New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-09-05
THE DUTIES on WOOL AND wOoLESs


sound Democrats, and they will sweep the state
|
| THE DUTIES ON WOOL AND WOOLESs.
very earnest and powerful effort is to be made
at the ensuing Session Of Congress for the aboi-
ton of all duties on imported raw materials which
enter largely into the production of American
! fsbrics OF these materials, Wool is the most i'm
portant. Under the Wing Protective Tariff OF
1912, high duty three cents per pound and thir-
ty per cent ad vslorem) was imposed on all wool
costing over cents per pound at the place of
shipment: while wool costing less than seven cents
per pound was admitted at the nominal duty of
FIVE per cent COrrespondingly, the coarse cheap
fabrics imported as "woolen blankets and not
costing more than seventy FIVE cents per blanket
were admitted at fifteen per cent all dearer wool
en- blankets at twenty-fv per cent while all other
wooden fabrics were charged. some thirty, Others
forty per cent, except some descriptions on which
an equivalent specific duty was assessed Under
| this schedule our manufacturers were allowed to
| compete with their British rivals in the purchase
and fabrication Of the cheap, coarse woods OF
Buencs Tyres and Northern Africa, which, being
grown without feeding or other labor than that of
paraleled in this country while our farmers were
protected in the growth Of all such wool as ever
should or proftaby can be produced here. Under
this Tariff while the ruder coarser wooden fabrics
were still admitted at low rates, our wool grow
ers found ample markets and good prices, while
our woClen manufacturers were equally prosper
Gus. Hence the American production OF both
Wool and Woolens rapidly and steadily increased.
But this adjustment was the subject of constant
misrepresentation and bitter attack on the part OF
the Free Traders, who charged that it was so con-
triyed as to benefit the manufacturers at the ex-
pense of the farmers. Those who remember Sllas
Wrights dishonest and tricky partisan speech at
WATERFOWL during the canvass OF lc4i Will reeol-
ect how adroitly and anxiOusly he labored to con-
vince the farmers that the Tariff of AZ was cal
culated 70 aggrandize the wooden manufacturers at
the cost of the wool-growers-the fact that coarse
wool was admitted by it at a nominal duty being
emphasized, while the corresponding low duty on
the coarsest woolens was slurred over. Thousands
of farmers were on this ground moved to vote
against Henry Clay in the election of "A, in des-
ance of the fact that woOl-growing was then
better business than it had been for many years.
The anarchy ofinterests thus proclaimed carried
James K Polk into the White House with Con-
press ready under the lead of Robert J. Walker
TO make new Tariff-that which is still operative
the Tariff Of lc46. BY this Tariff, the duty on
all Wool-fne o: coarse, whether worth five
cents per pound or ffty-was fixed at one inyaria-
bic thirty per cent, which WAS the highest rate
charged on any description of WoOlens, while
FlaDnels were by the came act admitted at
twenty. FIVE Wooden and WOIsted Yarns and
VOL sted Fabrics were by the same act admitted at
twenty. five, and Blankets at twenty per cent
Here was direct bOuaty offered by our laws
on the manufacture Of fabrics for our own use
in Europe rather than our own country. The
coarse wool Of Buenos Ayres, intended for con-
sumption here, passes almost by the doors OF
the British manufactures on its way from the
Parsna to this country; and the Tariff of '46
proffers bounty to isduce its stoppage by the
woy while it is fabricated for our use in Brit
ish mills. If it comes right along and is made
into cloth here, it pays thirty per cent. duty;
but it may step in Great Britain free of impost
be transformed into fannels, and come in one
fifth lower; or if it be worked up into blankets,
it paws but two-thirds tie rate it would pay if
imported as it was clipped from the sheeps'
backs. And, as the fleece of the same sheep is
always sorted into several parcels, to be
wrought into 50 many diverse fabrics, it follows
that the blow thus dealt al the American manu-
fscturers Of FlaDnels aud Blankets does really
extend to every description of Wooden manu-
facture.
Repeatedly bat vsinly have we entreated the
Free.Traders who made this Tariff to give US
some reason, some excuse, some pretext, for
this unpreee dented L. gislation in favor Of Euro
pean as against American Industry. To every
such inquiry they have opposed logged silence.
When il is made in print, they say noihng
when the same question was asked in the shape
Of a Congressional resolution Of inquiry, they
rallied all their forces aud voted ID down.
They dared not give a reason for this discrim-
ination-they had no reason that they were not
ashamed to ayow. AZ last, however, The Jour
nal Of Comm1cs breaks the long silence saying,
ain this country have not yet arrived at tho
uoiut of fuppying ourselves with VI Tho most cs
stniial articles Of manufacture and, uomlofv, moro
than almost any other country wo need a ifvc u nc
M rnw materials Especially this true IN rugard Ia
wool H. our varying rliuatr lafgr consumption ol
vonl.n fAlica 10 considered ceAeulia 10 the general
Il, .lih and comfort of tho people, not only Ia tho
MO North. IA lautudes but also down 10 OUT g.,
nrurst southern borders The du'y hefote'oiu la't
IA ON wool nnd raprciai that of % nrr coat az hN"i
l. ia. Taiii al iB4a not given nioioh an an "H
.ei to the Ia. upon the manufactured aF''e h"' SO
ttc5ossd fte -sSsfsfsfs's hs'ss'ie' la tho h"lo
az ,nutasins tho b,sne production 90 wool. a"i thna
~ ,uru.li enabling them 4" t"'''ha=e 4" a. l""o'