Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1844-06-21
SPEECH OF MIR. COLLAMER OF
VT. ON WOOL AND WOOLLENS.
Delivered before the House Of Representa-
tires an Committee of the Whole on the
Tariff, april 30, 1874.
CONCLUDED

hold in my hand what appears to me
great curiosity. 1t is an English publica.
tion of 1912: History of WooIen Manu-
features, and Natural and Commercial His
tory of Sheep by ]. Bischof, Esq. 1t
fully sustains its title, and contains histo-
ny of wool, from the expedition of the Ar
gonauts after the golden fleece, to this day,
and n full view of the present condition of
its manufacture in all parts of the world.
with elaborate tables. But its curiosity here
consists principally in this, that it shows
with what lynx-eyed vigilance our move
ments and progress are watched on the 9th
er side of the Atlantic. This work con-
tains, carefully compiled from our census
returns of 1910, and before any such COM
pllatlon had been made in this country, We
ny accurate and exact tables, showing the
population and statistics of each State, and
showing, with great precision, with the ex-
ception of two States, Kentucky and Louis
lana, not there returned,) the number of
bushels of wheat, number of sheep, pounds
OF wool, and all other stock and productions
1t now appears, from full returns, that in
1910 there were in the United States, 49,
81 ,374 sheep, who produced 35 1862, ia
pounds of wool, and that there was then in
vested in the woolen factories as capital
SIS, 765, 1914 The State of Vermont, con-
tanning only population of 29l ,94S per-
sons, had 1851, $40 sheep, and produced
5000 35 pounds Of wool-being about thir-
teen pounds of wool to each person. Yer
mont, then, produced the largest quantity of
wool of any State except New York, and in
proportion to her population, Vermont pro-
duced three times as much as New York. 4"
A very large proportion, probably over
three-fourths, of these nineteen millions of
sheep are fine wooled sheep, that is, they
are improved by the Marine and Saxon
blood sheep, and their wool, at the present
moment, worth from % to so cents per ID.
Such is the amour; of this interest. Is it
not worthy Of our regard Let US now pro-
coed to inquire what will be the effect ofthe
bill under discussion, on the wool and WOOL
lens of this country. Here. sir, it would be
sufficient to say, De hare tried it,
1t has long been said that experience is a
dear school, but that fools will learn in no
other. From this | understand that all
men, even fools. would learn in this school.
and that ga burnt child breads the fire. -
BY the operation ofthe compromise act, un-
der The gradual reduction OF tie duly on
wool and woo!lens, we learned the measure
OF possible reduction which could be endur-
ed, and the precise point where the operation
Of vitality ceased. 1t was, as have already
stated, when the duty came down to % per CT,
and when, by law, IT was to come down to 30
in six months, that all sales of wool ceased.
Now, the utmost that this bill provides is, on
fine wool and woollens 80 per cent, on the
cost in foreign markets, subject TO all impo-
sition of false invoices, aud that this, at the
end of one year, shall be reduced 10 25 per
cent. The only difference between this
now proposed, and the operation under
which this interest was ruined before is, that
now 80 per cent. is offered instead %, and
then entire death was decreed in si1 months,
and now in one year. The difference is
quite too slight to lead any man of common
sense to doubt that the result must be as il
was before.
But it becomes us not to overlook the re-
port of Committee of Ways and Means,
accompanying this bill. That report is to
be regarded as an exponent of the princi-
pies of the dominant party in this House, on
the subject ola Tariff. There may be in
dvidual members OF that party who do not
subscribe to its doctrines; but they consti-
tute the individual exceptions to the general
rule. Ofthis manifesto of principles, hcen-
ty thousand extra copies have been ordered
and they are distributed as leaves for the
healing of political maladcs. This report
contains the principle, the perfect, the ideal,
r ko L.. II
the pow er and the duty of the Government
on this subject The bill is visible CORE
lative, or sensible and practical manifesto
ton, of the principle in the report.
The report, which has the rare merit oil
being unambiguous, in defining the limita-
tions of the powers of Congress, confines its
remarks to that delegation ofpower contain
ed in these words of the Constitution =
=" Congress shall have power to lay and col
ect taxes, duties, imposts, and excuses, to
pay the debts and provide for the common
defence and general welfare" The report
holds that Congress possesses no power but
to impose duty for revenue; that when a
duty is such as that increasing its rate would
increase the amount received, 1t is reven.
ne duty, and Congress may increase it up to
that rate where it will raise most But il
in experimenting for this point, it should be
accidentally and unfortunately raised so high
as to diminish the mportatons, and so less
en- the amount of revenue received. Their
Congress has exceeded its power, and it il
its duty Immediately to reduce the rate o
duty. That it is, indeed, true, land the
committee seem to think that it is much tc
be regretted that it is true) that duties o
any kind do, to their extent, furnish protec.
ton 10 domestic production, but they con
slider that Congress has no power to furnish
any which it can possibly avoid. The re
suit, then, is this: our market must be Civ