St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1888-02-18
SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL.


idsnt's Message.
Tho following manifesto was issued
BY conference Of wool-growers and
dealers Of the United States as . 70
ply to the Presidents message:
The wool dealers and vool-erowers Of the
United States, representing . capital OF over
Hn.0M00o and . constituency OF . million
conference In the city Of Washington the tn
lay Of December. 1881. having read the arst
annual message Of the President 70 the Ffftieth
Congress. declare that the sentiments Of the
message are . direct attack upon their indus
try. one Of the most important Of the country.
and In positive violation Of the National Dem
ocrstic platform Of 1854 - interpreted BY the
party leaders and accepted BY the rank and
Ole OF the party; that the argument made bv
the President for the removal Of our protection
against foreign competition II the old one. re-
peatcdly made by the enemies OF our industrial
progress, and effectively answered In nearly
every school district Of our land and SO thor
oughly disproved BY the logic Of facts and dem
onstration OF experience and history ~ to
need no answer from ~. We acknowledge
that our "small holdings," our scattered and
unorganized condition makes rs the easy prey
Of the free trader, but we had right to expect
something different from the Chief Executive
Of the Nation at once the most happy, prosper
Gus, and contcnted OF any Of the world, made
80 by policy Of protection and Development
which he now seeks to destroy. wehad right
to expect our President would favor the wool
growers OF the United States. and confess our
deep disappointment that instead he favors the
interests OF our foreign competitors. Justly
alarmed 1t his position, VIC make IN appeal
from his recommendations to all the people. TO
the seven and three fourths millions Of our fel
low citizens engaged in agricultural pur
suits. TO the millions engagedcin manufact
urning. 70 the army Of wage earners. whose
wages are maintained by the protective sys-
tenn, to the tradesmen and merchants whose
prosperity depends upon ours, confident that
the judgement and decision will DO based upon
Justice and patriotism. and therefore for the
maintenance Of the American policy OF pro
lection to which the country il indebted for it,
unexampled development and prosperity. To
demonstrate the injustice OF the President'e
policy and the fallacv OF the remedy he pro-
poses for the reduction OF the surplus, We
point to the fact that II the whole amount Of
the revenue derived from wool Was abolished
II would reduce the surplus only about live
millions or less than ten cents per capita OF
the population, which is paid by foreigners,
while the old war taxes he recommends re-
tanned yield over one hundred and nineteen
millions and 10 direct tax per capita Of two
dollars each. and 10 what makes mp the great
bulk Of the surplus of one hundred and forty
millions. and which fosters . most dangerous
monopoly. We would further add the follow
ng statistics In regard 70 the wool industry:
The annual revenue derived from imports OF
wool under the tariff Of l66: was less than IL
10000 Under the reduced tariff Of 1883 the rev.
enue last year Was over ea00a.0m The number
Of sheep in the country in 1854 was 06s6.6s6 in
1885, A,s5a.3iA . decrease OF nearly 100000
and . diminution Of the annual wool product Of
over Sa.N0.mO pounds, thus showing that reduc-
ing the tarin BY the oct OF 1888 has increased
the revenue from imported woods and dimin-
ished the number Of sheep in the United States
about I: per cent. and the annual product in
the same proportion The Presidents policy
would bring about the destruction Of this in
dustry, and the same policy OF reduction or
abolition Of the tarii would end IN disaster q
al the other industrial productive enterprise
Of the country.