Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-01-10

that were sent from Wisconsin, that
the salesman told me he did not be-
lieve he could get over sl.00 a
head for them. They were young,
healthy sheep, thin in flesh. If the
reduction in price of the ffty mil
lion of sheep in this country would
average ~ much per head as it does
in Wisconsin, a loss to the owners
of sheep would be over $780, 100000
and the shrinkage in price of wool
on the 300, 100000 of pounds ra sed
say y cents per pound, would be
$36,000,000 annually. Now if the
reduction of the duty on wool has
caused or contributed to this reduc
tion las all intelligent wool growers
belieye) it is not to be wondered at
that the wool growers Will urge up
on congress the necessity of reStor.
ing the duty upon wool to what it
was before the passage of the pres
ent tariff.
You say Mr.. Converse of Ohio, =
democrat, has introduced a bill TO
restore the tariff on wool TO the
point from which it was 10 cred by
the last congress; and that Mr.. Hurd,
democrat from Ohio, is preparing
a bill making wool duty free. You
say "this is good. The advocac of
these bills will bring out many facts
III relation To wool culture that will
be of interest"
| want the Democrat 10 give its
readers not only the discussion but
also the vote on these two bills |
predict that although Mr. Hurd is
man Of ability and good debater,
yet | believe that Converse will get
away with him on that discussion,
and will have more than three.
fourths of the Ohio delega ion vote
with him. | have my doubts if
there is another member from Ohio
besides Hurd that will vote for his
bill. | think | know something
Of the feeling In Ohio on that ques-
ton. | had the pleasure of con-
verslng with Mr.. Converse AT the
wool growers convention on this
question. He is man of great
ability and is supported by many
democrats for the United States
senate to fill Pendleton', place. He
certainly is friend TO working
men, and will support any just
measure III the interest of the pro
ductlye industries of the country.
There is not an over supply in the
production Of wool in this country
for the importations this year are
large. The year ending June 30th,
1880, the importation amounted to
los, 100000 Of pounds. This was
the year when Mr. Bond says the
price in England advanced from II II
pence to 10 pence per pound. If the
high duty did not prevent the i'm
portation Of such lar-e quantity
what would it have been If there
had been no duty? The effect of
that years heavy importation was
to glu' The market, and there has
been a downward tendency in prices
ever since. The statement that east
Of the Mississippi river is not adapt
ed to growing fine wool will not be
believed by the wool growers Of
Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia,
Michigan, Wisconsin and Vermont.
There is large amount of billy
land in this state that has been in
jured by being plowed so that it
washed badly that might be made
to Craze large focks Of sheep If we
had not to compete with foreign
wool growers who have no expense
in wintering sheep The loss to
farmers in any crop affects every in
dustry. The remark is made by
nearly every free trader that they
want cheap clothing, therefore they
are opposed to a protective tariff on
wool and woolens. If told that low
prices mean low wages for the pro-
ducers and that they must have
their wages reduced also, therefore
they had better pay q little more
for their clothing than to have their
wages, fees or salary cut down.
| They do not think that low prices
| mean that a fellow laborer or all
workers must have wages reduced.
| Low prices and low wages are the
| greatest curse to men in every coun-
| try 1t means poverty, degradation
and ignorance to the poor.
Yours truly,
MATT ANDERSON.
! PINE BLUFF, Wis, Dec. 9th.
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