLdarG.
4, the people, Of the United States
nav not awakened to the danger already
llpoA thefa from this source,'' cried Mr..
i}onson, beginning topace up and down
h3s I hbt5rT. Let me give You some figures.
\ lhas aFa from memory, but am 20 pain
ruLy familiar with Them that will war
ran{ thait accuracy. In 1890 there were
lnaliaried INTO the United States from ia
paH 30JsVP rolls Of so-called china mat
ing et an average cost of 12S cents ner
yarl, tn $50 the Importation of China
Hna laneis rad increased to SOC, 900 rolls. AT
3 10 cents per yard. This is equivalent
to "z,5Oo-poO Yards at l-5 cents, instead of
at rs cents FIVE years ago. all Oh account
"A me difference In exchange caused IN
tne aepaKEtion in value of the gold and sill
VT oQlai repeat that the price at
W4fch thase nattings are imported in such
enormous quantities, supplanting our
ingram carpets, is wholly due to the
FtF "a exc mango caused by the fact that
i1 lia3 IN uhon silver standard while We
f.ra upon a gold standard"
it IS said that the Silk association of
New fork complains of simply ruinous
VA y true. japanese silks are affect
.tl thq domestic silk trade perciseIy as
ElaEEings afe running the carpet trade
4R' tha Nl3te ngureS to prove that also
i9Sl re- United States imported only
ss OF japanese silk. In 1895 we
ahA t7l 4Vitlb4 pieces, or over 80 times
izn1 -
S ly 2i inns country, and so long as the
rsta.. .t exchange remains as it is no duty
ep''.a oe imposed high enough to check
Mtsse tnportatlons. SO with silk hand
H chiefs. IN 1890 we imported 354 o0o
on-eFs-~ ln JS95"the importation increased
M inlO00 dozen.A That shows graDhic
ally think, the abnormal and alarming
increase OF importations. So with many
o.lef lesSer articles Why, the japanese
hrlst tesr 4S1t 'ooeii
=, lslt another great domestic Industry is
Vi res Tened, continued Mr.. Dobson. ''lThe
Jsi@ nave gone largely into cotton man
uteetnrlng. No nation in the world has
an has Japan. Their 100000 spindles in
1874 Jumped at a bound to 100000 in 1sg5
anc they have orders placed in England
tocsy for 100000 more That is an in
crease ot spindles at the astonishing rate
or 100 per cent year. SO have shown
you that in the three great items of ual =, ,stl
tlnGs, SILKS and cotton cloth. the difference
ln eAchange between the japanese silver,
standard and our present single gold
standard IS running three great branches
u Y. american {. as . manufacturing. The South
must IN time feel this AS well AZ penn
syivania, New York and New England for
Ine south Is destined, under normal CON
tory" eUysoi idc-
Cannot these increased importations ba
ri fn tha
Wilson-Gorman tariff law?"
was Just coming to that said M.
Dooson. Take silks alone The ratio of
aNty e, On silks Is per cent lower under
mckinley law. That is not differenae
enough to multiply the silk importations
81 1880 by 30 in 1895 Mattina4under fba
Mckinley act paid 20 per cent duty. Nov
II is admitted free. Add 20 per cent on the
t1rst cost in Japan cents yard-and
At makes the cost sO-10O cents per vapd d
more making the cost If imported under
the present law 5 1-5 cents per yard. the
dinerence being the rate of exchange
from silver to gold standard. In
other words, when gold and silver were
or nearly equal value, the cost of mating
was l2ss cents, as gainst 5 is cents to-
day" n
why does this Oriental competition af-
rect other manufacturers, such as iron and
steel2" n go
tit will iii time. When i nation Ike
Japan first enters the marketes of the
world, it naturally offers for sale the
cheapest and plainest fabrics recurring
the least skill to make AS soon as this
nelG Is covered. as it already ia in part.
the new competing nation will turn its
attention 70 costlier fabrics recurring
more labor and skill Most Woolen
goods. as well as most iron and steel nrod
ucts are thus far made in countries which
are, like ourselves. on gold basis so
that In these branches OF industry we are
not vet confronted with a bounty of 100
per cent in favor Of the manufacturer in
siIver country. Gradually Eastern COM
petition may drive the single gold stand
ard countries into killing competition
with one another and the United states
viii become the dumping ground Of ali
foreign products unless we protect our
selves"
7. asKed Mr DobsoA to give some illus
eratlons of how these importations had af-
fected American labor.
That is the satldest part of the tale.
was the reply. Mr.. Dobson led the way to
a window, which he threw open Look
down there said he pointing down the
nil You see few lights cleaning yon-
Ger IN The valley. Two years ago all the
surrounding blackness would have been
twinkling with the lighted windows of
happy and prosperous homes" The man
ufacturer sighed as he gazed down the
dark Schuylkill valley, and returned to his
library. He resumed: Here are more fig
ures, but they have human interest and
carry a pathetic meaning. The present.
importation of China mattings would
keep busy ,2i500 ingram carpet looms That
means work, directly, for $500 weavers
dye and Spinners. That means labor