The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1914-05-06

Charles r.. Lelppe, proprietor OF the
Reading Knitting Mills. who, ter sug.
gesting that II was time to stop and
consider what the Democratic admil'
istration has done for us" sad:
81 received the ether day some Of
fetal figures. comparing the imports
of foreign goods into this country dur
ing February of 1914 with similar i'm
ports of the same goods during Feb
ruary of 1913. Some of these articles
such as aluminium, watches. glasswar,
and raw wools. neither Reading noI
Berks county is vitality concerned In
Others, however, we man nliacture
here. When they begin to brilg In
cotton cloths, hosiery and other knit
goods, cutlery, tanned feathers, veget
ables, woolen cloths and wearing ap.
parel, II is our OK that is being fored,
and ! want you to behold the alarming
mutilation of 1t.
I'VE make cotton cloths here In
Reading. The imports In February
jumpCs 100 per cent.
I'VE make stockings. ! make them
In my mill. The increase In the i'm.
ports of hosiery amounted to 405 per
cent.
Imports Jump 677 Per Cent.
"In other knit goods, which are also
made in Reading, the jump was from
$4S,S25 worth in February, 1913, to
$340,637 worth in February, 1914, or
677 per cent. Think of that! Nearly
seven times as much of this cheap la
hor foreign goods brought in under the
Democratic Underwood tariff law in
February, 1914, as came in the preced-
ing year under the Republicans.
DO you wonder that our knitting
mills are running along from hand to
mouth, many of them on short time,
and others contemplating wage reduc-
tions in order to keep atloat amid the
free trade flood that is pouring in upon
us?
1--WE make cutlery in Reading. The
Democratic tariff law increased our
imports of cutlery 34.6 per cent in one
month. II gave us 1916 per cent more
tanned leather to compete with: 26
per cent more paper and manufactures
of paper; A per cent more vegetables
which have merely interfere1 with the
to the consumer; 20 per cent more
wearing apparel and 466 per cent more
woolen manufactures of varieties not
included under the other headings.
Such are the conditions which our
neighbor, Congressman A. Mitchell
Palmer, has the audacity to paint as a
great political and industrial triumph,
warranting his promotion from {, @
house of representatives to the Unite
States senate. 1t is the height of eff.
frontery, and | am glad to say that
some good Democrats have Joined with
us Republicans in determining to re-
buke 1t at the polls.
Never was vindication more alb
solute than that which has come to
the position sturdily maintained and
| fought for by Senator Penrose against
| overwhelming odds in regard to pro.
| tective tariff. He knew the import
ance of II and he had the courage to
stand up for II when some of the rest
of us were weak in the knees and nj.
most inclined to believe that perhaps
the tariff wasn't so important after
all"
Carbon county manufacturers were
addressed at meeting last Friday in
| Mauch Chunk by William r. Butler,
who grew sarcastic at the expense of
Congressman Palmer.
Be Cheerful, But Not an Idiot.
"The present condition of busine IS
sis not at all satisfactory. Like tho
rest of the state and country, we are
| putting the best face on a bad bar.
gain and trying to do everything In
our power to provide an antidote for
the industrial poison that has been al.
ministered to the country from Wash
ington.
| L
| lieve in saying that things have gone
to the bow-wows and quitting. am in
favor of being as cheerful as possible 2
| under the circumstances, but | am EN-
| phatically opposed to permitting this
optimism to carry us to point where
we thrown business acumen to the
winds and through sheer indifference
permit a continuation of the fallacious
Democratic tariff legislation which
has brought us to our present pass.
"Our representative in congress, Mr.
| A. Mitchell Palmer, who, by the way,
Is man | know and like personally
las endeavored to explain away the
results of the Underwood law. | was
much interested in his re, ent speech
at Bethlehem. read ii with care, but
| must confess that 1t only convince
me of the hopelessness of Mr.. Pal
mer's position. Why, gentlemen,
would rather be forced to de end the
proposition to the effect that ten cents
had the purchasing power o a dollar
than to be confronted with the painful
necessity OF telling the wage earneri
that they did not know when they
were out of work or why they were out
of work
There is only one wav to Judge of
the benefit or harm accruing from eco.
nomic legislation, and that Is by the
prosperity or the DEPRESSION which fol
lows 1t.
1--WE have proved this pm ding "a
crow pudding should call it-be ause
we are now eating II. and Mr. Palmer
has undertaken a colossal task in as
suming to convince us that the flavor
is delicious"