Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1856-05-16
AGRICULTURAL.
Mr.. Jarvis Letter on Wool.

Mr.. Jarvis Letter on Wool.
We have not believed that anything would
be done in Congress this session. to affect the
existing Tariff laws. much a. thcy need alter
ntion. The politician, OF all stripes will
feel that nothing ian be surely III .dc for any
side in the coming presidential canvass hy
any earnest action ON those laws, and 5 ONE
thing may be lost by it ; therefore they will
be likely to give it the % by for the present.
There has been some Indication however Of
nm alteration of the duties on certain raw
materials made use OF in our own mauufac-
tures-cspccially on dye stufis not raised in
This country at all, and on wool. The last
named material is the only one in which the
Vermont farmer can feel much direct in
terest.
Quite naturally the first thought with
good many would be that allowing foreign
wool to come in free, will ut a stroke subject
them to Il ruinous depression Of price by the
introduction Of foreign wools Yet in this
case as in many others, the real point of the
question is not the one which first strikes
the eye. The just principle is to favor our
own labor The best way to do it may not
be the same in all cases. Apropos to this,
We find in the New York Tribune the follow
ing letter from Consul Jarvis Of Wcthers-
field, which deserves to be carefully read and
weighed by all who are engaged in raising
wool.
Mr. Jarvis rendered the country great
service in his efficient efforts to introduce
fine wooled sheep from Spain into the Union,
nearly fifty years ago, AMI has carried on tho
sheen r. sing business extensively ever since.
I~ and the larg, opportunities en-
ioyed ~ him for getting information AMI
forming sound conclusions, give great weight
to his opinions. Whether Congress NEEDLES
with the tariff on wool or not, this year, the
subject will surely be acted on sometime,
and men will do well to study the subject
carefully. We know that many intelligent
woogrowers in our own section became salts
fed sometime ago, that they would gain moro
by having the duties On wool taken Of 50
that the the manufacture of woolen cloth IN
our country could be placed on sure basis,-
thus checking the enormous importations of
woolen cloths made Of foreign wool altogether
than by continuance Of the present sys-
tem,-that they could not be worse off by the
change. and probably would b. better.
wErnERsrrrlp, Vt, April -, lSj6.-DEAR
SIR: was happy to receive letter from
you upon subject which have had so much
at heart for over 80 wears.
After hpintr in pnrtuunl Spain and in
England, between the years l19S and 1902,
that which most astonished me in the two
first countries was the great neglect Of agr-
cultural. mechanical, manufacturing, and
commercial industry, and the general power
tv which pervaded the mass of the people in
a country possessing an excellent soil and one
of the finest climates in the world; whereas,
on going to England, found everybody busy,
the land highly cultivated, all branches Of
mechanical and manufacturing industry in
the greatest activity that nation then possess
ing the largest commercial marine in the
word and her ports crowded with shipping.
When compared this state of prosperity
and ailluence with the state in which English
history represented her to be 800 years be-
fore. without manufactures and without com
mcrcc, dependent on the Brahant shipping to
carry her surplus wool and other productions
10 Flanders. and sending it back to England
in cloths, to their great benefit and the i'm
poverl shmcnt Of England, the contrast was 50
great that | could hardly give credit. to her
own historians as to the truth of what they
asserted. But an examination into her com
mcrciAl history satisfied me Of the fact
England WAS then as dependent on Flanders
for the few manufacturing comforts which
she obtained, as the Brdzils amd Spanish
South America have been upon their mother
countries, for the European goods which they
received through those respective channels.-
But the teachings Of history appear to have
produced very little effect upon US. We are
now Voluntarily pursuing the same policy
towards England, which five hundred year
ago she pursued towards the Flemings, and
with the same result. With our variety Of
climate and virgin soil by this iujudiciou:
policy, We have got into debt to Great Brit
ain to the amount Of some two hundred and
fifty or three hundred millions of dollars
and with uut.oin.4 against us Of fifteen
10 eighteen millions Of dollars a yeaI
in the shape Of interest. BY way o
economizinG our resources. SO as to enable u,
TO pay of tho pruc pal-fpr payday must
conceive have recently more than double
the imports Of those wo)icn manufactures
which we could have made ut home, 4 new
way to ray old deb.s If We are not NOR,
iuqlcious IN our legislation as regards foreigr
commerce, II tins siren song OF Free Trad
does not turn us into swine, it will turn u
into hewers of wood and drawers Of water lo
our English kinsmen.
For eight or ten years they attempted b,
force of arms to reduce us to this state, bu
the spirit Of liberty WAS then too UNIVERSAL
felt in America, and we had courage rs free
men to throw of such degrading shacklcs
But what they could not accomplish by lore
Of arms, am not 50 clear they will not do b.
the saIliug AMI mining of our resources, an
by our legislative omission to turn those re
sources to the best account.
In relation T. wool, | have from the Outsa
been opposed to any or at least heavy dut
ON this article but | am compelled to aC
knowledge that the most serious opposition
have met with ON this point has been from m
brother wopl-grJwers, They seem 10 thin
that low or no duty will cause this countr
10 be Hooded with foreign wool. With th
low prlcc OF our lands and the moderate eS
pense of sheep huslandry compared with an
other agricultural pursuit, have never fel
any fear that the American wool-growc
would be injured by importation. Ny douh
oi success originated in the want of due prC
lection ior our manufacturing industry Mar
ultcturing labor in England did not and doe
noe COST hall what it does in the United State,
their machinery of every kind has been bro
10 tue greatest perfection, their skill in usin
~ has also been perfected, aud the averap