The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1920-12-02
UNCLE TED's BEDTIME STORIES
Toys and Tariff


| Uncle Ted returned from town in
the evening with small bundle in his
hand which aroused the curiosity Of
Ruth and Jack Slowly unwrapping il
he placed before them beautiful
gyroscope top which had stamped on
its shank in small letters "Made in
America" With a long string he
wound up the top and set il spinning,
placing il first on his index finger,
then upright on the table, and finally
resting the tip carefully on the edge
of his tobacco can so that the body
Of the top was horizontally inclined.
There II remained humming merrily
to the astonishment and delight OF the
two children, who were as much at
loss to explain the phenomenon as
scientists Of far greater ability have
been.
Mercy me-" cried Ruth, "what
makes that top behave that way? II
should think il would fall" And Jack
wanted to know what was the big idea
in stamping the words on it.
81 cannot answer Ruth's question"
said Uncle Ted "The workings Of the
gyroseope are difficult to explain, and
many scientific articles have been
written about it. But ] can answer
your question, Jack, and as that top is
guaranteed to spin for ten minutes,
/ will test it out with ten-minute
talk on toys "Made in America" And
as the eyes Of the children flashed
from Uncle Ted TO the top and back
again, he proceeded:
"Some time before the election
which laid the world club fellows on
the shelf | gave you talk about the
tariff and peanuts, il you remember.
Now | am going TO give you an illus
tration Of how the European war acted
as a protective tariff on American in
1ustries. The toy industry is a fine
example OF this. Because the nations
1f Europe were so busy fighting and
nnking things to kill people with they
had no time to make many things
which they had been sending TO this
country TO sell at prices which our ,
makers could not meet because we pay Il
,ur factory hands such high wages.
Before the war Santa Claus used
o load his sleigh up high with toys
made in Germany and other foreign
when he got ready to come /
0 the United States, and on Christ 4
mas morning when you got up you a
ound your stocking bulging with Nur o
mberg dolls and japanese pleythings .
I Ruth had been real good that year 9
he found French doll which could +
ay mama and papa, had real hair 4
nd closed her eyes when put 70 bed, n
-hile Jack found toy soldiers made in Il
apan. All this has changed. Il
"The manufacture Of toys and dolls 81
egan in this country as far back as 7
S36, but nothing was done to help he sc
-ade 70. a number of years. But in 81
s97 a man named Dinglcy, who was Of
the head Of the Committee on Ways "a
nj Means, in Conreas, which makes n
lr tariff laws. put q protective duty VI
s. per cent on toys which came IN oJ
ON abroad Al that time William Of
cKinley was president. a stateman
a5m our new President Mr. Hard
= much resenh'es Mckinley was
ways ready to help hniersean indus N
les From 1923 70 1909 our toy in
lstry increased from $s.OO0,0O 70 he
1000. 200 a year in value Of products
his was due chiefly TO the part which y I!
ie protective tariff played in eneour-
ying American business. sp
Still large quantities Of toys came vi