Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-01-06
A WISH FOR FREE WOOL.
How 8 New England Mill Owner Talks
on This Tepic-Only Give
Us Chance
And We Viii Get a Grip on the WORLDS
Trade that Nothing can
Loosen.
Philadelphia Record.


WOODEN manufacturer, was interviewed al
his, Stevens station mill, near AnGover,
on the 20sh inst. Whist Mr.. Stevens said
is worth reading. Here it is:
| We want free raw material, of course
Nobody who knows anything ct all shout
our business doubts that. Whom does
the duty of 10 cents pound benefit now?
| The foreign cloth exporters. The Treas
ury last year received the $4,000, 900
which our people paid On wool alone I;
but did it need il? Did it need the money
! to lock up as much as the mill-oWners
whose mills it helped TO lock up, or as
much as the mill hsnds whose mouths
! it also helped to close up? To have the
! inpost removed, then, is crying
Iecassity. 1t would tend to put US in
the position We held years ago. Itwould
stsrt up the idle mills which now, with
their costly ms chilery, loom up as spec
tres testifying TO an untimely end. 1t
would give New England industr. an i'm
petus which would be felt everywhere.
Take it eff. Otcourse Congress should
But will il? Look ct the dickers and
deals 1t will entail. There is Samuel J.
Randall,i in Pennsylvania posing as Dem
ocrst, with high aims and ambitions to
become q leader, and even with Z. 8. in
his bonnet. Perhaps he is good Demo-
crst st heart, but he has strange way OF
showing it. Don't you think he knows
that he ought TO support the position
taken by the President and leave Of Cater
irg TO those Il. ploiicsn protectionist
friends? But will he vote for the removal
of this wool tax?
Then you have those manufacturers
who declare that everything should be
teXed 25 per cent. higher in order to shut
out sIl foreign gUods, and thus settle the
surplus question by depriving the gov
eminent of its income from them.
THE CONSERVATIVE OVER CAUTIOUS OH
DAN.
And, strsngest Of all, is the attitude of
the Ohio farmers. Why, they don't see
the matter in it's true light 81 all. They
listen to the Forakers aud Sher-
mans, to the politicians who tell them the
world will come TO an end st short
notice II they move TO advocate free Wooi.
These farmers simply take it for granted
that what such high authorities say must
be true, and thus they 60 on assisting to
construct their own peisrd. Mind you, l
mean to cast no reflection on this class Of
Ohio citizens. They sre respectable,
and in their dealings generally, prove
themselves to be clever enough sort of
people. We deal direct with them, for
instance, and this young nSn turning to
his som cen testify to their qualities, for
he goes amODg them every year.
But on the wool business they simply
watch each other. Whether feeces sell
at Is cents or 10 cents pound they seem
salts fed so long as one gets as much for
his crop as another. And that they follow
each other is evidenced by the manner in
which they move their crop. 1t is sneared
say BY June Is; by the lst Of July every
year it is ell sold and in the hands Of
three kinds of persOns-msnufacture
local dealers and spectators who hold
for future markets.
To change all this intelligence must be
spread abroad snd public opinion must
convince CougTes ;men and Senators who
are inclined TO rather neglect this wool
question.
OTHER IMPORTS MUST BE FREE.
But it is not only WOOL that requires TO
be freed. There ore the dyes and chemi-
Gals, the oil, the bichrom.te of potash aud
other things which must be permitted to
enter free before you can place our pso-
pie on even competitive basis. | speak
now rather of others thsn myself, because
| make only ladies' dress gooos, and use
domestic woods very largely. Australian
wool is very little used by me.
The correspondent here suggested that
the situation resenble6 the division Of
five apples by precocious youth who de-
clared that he thought three fair half
for himself.
Exactly. In this case the American
woolen-maker holds only two portions,
while the other felloW-the foreigner
holds three. It narrows itself down,
then, whether Congress will permit the
other fellow to retain his unjus share or
whether it will make move and let US
nave half st least Of the fifth portion,
which would mean the difference between
loss or very narrow margin and fair
living rate of profit. We could doubtless
after time ind q fair foreign market for
our surplus il we secured relief.
Free raw material then, means fair
competition and q broader market. l
assume without much hesitation that
freedom in trade, though it Will perhaps
cheaper products to the consumer, will
also increase consumption. History
Of the penny postage, and the recent in
PRODUCTION of cheap telegraphy enor-
mously increased the number OF mes
sages. This increase would probably Off
set any Idepreciation of property which
protectionists claim will ensue il mate
rial is admitted at our ports free CT duty.
You ask il the workmen in our mills
will earn less in case Congress does its
not. Put it ON the ground of increased
consumption alone. More goods means
more work; more work means more
money, doesn't il? Here we have an sd
mirable and natural adjustment.
A CASE IN POINT.
nWhat is the situation now In Connecti-
cut and in some parts of Rhode Island?
Many of the mills run only as long as
they have orders. When the orders are
filed they shut down. Does this
help the people who run the looms?
Others, again, are running simply to
change one silver dollar for another, and
some are really working for loss. Why
right over here" pointing down the val
ley, "thele Is q msgnifcently appointed
cotton warp and worsted mill"-he did
not mention any name, but your CORE
spondent subsequently learned it was the
Arlington mill, in Lawrence-"which
cost ST. 900 900 to build and fit up, and
which has all it can do to pay 8 margin
over expenses
"Thls is rather occasioned," said
young Mr.. Stevens, "by the Inequalities
Of the tariff"
"Just So" continued his father. "By
q peculiar ruling OF the Treasury Depart
ment Worsted mixed with wool is sd-