Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
date ourselves to the present situation the better
it will be for us.
We did so during 1893 and 1894, to the great
chagrin of our friends of the free trade press who
had a great deal to say last year because I com-
mented upon the general depression of business,
and yet stated that our lumber and shoe business
had increased during 1893.
PROTECTIONISTS KEUEVE IN I'ROCKKSS.
" Such a system
would make better
citizens, which is
the greatest benefit
that can accrue to
a nation."
Our good friends the free traders believe in
laisse" fairc.
We protectionists believe in prog-
ress, and we do complain when we cannot travel
at our accustomed pace. They claim that we must
be satisfied if we can keep our own. We consider,
however, that in all phases of life stagnation
means retrogression, especially so in industrial
life. We here in Dolgeville have always traveled
fast. You will remember that during 1891 and
1892 foreign manufacturers came to Dolgeville
with the intention of removing their factory plants
to our beautiful village. Our railroad was com-
menced, five new factories were erected, streets
laid out, houses built; in short, we saw general
activity all around us.
What a difference in 1893 and 1894! In order to
keep up our accustomed volume of business we
had to seek new fields and had to be content with
smaller profite. We bestirred ourselves and went
out on the road to get such business as would not
come to us of its own accord, and hence it is that
the Dolgeville factories have been busy nearly
all the time. For this reason we have been able to
keep our factories running during ten months of 1894.
THE TAKIKI" ACITATION.
Al.l RED
DOI.GK.
Dolge's Nationalism
Of the Social-Economic Problem==AIfred
Dolge Advances New Theories—A
Speech Which Will be Read
Round the World.
When I addressed you at our last reunion, our
factories were closed, and the prospects for 1894
were discouraging'.
The predictions made by the defenders of the
principle of Protection during the campaign of
1892, as to the suffering which would follow such a
radical change of our economic policy, which the
free-traders had forced into the platform of the
Democratic party, were very tame pictures to what
the country at large has experienced since the
inauguration of this policy. It is for this reason
that our twenty-sixth annual reunion will not be
as joyful as all of those held previous to 1893.
It is not pleasant to review the year 1894 from a
business standpoint. It has been unsatisfactory
to every business man in America and disastrous
to many.
We were enabled to start our factories in Feb-
ruary, and have managed to keep them steadily
going ever since. But with the rest of the busi-
ness community we were trembling for fear that
something might happen which would, compel us
to close them again.
HUSINESS REVIVES.
Immediately atter the election on the 6th of No-
vember, business started up most surprisingly.
The sudden demand for goods came so unexpect-
edly that we had to run our mills day and night
for the last months oT the year to fill pressing
orders.
This sudden revival of business can be easily
explained. The change in our tariff laws meant
a lowering of all values, and ever since the change
was threatened by the election of 1892, every
prudent business man studied how to keep his
stock at the lowest possible quantity, in order to
make the inevitable ioss as light as possible, hence
the scarcity of goods. Although the"effects of the
new tariff have been somewhat discounted by
large reductions in wages, I fear that we have not
seen the end of the tribulations and misery which
this unwise legislation has brought upon the coun-
try at large.
It is queer statesmanship to discard a policy
which proved productive of general prosperity,
and to substitute one which was sure to produce
stagnation, misery and ruin.
Instead of defraying the expenses of the gov-
ernment from duties levied upon manufactured
goods sent here from foreign countries, our gov-
ernment is compelled to borrow money, to increase
the national debt continually, simply for the pur-
pose of enabling the foreign manufacturer to sell
his products in our market.
<;UIM
Hl.MOK,
INDEED.
The grim humor of this situation is, that for-
eigners finally buy our government bonds with
the money which they make in our market, and
we thus have the privilege of continually paying
interest on money which we might have earned
ourselves but for this tariff legislation through
which your wages have been reduced.
It may interest you to learn that since the en-
actment of the free wool tariff, only five months
£igo, we have bought nearly §150,000 worth of for-
e gn wools. The money for this wool was' mostly
sent to Africa and Australia.
Under the tariff of 1S90, we bought chiefly
Texas and California wools, and our money went
into the pockets of American farmers, who in turn
bought the products of our factories.
However no change can be made for the next
three years to come, and the quicker we accommo-
Whenever tariff agitation disturbed us in the felt
department we pushed the other branches of our
bus ; ness. which were not directly affected, so much
the harder. Since 1892 we have piid more atten-
tion to our lumb.r department, equipped the lum-
ber works with the most modern machinery and
pushed the sales of its products with all our might,
so that now more than twice as many men are em-
ployed in this department as were at work last
year, and the prospects are that we shall have to
increase this force very soon.
In the beginning of the year we lost our good
friends, the shoemakers.
Daniel Green & Co., who for more than ten years
had sold all the shoes we made, bought our entire
shoe department, machinery, stock and all, and
commenced business as manufacturers in their
own building across the river, where they con-
tinued to make the "Celebrated Alfred Dolge
Felt Shoes and Slippers." They have been so
successful that we had to make more shoe felt
during 1894 than ever before.
The room formerly occupied by the shoemakers
was immediately utilized for our piano hammer
covering department, which had been steadily
growing, and is sure to become one of our most
important departments. Considering the changed
conditions brought about bv a forced substitution
of foreign wools for American grown wools, which
we had used so extensively previous to the Wilson
bill, the felt department has done very well, in-
deed.
EVIDENCE
THAI
T H E
FOKKMIN
HIE
M A N U K A C I I ' K EK
I'AYS
DUTY.
You remember that after the tariff of 1890, our
foreign competitors issued circulars, sta'.ing that
they were compelled to raise the price of their
goods because of the higher duty. Hut when they
found that the American manufacturers did not
advance their prices, they were only too glad to
sell at the old price in spite of the higher duty.
The American manufacturer protected the Ameri-
can consumer, and the foreigner had to pay the
"tax."
Now we have to pay the income tax.
The duty on piano felts has been reduced about
70-80 cents per pound, but we have seen nothing
of a circular from the importers announcing their
intention to reduce prices.
They will do it, onlv if it is necessary, in order
to procure our business. They would not do it if
they controlled the market.
If Dolgeville has rendered any real service to
the piano trade, it was during the two changes in