The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1888-02-02
SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL.
acknowledgements Reply to the Pres
ident's Message.

The following manifesto was issued
by conference of wool growers and
dealers of the United States, as re-
ply to the Presidents message:
The wool dealers and wool-growers of the
United States, representing capital of over
e5O0, 0OO,000 and a constituency OF a million
wool-growers and wool dealers, assembled in
conference in the city of Washington the 18th
day of December, 1887, having read the first
annual message OF the President to the Fiftieth
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
ocratc platform of 1884, as interpreted by the
party leaders and accepted by the rank and
file OF the party; that the argument made by
the President for the removal of our protection
against foreign competition is the old one, re-
peatedly 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 as to
need no answer from US. We acknowledge
that our small holdings" our scattered and
unorganized condition makes US 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 contented of any of the world. made
so by policy of protection and development
which he now seeks to destroy. We had 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 at his position, we make an appeal
from his recommendations to all the people, to
the seven and three-fourths millions of our fef
low-citiZeDs engaged in agricultural pur
suits, to the millions engaged0in manufact-
urning, to 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 be based upon
justice and patriotism, and therefore for the
maintenance Of the American policy of pro-
lection to which the country is indebted for its
unexampled development and prosperity. To
demonstrate the injustice of the Presidents
policy and the fallacV of the remedy he pro-
poses for the reduction of the surplus, We
point to the fact that if the whole amount of
the revenue derived from wool was abolished
it would reduce the surplus only about FIVE
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 is direct tax per capita of TWO
dollars each, and is what makes up the great
| bulk of the surplus of one hundred and forty
millions. and which fosters a most dangerous
| monopoly. We would further add the follow
| ing statistics in regard to the wool industry:
| The annual revenue derived from imports Of
wool under the tariff of 1867 was less than 81, >
100000. Under the reduced tariff of 1888 the rev.
enue last year was over IS, 100000. The number
of sheep in the country in 1884 was 50,626626, in
1887. al, 1884 decrease of nearly 5000 OO0
| and a diminution of the annual wool product of
| over 100000 pounds, thus showing that reduc-
| ing the tariff by the act of 1883 has increased
the revenue from imported woods and dmin-
ished the number of sheep in the United States
| about IL 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 tariff would end IN disaster to
all the other industrial productive enterprises
/ of the country.