Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1885-09-24
true Story Of the Wool Tariff Legislature.

The following from pen of cores
pondent to the Cincinnati Commercial
Gazette, concerning wool tariff legisla>
tien is of special interest: 1t is usually
charged that it was the Republican par
ty in Congress which reduced the wool
tariff in 1888. L doubt if any one of
your readers out of fifty knows the true
history of that reduction, the recital of
which relieves the Republican party of
that reproach.
1t has been estimated that about 95
per cent. of the sheep of the United
States are merinos or wool sheep. and
the remaining 5 per cent. British or
mutton sheep. The wool sheep are di-
vided into two elasses-the wool focks
proper and the standard fiocks. The
function of the first class is the produce
tion of wool, with mutton as a seconda-
ry consideration; the standard tiocks are
kept primarily as source of breeding
animals, to which the wool growers may
resort to keep up their iocks to type
of uniform excellence
Wool growing. as speciality, is natu-
rally adapted to comparatively poor and
cheap lands, while the standard breed
ers quite as naturally find their most fa-
vorable surroundings in old and densely
settled communities, where breeding has
become high art, and where the facil>
ties for cheap and rapid transportation
enable them to dispatch their breeding
animals readily to any quarter of the
country.
The Green mountain farms of Ver+
mont are as well suited to wool growing
as the Appalachian slopes of Southeast
ern Ohio; and from their older settle
ment and greater nearness to the foun-
tain head of all Merinos, Spain, they
were also for years better adapted than
Ohio for the rearing of standard flocks.
For long time Vermont, with Western
New York as an auxiliary, may be said
10 have supplied the United States with
breeding stock. The splendidly bred
animals sent West by Hammond, Rich,
Stiekney, Jewett and others, enabled the
ranchmen of the Far West to increase
their annual clip from two and half or
three pounds per head of coarse Mexi4
con wool to five or six pounds of very
fair half-blood merino in a single year
In this way Vermont was immensely
beneficial to the industrial interests of
the West, and at the same time filled her
pockets in comfortable fashion.
But in course of time the West apr
preached condition of semi-independ-
ence in this matter; standard focks
grew up there, supplying more or less
the local demand.
1t became necessary for Vermont and
Vermont and Western New York to
look for other outlets, for they could not
brook the idea of abandoning their stan+
dard focks and going back to the hum
bier and far less profitable industry of
wool growing.
A this point Australia loomed into
view, with its illimitable expanses of
natural sheep-runs; also the Argentine
Republic, with its vast pampas and its
countless flocks of coarse, hairy, native
sheep, needing the amelioration of the
renowned Vermont Merino blood. Here
was a market for splendid breeding
stock, ready made TO hand.
From that time on the interests Of
Vermont and Ohio, hitherto identical
OR at least inseparable, began to diverge.
Vermont wanted buyers for her incom+
parable standard flocks; Ohio wanted
purchasers for her equally Incompatible
Xxx deeces. The market for Vermont
lay on the banks of the Murrumbidgee,
and the Rio de la Plata, but the market
for Ohio was in the mills of the ConBec-
ticut and the Merrimac.
Vermont now stood for free trade, or
at least was Indifferent in regard to the
tariff on wool, because the sale of that
commodity was of far less Importance to
her than the sale of hef focks; but Ohio
still wanted protection.
Then, too, New England had been