The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-10-03
WOOL.
The Ex-President of the Ohio
Wool Growers Association
Tells the Story of the Reduction of the
Wool Tariff BY Republican
Congress.

To show up the contemplate trickeTy
and Misrepresentation of Mckinley and
the other Republican blow guns we re-
produce Mr.. s. c. Stevens's address to
the wool growers of Ohio.
| Mr.. 8. G. Stevens is one of the most
prominent wool growers in Ohio, and
Ole of the best posted men in the cOun-
| try on all questions relating to wool
| growing interests. He served eleven
years cOHsecutiVely as President of the
Ohio Wool Growers Association, is it's
| Vice President now, and has served as
| Vice President of the National Wool
| Growers Association. MIR, Stevens has
defended wool growers interests to the
best Of his ability, and has watched all
the movements in connection with the
recent reduction of the tariff OIL wool
so thoroughly as to make him an au-
thOrity whose statements can be relied
on.
''The reduction of the tariff on WOOL"
said Mr.. Stevens, was secured by a
combination of the wOOllen manufac-
turers of New England. They have been
fighting for years to secure reduction
| of the tariff, and at the same time main
tain or increase the tariff on woOllen
fabrics imported to this country, there
by maintaining monopoly at the ex-
pense of American consumers while
they robbed wool growers of fair profit
pockets, no one but themselves being
bettered by the transaction. Prior to
last winter they failed to secure re-
| ductiOn, and would not then if the Re-
publican members of Congress had not
| aided them.
NOW, great many wool growers in
Ohio are not aware just how 1T was
accomplished, and l want them to
know just who is responsible for the
reduction of the tariff on wool by
which thousands of dollars have been
taken from Ohio wool growers and
kept out of the State. The New Eng
land wOOllen manufacturers saw that
it would be impossible to pass their
measure in the House first, and they
therefore forced it through the Senate.
1t was too late, however, after this had
been accomplished, to secure action Oh
the bill through the regular routine.
In order, therefore, to pass their bill
before the close of the session, 1t was
necessary to get a suspension of the
rules, and take the bill up out of its
order. To do this required twO-thirds
vote, and this could not be secured.
Through Keifer an arrangement was
made by which the rule requiring a
twO-thirds vote to take bill up out of
Its order was suspended, as far as it re-
lated to the tariff bill, so that the meas
ure could be taken up by a majority
vote. The Ohio Wool growers were rep
resented at Washington by delegation
headed by Hon. Columbus DelanO, and
| they beSOught Republican members to
vote against the adoption of this rule,
Mr.. DelanO declaring it to be a TeVOlu
tiOnaFy precedent. Despite their appeals
and remOnstranceS, 1t was adopted, and
br Republican votes, the Democrats VO-
ting solid against it.
Had the Republican members voted
against suspension, the tariff on wool
would not have been reduced. The at
tempt of party organs to saddle the re-
spOnsibility of the reduction of the tariff
upon the Democratic members of Con-
gress Is all buncOmbe. Senator Sher-
mans casting vote passed the bill in the
Senate, and the Republican members of
Congress are responsible.
"If my statement needed any cOrrOhO-
ration, the Wool Manufacturers Bulle-
tin, edited by John L. Hayes, late chair
mon of the Tariff Commission. in re-
cent issue, furnishes it in the following
statement, in which, speaking of Sena-
tor Sherman, it says:
"Mr. Sherman, chairman of the FL
nance Committee, on the last day but
one of the second session of the Both
Congress. carried the bingham Bill"
now known as the Tariff Bill of 1865"
through his committee, and finally got
| through the Senate, a service only second
| to that of his casting vote, which car
ried the Tariff bill of March 3, 1883,
| through the some body.
81 have been," continued Mr.. Stevens.
"a Republican since the first gun was
fired on Fort Sumpter, and in common
with thousands of Republicans, have VO-
ted the Republican ticket because L
| thought the interests of the country and
| Ohio would be best protected by so do
| ing. The farmers of Ohio, and especially
| the wool growers, wanted Judge Law
renee nominated for Governor ;but when
we went to the state convention, from
| the moment of our arrival in Columbus,
we saw that a job had been set up by
Charley Foster. prominent Republi-
| can informed me that Foster had subsi-
dized the press Of the state in the inter
est of Foraker, and that Foraker would
be nominated unless Sherman would
consent to run, and he was afraid. The
result of the convention proved the truth
of his prediction and statement.
"As 1 said before, am Republican,
and shall not leave my party, but, know
ing as | do the views and position of
Judge HOadly on the wool tariff ques-
ton, l shall, If l live, cast my vote for
| him, and L think, in justice to them
selves, every wOOl-grOwer in Ohio ought
to do the same. 1t is time that men
who fail to do right, and respect the in
| terests of the people, should be Tebuked.
| Republicans can do this without being
any the less loyal to what they believe to
be true Republican principles.