Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1902-10-08
What We Wear.

One of the prosperity" claims Is that
nothing Is cheaper than it was ten years
ago. This is true as to some lines of
clothing, but there is reason for it. 1t
appears that the trusts are not only SELL
ing their products abroad cheaper than
Mt home, but also are furnishing poor
er quality of goods for home consump-
ton. The truth of this as to clothing is
set forth most explicitly and emphati-
cally In the census bulletin on wooden
manufactures, just issued In speaking
OF the great hosiery and knit goods in
dustry this bulletin says:
Formerly the larger proportion of
the raw material consumed In this in
dustry (hosiery and knit goods was
wool, so that 1t was proper to combine
the reports of this industry with those
of the wool manufacture. AT the pres
ent time the cotton fiber predominates
so greatly that the industry can hardly
be considered as Il branch of the wool
industry, but should be treated as an
Independent or cognate industry"
This Is certainly ample confirmation
of the charges that have been repeated
ly made that the effect of the wool tar
If was to cause an increase in the use
Of cotton and shoddy in so-called wool
en- goods. The fact that our hosiery and
knit goods industry can no longer be
classed In the wooden manufactures is
warning that we have gone very far OH
the road to suppression of honest goods.
There is further evidence In the tables
of this bulletin that the same evil
exists in all branches of this industry.
1t shows that in 1900 the total amount
OF unsecured wool purchased in the
wooden manufactures was 94,360,5
pounds. This the compilers reduce to
23S, 632,452 pounds Of secured wool,
which must further undergo consider
able reduction when spun into yarn
The total materials other than wool en-
tering into this manufacture amounted
in 1900 to 221,629,6TS pounds. But it
should be observed that the shoddy
used In this manufacture of woolens.
amounting to Tl,i96,5oS pounds in the
census year, is a solid material of which
one pound is equivalent to two pounds
of secured wool.
Furthermore, this enormous increase
Of shoddy and other adulterants is eN-
pressly declared by the compilers Of
this bulletin as follows:
1.-THE quantity of new wool used In
the wool manufactures has increased
1913 per cent since 1890; the quantity of
shoddy used has increased 2S.S per cent.
The increase in the consumption of
wool wastes and noils is 1872 per cent.
and of all other hair and animal fiber,
including camel's-hair and mohair, 1871
per cent. The quantity of raw cotton
used has increased $50 per cent"
Such is the result of the tariff on wool,
which is of no practical benefit to any
body, and which largely increases the
cost of clothing to everybody in the
country. Honest wool cloth is almost
unattainable. and the substitutes for it
are neither sanitary nor desirable.-In-
dianapolis News.
Disguised with Roosevelt.
The President, 1t is stated, is out Of
no ss---4i,e-s= ,.t,It-sTSS''-
He wants action, not continual begging
for patronage. The fact is the Presi- |
dent is intent upon building up politi |
cal machine for himself In the Southern
States, but the Republicans there will
not pledge the delegation to the next
Republican National Convention unless
they receive in return appointments to
Federal Offices for themselves and |
friends. That this is the case is shown |
by that reliable administration organ,
the Washington Star, when it says:
'"rhe President ut first ignored many
of the organizations in the South. and
made appointments that suited his own
taste. He was warned that he was do
Ing himself harm, politically and men,
tally He then turned around and
placed the Southern patronage question:
largely in the hands of Postmaster
General Payne. who has been knowni
from the beginning rs the political man
ager of the Presidents interests
With Payne and GARRISON, those two
ardent civil service rcformers to whom !
the President has entrusted his renom-
nation campaign, he may get the
Southern delegation and then again he
may not. 1t will be remembered that
John Sherman once thought he had
them corralled, but Alger and Dudley,
blocks-of-fve Dudley, bought them
away from him, and some of them We're
said to have been acrobatic enough to
require purchasing twice over. History
may repeat itself.
Scandals In Illinois.
Scandals in State Institutions are be-
coming very tiresolne, not to say dis