The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-10-18
NOTHING LEFT BUT BULL CALVIs

At the Republican State Convention
at Greensboro, Senator Pritchard deIiv-
cred a speech outlining the Republican
campaign in this State He has repeated
that speech with hardly variation
every time he has spoken in North Caro-
lima, giving it its last hearing at Tar
boro on Thursday to an intelligent audi
ence who saw through its plausible
sophistries. A man careful of his repu-
tation would not repeat that speech, for
there is not a statement in it from be.
ginning to end that has been shown to
be false, incorrect or misleading. Mr.
Craig tore to shreds his apology of an
argument on State matters, his asser-
ton that cotton milling was helped by
the tariff, and that the tariff had moth
ing to do with trusts. Senator Simmons
disposed effectually of his lumber alb
surdities, proving conclusiveIy that his
deductions upon that product hadn't a
leg to stand upon. Day by day his
speech has been torn to pieces until there
isn't paragraph in it that has not been
fully answered to the satisfaction of
every man of intelligence who does not
regard the Dingley bill as a god to be
worshipped.
Mr. Pritchard started out with try
ing to prove how the Dingley bill had
helped the lumber. cotton mill, mica and
bull yearling business in North Carolina
These were the four things that he main
ly relied upon to prove that the Dinglcy
bill had brought prosperity to North
Carolina. These columns have shown by
the sworn testimony of forty mill own
ers that the cotton mill industry is in a
worse condition under the Dingley bill
than ever before in the history of the
State, and in a carefully prepared argu-
ment Senator Simmons has demon
strated that the timber industry has
not been helped by the Dingley bill.
AS to mica. it is so small
product that the Democratic speakers
have contented themselves with ridicul-
ing the Senator for asking North Caro-
lima, taxed millions of dollars yearly by
the Dingley bill. to vote for the Re
publican party because it has claimed
to put a few dollars into the pockets of
few mica producers in Mitchell coun-
~.
But as matter of fact has the DingIey
bill really helped the mica producers?
If not, then his whole argument falls
to the ground, and only the bull calf
proposition remains unanswered The
Statesville Landmark of this week says
that in his speech at that place Senator
Pritchard said that scrap mica is worth
mere in the market today than block
mica was before the passage of the
Dinglcy bill. The Landmark says,-and
it is complete answer to the Senator
mica argument
AS matter of fact Senator Pritch-
ard is sadly off in his mica tariff argu-
ment. He is either ignorantly or will
fully misstating the facts. y gentle
man who has been engaged in the mica
industry for several years and who is
perhaps as familiar if not more familiar
with the mica business than any man in
the State, tells The Landmark that the
Dpgley bill has had no more TO do with
the price of mica than the man in the
moon. 1t is true that about the time of
the passage of the Dingley bill, or soon
thereafter, the price of mica materially
advanced. This was due, says our in
formant TO the activity in the market
caused by large concern buying great
quantities of mica for special purpose
The demand increased the price and the
price would have increased. under the
same conditions, if the Dingley bill had
never been heard of. But this rise was
only temporary BY and by the COM
pany which was making such large pur-
chases, and whose demand had increased
the price of mica, ceased to buy or at
least ceased to buy in such large quanti-
ties, and down went the price, and to-
day the price of scrap mica is not over
one-half what it was six years ago.
Thus the Senator's mica tariff ar
gument falls to the ground The lumber
argument has been demolished and only
the bull calves remain to him.
I'VE may add that our informant in
regard to the price of mica is gentle
man of integrity and education, thor
oughly reliable and we'll informed as TO
the matter of which he speaks. He has
no special interest in the election in
North Carolina and no feeling against
Senator Pritchard, but he says the Sena-
tors mica argument is simply not in ac-
cord with the facts.
The bull calf argument alone remains
of that speech which the Radical organs
have been declaring to be great and
mastery" And the advance in the
price of bull calves is due to the beef
trust. organized under the protection OF
the Republican party The President
hogan sl1it AGAINST the beat trust with