" PROTECTION OF AMERICAN LABORS I47 



they would look askance on the introduction 

 of so much machinery, although they know it 

 is unavoidable, and now that they see half of 

 the remaining work, the whole of which was 

 once their own, being done by imported labor- 

 ers, they should ask themselves, '' What is 

 the meaning of the hackneyed phrase? Is pro- 

 tection of machinery and of foreigners a pro- 

 tection of American labor, or is it the protection 

 of men who employ machinery, Americans, 

 foreigners, horses, mules, as they can best em- 

 ploy anything and everything for their greatest 

 advantage ? " 



Hats of all kinds have been made at Dan- 

 bury. Just now, as the Derby hat is almost 

 universally worn, the stock and machinery are 

 adapted to its manufacture. If the "stove- 

 pipe '* ever again gets the ascendency, new 

 methods will doubtless be devised. On enter- 

 ing the factory we were shown first the ma- 

 terial out of which the hats are made. This 

 is mostly rabbit fur, and singularly the article 

 is chiefly imported, the greater part of the sup- 

 ply coming from Germany. One would sup- 

 pose the rabbit industry to be indigenous, and 

 whatever protection sheep wool might require, 

 rabbit wool would need none. But the duty 



