Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1897-05-27
Trust Worship Run Mad.

AS04 AAA60s
Under the caption. ..Tailors and
Pablic.n the New York Sun OF the 2oth
of May contained the following. which
we reproduce as sample of Eastern
latter-day logic, evoluted through the
Christening fires of Eastern Greed.
Eastern Monopoly and Eastern Gold
bugism-the sacred Trinity which, We
trust, all Anarchists. Repudiators,
Bryanites and Freedom-loying Fools
must be made to either serve or die:
1.-The tailors now on strike outnum-
Der any number of strikers of one trade
yet known in New York. They are
nearly $4,000. As to their wisdom. so
far as the strike will affect their indi-
vIdual fortunes, we know no more than
they; and there is no occasion for dis
cnssing or considering the merit OF the
strike in its relation to the community
in general. In agreeing that their
wages are unsatisfactory, and in de-
Gliding to take the chance of lettering
them ultimately by refusing them al
! together for the moment, the tailors
are wholly withte their rights and be-
yond the right of any other man to
find fault with them.
This sudden commotion in the tall
oring trade, however, will make all
men notice the extraordinary cheap
ness OF clothing enjoyed to-day by the
American public. 1t Is this cheapness.
this result OF a very able and wholly
unrestrained competition, which has
ground tailors' wages to point where
they will endure it no longer. There
is no complaint that the contractors,
the middlemen between the merchants
and the panipulators of the needle,
have not divided their receipts reason
ably, nor are the manufacturers de-
nounced as bloodsuckers who have
kept an undue share of the sales mon
ey for themselves. Reform is demand
ed from the public at large. who pay
too little for the clothes. 1t is for the
purpose of exacting more from the
public that the tallors have revolted
against working for them at all. II
the manufacturers Will charge more
for the clothing, so that the contrac-
tors share will be larger and again
the tailors' share larger, the strikers
will have achieved their end.
"When the Mckinley bill was being
passed In 1890 there was something OF
furry over $I2 suit produced in
the House of Representatives as an il
lustration of the extraordinary cheap
ness of mems garments. To day SIP
suit would do for Crnsus. Bicycle
suits, for example, consisting of good
cloth and differing from ordinary suits
in being minus only the customary
waistcoat and the lower aud simpler
half of the trousers. are offered for
less than So. And thousands OF men
profit by such clothing. II the tailors
win and compel the raising OF prices,
it will be a case of Injury to the many
for the benefit of the few. Yet. as We
have said before, no man will have the
right to raise his voice against them.
Experience shows. however, that
the way 10 help the tailors without
sacrificing any interest OF the public,
will be TO combine the clothing man
ufacturing capital into trust. or into
one harmonious body, whose combped
capital shall work with the economy
incident to harmony and consolidation.
If that should be done. the history OF
other trusts tells US that the price of
clothing would not go up, but would
constantly tend TO decline, and would
bring suits within the reach of far
greater number OF people than buy
them now. And at the same time
there would be more tailors than there
are strikers to-day, and in receipt OF
steadier and higher wages"
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