The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-08-23
RUINED BY PROTECTION.

How High Import Duties Have Crippled
the American Wool Industry.
It is fact not to be denied upon
competent authority by any one that
under high tariff the number of sheep
in the States east of the Mississippi
river has decreased right along. The
assertion of the high tariff takers that
the threat of putting wool on the free
list has caused the number of sheep tc
decrease is false.
Between 1860 and 1867, when the
wool tariff was low, the number OF
sheep east OF the Mississippi river in
creased from 10, 22l,714 to 81, 1854, coo.
That was under low tariff. In 1867
the high tariff was put on wool, the
highest tariff the product has ever
borne, and the number of sheep in the
States east of the Mississippi river be-
gan Immediately to decline. The fall
has been SO great that there are now
in the States east of the Mississippi
river but $4,000. 600 sheep, against 81.
! 600. 600 i'm round numbers in 1867.
This decline has not been due to the
Mills bill or to any tariff reduction
the greater part of the time under the
highest wool tariff ever imposed in
this country. Hence the significant
fact that the farmers ought to insist
that the high tariff taxer should ex.
plain is that the number of sheep has
increased most under a low tariff anG
decreased most under high tariff.
The State of Ohio affords another
illustration OF how the high tariff has
affected the sheep raising and WOO
growing business. There were in 1867
when the high wool tariff was put on
$3.50, 126 sheep in the State of Ohio
the greatest number the State has evel
had before or since. The number haf
reached this point by gradual increase
under no tariff prior to 1860 and under
low tariff from 1860 to 1867. Blu
mark the result. just as soon as 6
heavy tariff was placed on wool il
1867 the number of sheep in Ohio be-
gan to decline SO that in ten years with
this tariff unchanged the number fel
from $3.50, 126 to 3,783,OOO in 1873. ;
loss of nearly one-half!
Similarly, in the State Of Pennsyl
vania, the number of sheep has fallel
from 2, Az, OO2 in 1867 to 9S4, S9l, a los,
of over twO-thirds, and all under tn,
operation of high tariff laws. So il
Michigan the number of sheep has de
creased, as it has in Maine, in New
York, in Illinois and generally every
where except in the States and Terri
tories of the far West, where grazinl
land is abundant and cheap.
Now, these are the facts, and there Cal
be but one sound conclusion drawn iron
them, and that is that high tariff o.
wool is powerless of itself to max
sheep-raising and wool-growing prof,
able east Of the Mississippi river. Man
ifestly it has utterly failed to do wha
its advocates have claimed for it, be
cause under the very highest of tariff
the farmers all over the East and cen
trail portions of the country hav
abandoned the industry rs unprofitabl
and the number of sheep has decrease
right along in spite OF the high tariff
Now let the farmer, when he is toll
by some preacher of high tariff protee
ton that the sheep and wool industr
is being ruined by the efforts of tn
Democrats to pass the Mills bill, cit
him to these facts and figures and as
him to explain why the ruin" has bee
going on steadily since 1867 under tn
very highest kind of tariffs?-Ceceldn
Plain Dealer.