Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 August 1891 — CURRENT COMMENT. [ARTICLE]

CURRENT COMMENT.

•'WHY I AM A PROTECTIONIST." — — - - \ B. F. Jones, of Pittsburg, in American mistI am. a protectionist because our country prospered with protection and languished without it. Because revenue can be more easily, more surely and with less objection raised bv ji:dic~.Qi:.x pratc.dive tariff laws than otheru i: e. Because protection* diversifies employment and largely relieves wageearners from foreign competition, thereby enabling them to be liberal consumers, as well as producers. Because, as has been demonstrated, the effect of protection is the cheap: ening of prod tic ts. Because defense against injurious importations is as necessary and justifiable as an army apd navy. Because the tneory of free trade between nations is as fallacious, impracticable and utterly absurd as that of free love between families. CHAIRMAN QUAY'S RESIGNATION. PMladclpWa Enquirer. r Senator Quay inis resigned the chairmanship of the Republican national executive committee. The new chairman has a thankless task before him. Senator Quay won one of the most notable victories on record in 1888, and, as a result of his success, he has been the target for Democratic abuse ever since. The Democratic papers of New York have fairly outdone themselves i n course in vecti ve and mud-slinging. .Their intention was to drive Quay out of power and to prevent him from conducting another campaign. They succeeded in forcing him to retain the chairmanship for months —even years —after he had i n tended to retire. It is'no secret that he wished to relieve himself of the duties of chairman right after Harrison campaign, but he refused to go out under fire, and -he has held on to the present time. That much the free, traders have accomplished. Now that their fire has practically ceased he has declared his intention of severing his connection with all official management, and an other is to take his place. Mr. Clarkson will succeed Senator Quay. A better selection probably could not have been made. Clarkson is intimately acquainted with the duties of the committee. He has a knowledge of men and politics. He lias the ability to conduct a campaign such as the next will be. Peculiar fitness is necessary for the >ffice. He has it. The Democrats won't like the selection for that reason. They will continue to cry corruption. But let them talk about buying votes by wholesale if they wish. That will do very well in the midst or a heated struggle, but who ever knew it to be done? If a chairman •an buy thousands of votes it is essential that there shall be thousands of voters willing to sell. Intelligent communities do not sell themselves, and the stories that are trumped up in every campaign that money is used to purchase voters are for the most part imaginary. This is true ~ of both Clarkson has not been made chairman to corrupt the voters but to win the campaign by fair methods, although the same old familiar charge will be renewed and he will be termed a “boodler” by ■very Democratic paper in the country before he is twenty-four hours uder. The abuse will begin at once and be kept up. This seems to be a necessary part of a free-trade cam—paigu. —- It is frequently charged that votes are corruptly influenced in New York •ity to an alarming extent. There ore without question a large number of foreigners unable to read who are kept in line for Tam man}’ by most peculiar methods. But victories have been won much more frequently' theye upon the safer principles of altering the returns. It sometimes happened that the Democratic party has needed more votes than were cast and that these votes were had at night by recounts or by the •‘correction'' of figures. Blaine was beaten in that wav. Senator Quay became » familiar with this scheme before he had been many days in charge of the campaign in 1888, and lie made it impossible for this particular kind of fraud to flourish. That was one of the strong points of his chairmanship. He insisted upon a fair vote, and he not only insisted upon it but secured it. and the result was a fairly honest election in New York city. That is how lie carried the State for Harrison. Whether the new ballot-reform bill can be made to serve the purposes of Tammany's dishonest election officers we dot pretend to say. but Chairman Clarkson will have a desperate lot to contend with, and if he can overcome the machinations of the Tammany people he will be entitled to all praise. But he won’t get it. The freetrade mud batteries will open, and no matter how honestly he may conduct the campaign ho must expect to be plastered from head to foot. This is the only idea the free-trade papers of New York have of conducting a campaign—flinging mud. The resoh tions adopted in recognition of Mr. Quay 's services as chairman arc true in every particular and are a deserved tribute to his ability. Croakers may croak and Democrats may sneer, but tliQ resolutions tell ' the truth about one of the greatest political leaders of the-age.

A PRACTICAL VIEW. During the past few weeks much Kas been said And written about the tin industry. I have in the past been ■engaged in the South Wales and Staffordshire districts, and con say that

I thoroughly understand the manufacturvin ail its processes. I purpose showing some insight into the methods now ih use and offering a few suggestions, based on an experience of some years. The' plates are ’knowu to the buyers as coke orcharcoal, with varied grades of these as ‘"best," ’‘extra best. ' etc. The basis of all is the pig iron, mixtures of pig iron being used to obtain the nec-es:. sary quality. -» (.oke plants are made from' pmg died iron, the processes varying slightly from the manufacture of ordinary bar iron. -Besi*-eoke plates [ are made in a similar way, with the addition by settle of a facing of iron made uTchareoal fires from scrap iron. I — —— The quality of coke plates vari es with ,the mixture of pig iron' and the methods of manufacturing. Charcoal plates are supposed to be made from iron manufactured in charcoal fires, the mixtures of pig iron processes and selections varying with the quality of plate desired. A® new departure sou.e twelve years ago brought mild .steel ‘basic’ into use, and it is now used largely instead of charcoal, even with a decided gain in regularity of quality, fineness of surface, and less waste than charcoal iron. Many Welch makers buy largely of these steel bars to manufacture into charcoal plates, the cost being lower and a better average in quality is obtained. Now any works that manufactures steel rails can put in roils to make the bars of mild steel needed for rolling the charcoal plates, the. requisite ‘mildness'' of . steel being only a matter-oLdeiaih. And, again, the ordinary makers of “merchant' iron can produce the bars for the coke plates, as tli \se bars present no difference in manufacture from good merchant iron, fair homogeneousness and average tenacity only is desirable. Given the bars as indicated above we require rolling mills, shearing gear, pickling, cold rolling and annealing plates, and you have the tin ready to coat witlr tm; terne or lead. We have now all materials and plant to produce the bar ready for rolling into the plate. I would suggest putting down plants for manufacturing the plate from the bar.only leaving this to be made by the already established irou and steel roll-ing-mills, who can readily supply all that is required and to whom it would be a welcome addition. Of their capability thei‘e is no doubt. Outsteel rails today are more than the equal of any British make. The com position, mildness or softness o! both the steel and iron bars are matters of detail that can be easily dealt with. As regards our materials, such as palm oil, we can buy oil the west coast of Africa just as cheaply as England. Tne cost of the acid used (sulphuric) I don't know. The tin mined in Europe does not amount to more than ono-eighth of that used, the Straits settlements and Australia being the chief source of supply, and these markets are open and nearer so us than England. In addition, our own protection of tin is increasing and tne building up of this industry will hasten development of tinmining. Tin works should be established within easy access of the works, roll mg the bars to save freight. Given that the cost of labor is 50 per cent: higher than in England, this additional cost would not add more than one-half a cent on charcoal'.' and less in coke per pound. Why the Democratic leaders and press should deride the efforts to establish this industry is a mystery to me. It presents few difficulties, and will give employment to thousands of hands and profitable investment to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Is it because it's in the “McKinley’ bill and “no good can come out of Nazareth?” On the lines suggested we can in the time given produce not only the required quantity, but more, and with a much less capital than required to build up this industry from the pig iron to the finished plate. A Tin-Plate Works Manager - O