Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-06-08

| 1t has been asserted here that this radiCa
change will not seriously injure the farm
especially asserted bv my friend from
Massachusetts (Mr RusselD, who, | be
lieve, keeps lot of fancy, long-woolet
sheep, but not n great many of them al
that.
Mr.. Russell of Massachusetts-Ho
many do you call "a great many ?"
! Mr.. Stewart of Nermont-W hen | speak
Of "a great many | refer to thousands.
Mr.. Russell OF MasSAchusetts-ls there
a farmer in your State who has thou
sand sheep2
| Mr.. Stewart of Vermont-Oh, yes, many
of them. And the geutleman's sheep, as
| understand, are not what we call in my
part of the country wool growing sheep.
! They have wool, to be sure, but the gen
tleman says himself that ne puts mutton
| first and wool last. The great body of
sheep growers in this country, who
think, might probably compare in intelli-
gence on TINS subject with my friend from
Massachusetts, do not agree with him on
this point. He is in a very sad minority.
II is little singular that the wool grow
ers of this country do not entertain any
such opinions as my friend announces
here. When a farmer can buy good
suit of wool clothes, ready-made,
for so; when under this abused sy--
TEN clothes and every article put To hu
man use has been cheapeued ; when the
larmels do not ask this change when the
manufacturers in whose interest profess
eddy this action is prop sed enter their
united protest against IL: when the labor
ing men do not ask 1t and do not want IT
wheH in short nobody wants it, eX-
cept the gentlemen on this floor who
represent the traditions of another
age and another system, the free
traders and the British manufacturers, it
Certainly seems passing strange that any
sane man in the llght of this undeniable
situation can seriously claim that The de
structlou of great industry, involving
hundreds of millions of dollars, the prop
erty OF more than million of farmers,
should he sacrificed at a blow upon a mere
conjecture that If this is done he will get
his clothes at less cost, and the manuiac-
turer can export clothes 10 England aud
Germany i'll competition with the low
priced labor in those countries.
Those gentlemen who refuse to listen
to the advice OF the manufacturer and
would open to him the markets of the
world, are wise only in their own con-
ceit.
Says Mr.. Phillips, jr., a large wooden
manufacturer of Massachusetts, opposed
to free wool, "The worlds market is the
great iree-trade shadow dance" And
he whole case is tersely stated in the
quotation from the Commercial BUlCtil,
Of Boston, January Il, 1855, which | fad
IN the views Of the minority
In brief with the removal of all duties
on wool, we should not gain a
cents " )rth of foreign trade, for the other
wooden using countries, France, Eng-
land, aud Gel many could still uuders Ii
us IN foreign markets with the help of
heir cheap labor. We should lose the
tine-wCui industry, which would be trans
terred to South America and Australia,
land we should also lose cheap mutton.
pt ff in : ba
United states prior to 1883, which was ar
rested by the reduction of the duty on
WOOL i'll that yea had continued, the mum
her Of sheep IN 1887 should have been 81,
1000, but it steadily declined to 10 COG,
UUO--a loss of about u, 100000 in two years
In 1883 $1,000 900 of sheep Welded 300 600
900 pounds OF wool and - 600, 600 carcasses
tor food, and the total annual production
was estimated at Sl2O00O,O 200. The ma
tlonal organization of wool growers repre-
Sents 400 600, farmers. Their vast invest
ment i'll tllS Interest was made under the
promise at protection. Will you, gentle
men of the South, deny 10 the wool grower
what you gave 10 the rice planter and the
sugar planter OF your own region? Are
sugar and rice less daily neceSsaries of the
poor than the clothes he wears? FC is
nrst in the list OF ne accessories.
BY a new classification you in
crease the duty on rice, you maintain
the duty on sugar, which increases the
cost of every meal to every family in this
country, and you deal your free trade
blows at every Northern industry. You
come to the rescue of the Southern tobac-
co grower. Coal and iron ore are dear to
some of your Southern confreres, VINO Will
not support your bill it sights their in
terestS. So You say coal aud ore are not
raw material: hut, coming a little fart her
North, you say wool ana salt and lumber
are.
You also class as raw material marble,
which my State largely produces, and OF
which there are rich deposits in Georgia,
Tennessee and many other States of this
Union, stlll undeveloped or partially de
Veloped. Northern enterprise has recent
~ gone into Georgia and is OF enlng quar-
rleS there. | saw a representative here
the other day trying to get access to some
member of this Committee on WAYS aud
Means, to represent the injury which this
proposed measure would do to these inter
eSts, which Northern capital Is now en-
deavoring to develop 50 greatly to the
benefit of the Southern people You SAY
that marble, largely produced in my own
state, OF which there are rich deposits IN
other States, is raw material all hOugu il
costs more than twice the Labor to cut Il
block OF marble and put it into the mill
than it does To saw it into slabs and fit for
market but then, YOU gentlemen of the
when you would not hear cX-GOv Proctor
of my state, who stands at the head of the
Interests in this country, aud who has Wis
tied the quarries OF Italy and carefully
studied the whole problem Nor could /
appear before and represent the case of
my constituents Your inner conscious
ness could evolve raw material so down
goes marble on the free list; millions are
invested in its production.
Thriving towns and thrifty peoples cus-
ter about It's scenes of operation. 1t pays
wages averaging Sis per diem. For sim
liar labor IN Italy wages average from 20
to - cents per day, the latter sum for
skilled labor. 1t employs more than 20
600 men. The value of machinery used IN
quarrylng marble alone is estimated AT
81 POO, 600, and the aggregate value of the
product was in 1883 oyer S3l 0O0, 600.
As tor everything else, ours Is the best
market for marble.
The competition, however, is in the
higher grade of marble, SO that if it is put
Oh the free list production Of high Grade
marble Will practically cease, and the price
of the lower grade marble which is that
in general use, will Increase because of
limited production.
SO also wood pulp is classed as raw ma
terlAl. Here is another great modern in
dustry created by protection Mills have