The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1884-04-10
How Reducing the Wool Tariff
Works.


To che farmers of Michigan: Be-
fore the first day of July next, not
less than fifty per cent OF your mum
Der will be in debt, either IN mort
gage, note, book account or other
wise. AT that time many OF YOU
will look 10 your wool clip for help,
calculating this source of income
will pay OF portion, or ali OF this
indebtedness. This is legitimate and
proper business fore-thought, but dur
ing that time congress will be busy try
ing Ca pass laws that will defeat your
well laid plans. Nou remember the
reduction Of the tariff on wool last
winter cost YOU 1--WE cents per pound
ON your wool clip last summer. From
this YOU can positively determine that
the passage OF the present proposed
tariff bill will further reduce the price
OF the coming wool crop not less than
siN cents per pound more. How will
this affect you as farmers! Tho aver
age clip OF wool in this state, as it is
bronghtinto market, is about SIX hun
dred pounds. We will call it that
amount. \ reduction of six cents per
pound would make a loss of thirty-six
dollars on each. That this loss is a
reality. your pocket-book will show.
No one would have the hardihood to
claim that wool ut twenty-four cents
pcrpound brings asmuch cash as wool
at thirty cents, consequently the fact
can he proven beyond Il question that
there mas been loss of thirty-six
dollars On each transaction on account
OF a-cAange in the tariff. The doctrine
of free trade has lost YOU this amount
of money. BY what process does that
doctrine propose to restore the money
it has taken from you? BY what
theory are the free traders going to
put INTO one pocket what they have
taken out OF the other? This is the
.eading question OF the whole subject,
and no free trader on earth can an
swcr il. Thc advocates Of tariff re-
ductjon will tell You that steel rails,
silks andpuJtycan be bought cheaper
wheh TINS becomes law. What
difference does il make 60 you whether
stoci rails are higher or lower. or that
>iias and satins can be bought cheap
or; What you want Is the discharge
OF that mortgage. To do this has
been the incentive To raise that fine
Huci> OF sheep, and care for them so
faithfully and well; that has been the
iuducemcnt to bring your wool to
market clean and bright 1t is not
the act that steel rails may be cheap
cr that arrests your attention. but the
stern reality that wool has cheaper
ed and as a result sheep raising has
been ruined. You are not worried
about the price OF Il coat or silk dress,
because you can DO without either,
buJ IL IS that note or mortgage that
is coming due.
will explain to you the only posi-
bic manner III which you can get even
with that ldM. the only remedy you
have Tor your loss. The tariff ON all
Expectations averaged in 1883. / be-
liorC. about thirty per cent, al yalor-
cu. }Ycwiii place ii at that figure.
This proposed tariff viii reduce that
twenty per cent. making it twenty
ioiu instead of thirty per cent, or
just six per cent. cheaper or less on
thc goods you are supposed 70 buy.
You have actually lost thirty-six dol
lar~ by this tariff, therefore in order
10 make up that loss by the same
tariff YOU must purchase goods affect
ed 5s this tariff reduction TO the
amount that this lost thrty-siN dol
lars o. six per cent. OF. which would
be sis hundred dollars. That is, i'm
order TO counteract the bancful effecc
OF. this reduction OF duties on wool.
you are compelled to spend six humid
red dollars for goods affected by this
reduction. No matter whether you
want the goods or not, it is the only
manner in which YOU can recover the
lost thirty-siN dollars. These are the
PLAIN facts III the case, and no one
can successfully dispute them. Then
why, ! ask, should the men who labor
on thc farm be made to bear this
burden. There Is not one hundred
farmers i'll Michigan who pay yearly
thirty-six dollars on account of the
tariff. The wool clip Of 1884 will
reach fifteen million pounds. a re-
duct.on of six cents will entail loss
oi n.nc hundred thousand dollars.
70 make good this loss YOU must
purchase fifteen million dollars worth
of merchandise affected by this low
rate nj duty. Can you afford to Ok
penata dollar in buying goods for
ever pound of wool you raise: No!
Try II and YOU will end in the poor
house.
You have a debt OF $50 which
you intend to pay with your 600 lbs.
o. '"ool at 80 cents per pound. The
tariIi steps IN and YOU only receive
$l4f Cor it. How can you get even?
Simply enough; take the %14l of
wOol money and loan $456 more Of