Courier Democrat., 1904-05-12

Philadelphia, April 2C.-The textile de-
preston in Philadelphia is so great that
some carpet. cloth and blanket mills here
are closed for lack Of orders for the first
time IN fifty years. Dealers are wary Of
placing orders for any Of the goods made
here. and buyers are instructed to take
no risks. Fully 10000 men are idle as q
result Of the depression.
A long telegram from New York on
the state of the wholesale textile mar
ket gives sad account Of the stagna-
ton that confronts manufacturers and
wholesalers. A sample sentence or two
tell the tale:
Having no confidence in present prices,
1t seems to be the determination to force
all risk Of carrying goods upon the manu-
facturers. All lines Of ginghams and cam
underwear markets similar conditions pre-
vail. It is stand pat" situation all
around. There is no change in the worst
ed yarn market, and spinners talk Of
shutting down until there are signs Of
Improvement
From Fall River is published an &C.
count Of the condition Of the fancy cot
ton industry at the meeting Of the
stockholders Of Barnaby company. The
report Of the treasurer among other
things said, "Since a year ago curtail-
ment Of production had gone on. and
still there was no call for the prod
ucts." AS sample Of the condition Of
the trade he said there were 10000
operatives idle at this time in Philadel-
phia alone, and there has been no
demand for the ginghams and shirt
ings, and from all he could learn this
was substantially the case in fine and
white goods.
A telegram from Newark, N. j.,
tells of the failure of the Somerville
woolen mills; another telegram from
San Antonio, Tex, announces "the
appointment of a receiver for the Ray
wood Rice Canal and Milling company,
which has 1900 acres Of rice in culti-
vation;" another reports the failure
Of one Of the Oldest breweries in New
York and gives as the cause Cannot
meet it's obligations owing to general
dullness of business and inability to
make collections"
All this is from one newspaper on
one day, and yet the Republicans are
declaring the whole country is on the
top wave Of prosperity. Now, all the
industries quoted are protected by the
tariff from 80 to 100 per cent and
should be, according to the protection
lists, most prosperous, but little it any
foreign goods can compete with them
on account Of the high duties imposed
by the Dingley bill. The price which
the people pay for these products is
much higher on account Of that protec-
ton than it would be if the tariff was
reduced or abolished. The overproduc-
tion Of these products has been stimu-
lated by protection beyond what the
consumers are able to purchase. with
the inevitable result Of shutdowns, fall
ures or restricting the output until pur-
chasers appear. The manufacturers
have dumped on the foreign markets
all that can be sold at much less
price than they have sold here for, but
foreign tariffs have been raised to pro-
tect the home market Of those coun-
tries, except England. and the dump
ing'' is not as profitable as it was. and
England can only take what the people
can buy.
These shutdowns and reductions
make it impossible for the idle work
men to purchase, and thus the home
market is restricted for not only the
articles they have been employed in
producing, but Of everything else ex-
cent the barest necessities Of life.
II this depression in so many protect
ed industries had occurred when the
Democrats controlled legislation and
had passed bill to reform the tariff
Of its enormities, what howl would
TO up from the Republicans that the
Democrats were running the country!
But as the highest protection has been
nm the statute books since 1897 and the
Republicans have had foil control OF
all departments Of the government
there must be something wrong with
the protection theory or in practice it
pnly works when the periodical boom
comes around. Will It pay to continue
protection that enormously increases
the price Of nearly every article of con-
sumption and taxes the people Tor the
benefit Of trusts instead Of moderate
tariff on much less number OF arn-
cles that will produce the revenue that
the government requires honestly ad-
minietered? Protection that does not
r,otacf and the brand Of prosperity