Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-07-06
SENATOR MORRILL, AND THE
TANttE ON WOOL.
1ar Vermont Senator in Reply TO Jvlil
Shcrman,a .trictureS

Vsr vermont Senator In Reply TO John
shcrman's structures.
Our readers will remember that we pub
llshed, in May last, un extended interview
with Senator Justin $ Morrill,, IN which he
reviewed and vary fully and effectively re-
piled to certain criticisms ami complaints
made and published by Senator John Sher-
uan Of Ohio, with reference TO the new Tariff
on Wool aud Woollens, and The action of the
Seua,e Conference Committee, on that mat
ter.
Aboat Two weeks eincc, Mr.. Sherman, In a
published interview, returned to the charge
making pointed reference, by name to our
Vermont Senator. A representative of the
FREE PrEss, during Senator Morlil's visit
to this city, last week, called his attention to
the SUI jecI. Aud alter an expression of his de.
cdtdpreierencc 10 handle differences Of opin-
ion in regard to matters of public policy with
brother Senator'S, in the Senate rather than
in the newspapers. Mr.. Morrill, yielded to n
suggestion that the matter was one of much
interest, and that he ought not to allow him
self TO be publicly misreprescn;cd, without n
word of reply, and consented To he inter
viewed, substantially as follows
Representative of the FREE Press or
course you have seen that in second inter-
| view Senator Sherman renews his attack
upon New England Senators rs to their
course in relation to the revised tariff on
wool aud woolcns.
Senator Morrill,: Yes, and lregret that a
Senator Tor whom we ali feel so much re-
spcct, and who earned so worthy n National
reputation rs secretary of the treasury, should
cling TO an utterly untcnaDc position with
81 much pertinacity. The fact is that a
Western Senator, from a wool growing State
held the controlling vote, among the Senate
conferces, as TO the tariff ON wool and wool
lens, and the Senate itself having decided by
40 to 90 against retaining the duties imposed
by the act Of 1867, the conicrccs could not
wholly disregard Il vote SO decisive.
But the Senator is still more wrong when
he states that | asserted that vermont was
ceasing to be wool growing State tina!
they were raising sheep there now to kill and
for brecdng.' and saw no reason why
should not vote with him.
| My remarks in the Senate and In the com
mittec were distinctly stated aud were that
| the people of Vermont were as mitch inter-
ested in this matter, in proportion to their
number, us those of Ohio, or OF almost any
other State but that slight nominal reduc.
ton on wool was absolutely ossary as a
basis OF much larger reduction on wooens,
necessary also to airy pernancnce ID a re.
vision of the tariff and that the retention OF
the whole of the specific duty on woods
would still leave Al er cent OF protection,
which would shut out neariy all the fine
foreign woods. With no change Of the rates
on wool, there would have been no change
on woollens.
| The wool of Vermont aud Ohio is nearly
all washed before IL is sent to market, and
| the specific rates OF duties are double upon
| all washed wools-that lie to say, on washed
wo lis costing 30 cents or less per pound
the duty will be twenty cents, or if costing
over 80 cents, the duty will be "a
cents per pound Surely this should
satisfy all reasonable men OF course could
not tail to admit the facts known to every
body, that We had less number of sheep in
| Vermont than formerly, while the flecces
were much heavier, and that we had large
number of growers who raised very valuable
sheep for breeding purposes, and that some
| part of our 1ocks went 10 the market for
butchers meat, but that the lincwool sort
were not raised for that purpose.
feel sure the Senator would not intention
ally misrepresent me, bu, he has very widely
unsupported what | said, which was strictly
in accord with the facts.
Representative of the FGEr PREss-How
do you explain the present depression in
WOO?
Senator 1.-The wool and woollcn mar
kels appear to be much depressed at the
present time, but it Is clear that the wool
market is not suffering from the influx of
foreign wool. There has been an ovcr-pro-
ducton Of woollcn manufactures and the hold
ers of such accumulated stocks, in anticipation
of lower prices when the reduced tariff upon
woolicns goes into effect, on the lst of July,
arc all crowdiug them on to reluctant mar
kets, regardless of losses. There is in conse-
quence curlaiment of work among woollen
manufacturers at represent moment amount.
| ing to onc-thrd of their capacity or of their
usual production. They could not continue
to send fresh goods TO marketa already great
ly oveistockcd without ruinous sacrifice.
They are now waiting for consumpion to
overtake supply, and it my be that This is
the only remedy within the reach of WOOL
growers. They will not be- in n hurry to
part with their wool until it is wanted. Not
withstauding the limited sales of wool which
for some tine have prevailed the stocks on
hand and now in market of either foreign or
domestic, have rarely been smaller.
The liberal protection upon wool has
brought about, ms was expected, much
larger home production, or an Increase of
$50 per cent in the aggregate amount in
ten years. This Produces Of course greater
home competition. The woods of Vermont
and of Ohio must he sold in the same mar
kets with the wolls of California and Texas,
and we legislate for the whole countrv.
We have sometimes sold wool in Vermont
for - cents per pound, but anything less
than 40 cents Is very barren Of profit The
time may come when wool will be be pro-
duced SO cheaply on the great plains of the
West and Southwest that sheep husbaudry
In Ohio and Vermont will no longer be re-
muncrstivc, but it will not he because it is
not now sufficiently guarded against foreign
competition, nor because wOOllsns have an I'M
due advantage in the recent revision of the
tariff.
With these words the interview ended. 1t
will be noticed by all who have seen Mr..
Shermal's structures that Senator Morrils
remarks fairly cover the points mede by Mr..
Sherman, and furnish viudcation OF the
course taken by our Vermont senator as
ample as 1t is Courteous to his Ohio critic.
Iu fact in the matter OF Courtesy. Us well as
in adherence to fact and in argument, Mr..
Morrill, seems to us to have decidedly the adj
vantage OF the Ohio senator. JOHN Sherman
has, of course, u right to plume himself If he
desires to do so, on special devotion to the
wool growing interest of his State; but he
has no right to exalt himself by pulling down
others; and least of all by an attempt to low
or the Just fame of one who has done so much
to protect and foster American industry in
general and the wool growing interest of the
country in particular, as has our Vermont
nenatof.
THE RETURN OF THE COLORs,