Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1867-11-05
From the New York League.I
WOOL AND WOOLENS.


wrapped in wooden shrouds. The purpose of
the law was to encourage the woOlen manu-
facturers by compelling all persons to pur-
chase wooden fabrics on the occasion of the
death of their friends. The parliament skill
fully availed itself of the inevitable mortality
Of Englishmen to "protect" the pet manufac-
turers of the realm. 1t will make no differ.
ence to the dead, doubtless reasoned the Bri-
tish Legislators, whether they are wrapped in
linen, silk, or wooden but the wooden inter-
est is peculiarly British interest, aud it must
be encouraged and accordingly the law in
question was added to numberless other stat
utes having the same end in view.
As far as offending good taste is concerned,
the present Legislators of the United States
are certainly to be commended in comparison
with the English parIiamentarians of two
centuries ago; but that seems to be the only
difference between them as regards the matter
in hand. Congress also, to ''protect" the So
called wooden interest, has heaped statute on
statute and added law to law. To duties
which were enormously excessive before, the
Dawes. Bingham tariff of S67 added increased
duties, both on woods and on wooleEs. That
little arrangement between the wool growers,
whose representative was Mr.. Bingham, Of
Ohio, and the wOOlmanufactureTs, whose
champion was Mr.. Dawes, of Massachusetts,
is well worthy of the people, both in the inn
pulses that led to it. and the consequences
that have followed from it. 1t is significant
as making the practical conclusion of the
wool manufacturers, that they could no longer
pull the wool over the eyes of the wool grow
ers. OF course the wooden manufacturers are
desrous that foreign woods should come in
freeS or nearly so; and they have been able
heretofore to keep the duty on foreign woods
down to low figure; for it is part of the
cue of every protected interest not only to get
itself protected" but also that those who
furnish 1t with raw materials shall not get
protected" But the wool growers have not
been able to see why they should not have
Legislative aid in the prosecution of their bu>
siness just as much as the manufacturers
Can anybody see why they should notH They
became so clamorous that domestic wool
should be protected" against foreign woods,
that the manufacturers consented to a COM
promise. Mr. Dawes and Mr.. Bingham put
their heads together. The two wings of the
wool lobby joined forces. You help US get
higher duty still on woolens, and we will
help you get higher duty on woods. So the
bargain was consummated, and the little tar
if was carried. The manufacturers consented
to be shorn of little in hopes of being able
to shear the public of good deal
But the practical result of their scheme
has stumbled and confounded its authors -
They expected that wool would go up under
the influence of the tariff, and that woOlens
would have n freer market at higher prices.
Circulars to this effect, containing a summary
of the new tariff rates, passed round among
the wool men in the early spring. But '1hGt
are the actual tactsP The price of domestic
woods has not been so low since the COM
k,ek "a L., Ill Al,
summer, and as it Is now. Forty cents cur
rency per pound is about the average price of
our domestic fceccs that is to say, with gold
at l4l, wool is bringing about twenty eight
cents per pound gold value. The wool grow
ers certainly have not realized what they ex-
pected frOO their combination with the mans
ufacturers.
And how have the manufacturers them
selves Jared? According to all accounts they
have had but dull summer of it. Many of
the mills have run slack time, and the market
for American wooden clothes has not been
very brisk, nor offered very remunerative
prices. If high duties alone would make a
branch of business thrive, the woolen bust
ness ought to have thriven. But the wooden
business has not thriven; aud we propose
now to give the principal reasons why it has
not thriven.
IhSI--1 HC people Will NOT Duy American
cloths if they can avoid it. Under the in
auencc of high duties, and supPosing that
they were in possession of the market ANYHOW,
the manufacturers. with few exceptions,
have paid so little attention to the quality of
their cloths, and the quality of their cloths
is so uniformly poor, that people who can af-
ford it just stand back from American cloths,
and insist on having a good article, though
1t has paid an enormous duty in gold The
people have tried shoddy, and have got sick
of it. They want good and honest fabrics.-
The home manufacturers, as a rule, do not
furnish them such. Therefore, they very
properly buy foreign fabrics in preference.-
We have been told by two prominent mer
chant tailOrs, doing large business in diff
ferent parts of this country, that more than
nine-tenths of all the cloths they sell and
make up are foreign cloths. And they assign
the same reason for the preference of the peo-
pie that we have just given. If American
wooden manufacturers want to sell cloth at a
make cloth that is fit 10 be sold. AS good
cloth can be made in this courtry as is made
in any country under Heaven. Let such
cloth be steadily made, and steadily offered
for sale, and the people will buy it, and man
ufacturers need no longer rest their assurance
of success on the tricks of the lobby.
Second.-There is good deal of illicit
trade. The smuggler always thrives on such
duties as those which now disfgure the stat
ute.boOk. We venture the assertion that
there is not State nor a Territory in the
Union in which smuggled cloths are not now
being vended, if not in the open marts of
traffic at least in out Of the way places and by