The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1888-01-26
TEE TARIFF ON WOOL.
AN OPEN LETTER FROM JUDGE WILL
LAM LAWRENCE.
Convincing Facts Showing That There
Should be No Reduction In the Duty
Free Graders szIsrspresentations Meet
With an Able Answer
cleveland I,eadsr1

With an Able Answer
cleveland Leaderl
BRLLEToNTAINg, ONO, Jan. 9.-DEAR
Sir : learn from newspaper reports thst
on the 9th instant the wool growers Of
Carroll county, at a meeting In Carrollten,
adopted bringing resolutions criticising
Geveland's message and desiring the tariff
OF 1867 to be restored" have not seen
the fall resolutions, and SO do not know
thsir exact language. know the great
service you have rendered to the wool
growing and other industries Of the coun-
try by your able advocacy and support of
protective tariff, and avail myself of this
occasion to express my great satisfaction
that the wool growers and wool manufac-
turers all over the country are at last wax
ing up to the dangers which threaten the
destruction OF the great industries in which
they are engaged, and you are fully en-
listed Ia the effort to avert SO great 8
calamity to all the people. My particular
purpose in addressing you is to call at
tGholSA " 5t<z10 pnf VI tA1 ISaAS0J WAlS-t
wool growers and manufacturers should de
mand TO relisve the present depression In
the industries mentioned, and to place them
on basis Of permanent prosperity. The
Farmers National Congress Of 1885, and
again in 1856. dcnanded ssa restoration Ct
the wosl tariff OF 1867" The congress Of
1857, held at Csfcsgo In November, changed
the form of sbe oesoaAd in favor q atarif,
y hieh SUI in due ms secure the American
u4rket ioc tsf- a a;ericsn wool growers aad
nan ri zetuyess Gnere wss a reason for
ia 49, 'g's,. sbould DE more generally
unsefstoou.
The purpose Of all the resolves s'in favor
of q restoration of the wool tariff OF 1882
has been No obtain leg station which will
place tao wool growers In as tavorahle
position, in view Of now existing eeaaitfsns,
1867 under the conditions then existing. In
shis view Of the real purpose Of sash re-
solves taey are emiBently just aha proper.
But 1t is mistake to suppose that we new
waEt literally 8 restoration of the wool
tariff CT 1867. We wsnt new taffff-the
tariff of 1SsS-adapted to conditions which
now exist, but which did net exist when
tso set Of 1867 was passed. We have out
grown the tariff ct 1867. Il IA 20 longer
Applicable, and would not now Be sufficient
II protective. I DO not mean that higher
rates OF duty are required as TO al forms Of
wael, but as to some classes the rates pre-
be protective.
The ses OF 1887 fer the frst time In our
history classified woods as:
l. "Closhing Wool" being the ordinary
merine wesi such as we raise in Quo.
q "Combing Wool" being the long,
eesrse wesie.
5. "Caypet weoi," q coarse, inferior
quslity, unfit for and net then used In the
manufacture Of clothing, tat Ia cheap ear
pets only.
The act Of 1867 imposed duties as fol-
lows:
On clothing woods, unwashed: value 80
eea.s per psund or less, 10 eests PSF pound,
ana II per cent. ad valoreR. Value exceeding
81 cents per pound. Il cents per pound, aad 10
Beg cent, I'D valorem. Washed, double duty.
esn eoAbing wools; valae 81 CENTS or less per
pound. 10 cents per pound, and Il per eeat. al
valoresn. Value exceeding 81 cents per
pound II cents per pound, and 10 Dor cent. sd
velorem.
On carpet weols; value II cents per pound or
lsss, q cents Fer pound value over IL cents per
pound. 6 cents per pound.
On all classes secured, treble duty.
Under the operation of this law the wool IN
dustry prospered. The increase in the nun Der
675, or n per cent from 1870 to 1880 the in
crease IN number was Il, 2s7, 94e, or about ~
per cent; and ia 1884 oar sheep nun bered 3d.
$50 443. Our weol product increased faster
fleece ross from 25z and SO pounds to and 81
peahds (ef washed woeD, according to leea-
tieu. Thus the wool industry, fer the first
tt me in cur history, grew rapidly was prosper
2, 1857, ana up TO act of March 8. 1888.
give the provisions of this tariff, not for
your information-for that is not necessary
but that may have the weight of your
name In calling the attention OF Others to
them. Your great influence in aiding the
passage of that law is 60 well knowa that
you do not need to be enlightened. 1t is to
be especially noticed that this act imposed
one rate OF duty on raw clothing wool, and
double that duty on washed weel. That is,
for illustration, about as the fact generally
was, say 133 cents per pound On raw cloth
ing wool. or ~ cents on washed clothing
wool.
The long cenhing wool was admitted
washed at the duty Of lsa cents per pound,
Only half the duty on elething weel. The
reason fer this that eembing woods were
not then used In making e1oti. or mems
clothing goods ia any form. They ware
used chiefly In making thin goods for ladies'
dresses and fer Innings. Thus the secretary
of the National Association of Wool Manu-
faoturers, Ia pamphlet prepared in 1886
fer the Senate committee on agriculture, at
Washington, said:
In Englasd and in this country only
the long staple woods were classed as com bling
wools until as late as 1857, the period Of the
tariff Of that designation. Until after that
time eombed woods tloag woels) or yarns made
of such woods had never been used in cloths or
the fabrics for the ordinary wear OF men, BUT
uSnH Qnjy NytUtfa klfA fail gd
fabrics, s1eh as Qadies) dress goods and lin
ings.
Thus. when the act OF 1867 WAS passed,
tho importation of the long woels did not
In the least interfere with or displace our
merino woods. The long woods were then
only produced In his country to limited
amount, and the manufacture of ladies'
dress goods was then comparatively small
in extent. In view of these conditions the
woods at half the duty imposed on the
merino clothing woods. IT the same con-
aitions now existed similar legislation
would be wise. But this Is ne longer 30
Now the long combing wool is used not only
In the manufacture Of ladies' dress goods,
but also In making clothes for mems wear.
The chief of the bureau Of statistics, Ia his
special report Of 1887 on wool, &e., says:
Prior to 1863 wsrsted manufacture was con-
fined to the goods before meEtloned tdela1nes,
ladies' goods &C., BUT In 1868 diagezsl and
other worstsds for mems wear (wersEed elcth)
began 10 be made.
And he says:
considerable portion of the wool product
of the country which, according to the terms
of the tariff now in force Is classed IS clothing
wool, has, by com paratively recent inprove-
ments in machinery, been rendered suseep-
tible to the comhing process, and thus has
been utilized in the rnsnufaeture OF wersted
goods, embracing certain higher grades of
wearing apparel, woRlen'S apd Children s
dress goods as well as fabrics of mems eleth-
Ing Such woods. though in the trade REGARDED
as cemoing WOODS, under the terms of the
revenue-law tariff weuld be classed IS cloth
ing woels.
In other word, merino woods ans the long
combing woels are now all clothing and
combing wools Both can be and are made
into cloth for mems wear, and both are
made into "women's and children's dress
goods"
Yet, under the act OF 1s67-and the same
is true Of the act Of 1SS3-washed long wool
is only charged half the duty as washed
merino wool, though both are now used for
exactly the same purposes. The result is
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