The northern galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1844-1848, 1846-03-31
THE GALAXY.
MIDDLEBURY. VT.
Tuesday, March 81, 1916 =.
THE WALKER PETITION.

The following is copy of the petition
which the lieges Of the present down-with
protection Administrator are now induStri-
ously circulating in this County:
To the Honorable, the Congress
Of the United States.
We, your petitioners, do pray your Honor
able body 10 take into consideration the inc
quality Of the Tariff Law, of 1942, in laying
the duties on Wool, Wooliens and Brown
Sugars, which give the Manufacturers and
Importers, great advantages over the produ
GERS; and that they are enabled TO declare
dividends from 90 to 40 per cent, annually,
whilst the Agriculturist, by his hard labor,
cannot pay more from than 3 to 3 2 per
cent on the capital invested: Wherefore,
your petitioners would humLly ask, that the
present rate Of duties on Fine Wool, should
be sustained, and the article Of Coarse Wool
deDominated in said act, as costing cents,
aud under,-we humbly asked to be raised to
25 or so per cent, advalorem. as appraised at
our own ports, and your petitioners will ever
pray, &c.
Whether this is the offspring Of their own
spontaneous patriotism or has resulted from
prompiings from the Capitol, it will furnish
Sir Robert with capital pretext for inter-
meding with the present Tariff and enable
him to indulge in the destructive propensi-
ties which he has so long nourished against
the manufacturers of the North.
1t is observable that this petition is very
cautiously worded. But two or three things
are sufficiently obvious. One is, that ills
prayer to reduce the tariff on wooden goods,
under the demasogical plea so often urged
by the enemies of protection, that the Tariff
is calculated 10 afford prosperity to the man.
ufactmer and not to the wool-grower. Now
the proposition made that the manufacturers
are enabled in ordinary cases to declare a
dividend of from 20 to 40 per cent is Roer-
dulge. Indeed between 1886 and 1912.
while protection was gradually sinking under
the operations Of the compromise bill. entail
ed upon US by Jackson Congress, manufac-
turing woolens was a ruinous business At
last the manufacturers were forced to sell for
30 per cent upon the costs Of their establish
ments- Even in many cases where 100000
has been paid for establishments which cost
one hundred thousand, no more THAI fair
profit has been made, estimated upon the d.
unfinished price Indeed. we have been cred
IDLY informed by an Intelligent manufacturer,
that one per cent upon capital invested is as
much as wooden manufacturers have realized
for twenty years past, while thousands have
been ruined. Il has ever been understood
that the profits Of investments in WOODEN es-
adjustments have been more nuciuatins and
hazardous than in any other branch of manu-
features. But we will suppose that for a
year OF two the highest imaginable rate Of
profit should be realized. In this Yankee
nation how soon would it be before competi-
ton would reduce it to an ordinary profit.
But the plea of exorbitant profits being
false, the remaining question is, will the re-
duction Of the Tariff on wooden goods result
in any sort Of benefit TO the WOO grower 3
For if the manufacturer j. making unreaSou-
able profits, how CEN they be reduced hut by
reducing the Tariff, which we infer to be the
intent Of the petition. The average Of the
Tariff on woolens is now about 40 per cent.
Reduce he duties to 25 per cent, as proposed
by Secretary Walker, and we shall soon find
our wooden factories crushed as in 1910 un-
der the overwhelming weight of British COM
petition. Nothing could keep them in opera
ton but reduction of the price Of wool pro-
portionate 10 the reduction OF the tariff
Our home manufactures now consume near
age them by reducing their profits and their
extension, and you discourage the wool
grower, and diminish his profits just in the
same proportion. Destroy them and you
might as well cut the threats Of every sheep
10 the Union. A British market for the sur
plus Of American wool might be useful. But
after American manufactures have been pros
trated and the whole American clip shall be
sent to the British market, there TO compete
with the woods Of all the nations of the world
and probably along side Of the very South
American duty free wool, Of which we hear
so much clamor, and the wool-grOwers Of
Addison County, who should by signing the
petition, encourage the reduction ofthe tariff
on wooden goods, wonld have grave reasons
TO repent their folly. If the agriculur;st
now gets but 3 or Upper cent upon his cap
ital invested. how much will he get whom the
demand in The home market either for wool
OF bread stuff is diminished by Gripping
our wooden manufactures or limiting :tiieir
extension, until the fabrics Of English work
shops shall clOthe thetAmericsn nation. For
10 this the policy OF Locofocoism comes at
last.
But another very curious thing about this
petition is. that it humbly asks Congress to