Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 December 1890 — IMPORTED INDUSTRIES. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

IMPORTED INDUSTRIES.

A GREAT LOCK-OUT IN THE SPOOL THREAD MILLS. Tho Clark Spool Thread Company Locks Tip Its Mills and Throws 3,000 Operatives I Out or Employment-A Case of Protection for Labor. t Our high tariff apostles always greet with joy those European industries which are compelled by reason of the high tariff to remove their mills to this country. When McKinley was defending his high Chinese wall in Congress last May he said: “Let them bring their factories yight over here. Bring 825,000,000 over here and sit down among us our labor and consume the products of our farmers.” McKinley’s Republican cohorts applauded the sentiment. Since the passage of the McKinley law there has been a great deal of talk about European manufacturers who are reported to be on tho point of setting .up mills on this side of the .ocean. Tho Republican papers priut jsuch news as this and comment on

it as vindicating the wisdom of recent tariff legislation Since the election, however, there has been a noticeable falling off of rumors of this kind, and when the London Economist pointod out that European manufacturers, who had contemplcted establishing mills here, would now perhaps be deterred from that step by reason of the Democratic victories, our protectionist journals copied these expressions w r ith great satisfaction. These journals do not seem to see that news of tips kind makes out a strong case against McKinleyism. Tariff reformers have never wearied of reiterating that, our high tariff secures undue profits to the manufacturers, and that the McKinley law must increase these profits to a greater extent than ever. When a European rnanu-

ready forced some manufacturers t* establish themselves In this country to avoid higher duties, and reap their portion of protection’s spoils. A company of this kind is the Clark Thread Company, of Newark and Kearney, N. J. The old duty of 40 per cent, ad valorem on linen thread and a duty on cotton spool thread equal tc over 50 per cent, caused this company to set up mills here some years ago as branches of their great establishment in Scotland. McKinley raisod the duty on linen thread to 45 per cent, ad valorem In the better grades and higher still on the cheaper ones. This was done notwithstanding the fact that a prominent Massachusetts firm engaged in the manufacture of linen thread said to McKinley through their authorized agents that they did not need any higher protection, and that if tho duty on dressed flax were removed altogether they would be willing to have tho duty on thread reduced to 25 per cent. But, alas, there were other people who wanted a still highei duty on dressed flax. Tho old duty was S4O per ton; they wanted this doubled. McKinley raised it to 860 per ton; and then, to compensate tho thread men, he raised the duty on their product as above shown. The high duty on cotten thread and the increased duty on linen thread oughl to make the manufacturers able to keep their labor happy and contented; since it is always in behalf of labor that protection is pretended to bo given. Bui these same imported Clark establishments at Newark and Kearney, N. J., havo no! succeeded in making their labor happy and contented. A difficulty has receptly arisen between tho superintendent and tho operatives, resulting in a strike of the spinners and the lock-out of all the other employes. The total number thus out of employment is 3,000. Nearly hall of these are girls, and some of them showed their disappointment in theli tears. It Is true that the lock-out did not havo its cause in a dispute about wages. But the McKinley scheme of compelling foreigners to “sit down among us and employ our labor” ought to guarantee employment to that labor. Is the coun-

try to bo forced to pay higher prices foi thread to enrich these foreigners and to get our labor employed, and Is the labor then to go unemployed, while the protected foreigners jingle their guineas in their pockets? Does it not seem that the Republican scheme for protecting labor by enriching the employer is a scheme with an enormous hole 1n It? Where is thoguarantee that the laborer will get steady employ* ment, and If he does, that he will get any higher wages? The moon shines down for two short weeks. And then a rest awhile it seeks ; While on the clouds the fairies sit And try to shine it up a bit. Man is sometimes self-made, while woman is often tailor-made.

Which way? —Chicago Time s.