The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-01-31
THE WOOL GU KsrION.


The gentlemen who have preceded m
in the discussion have taken the broa
ground Of the tariff and the DANCE
threatening the Wool-grower." Ipropos
as the basis Of my remarks, "odds an
ends Of wool tariff legislation" hopin
to be able to pursue trend Of though
not entirely covered by my associates. ]
! ehould repeat any argument alread,
made, you will understand l have no
conferred or divided the subject. In tn
beginning, assert the sell-svident truth
that impOst duties, both specific and az
vAlorem on wool, protect the domesti
product TO the extent OF the duty levleC
on foreign coat Of like or similar grades
l quote from revised tariff laws Of 1883
"Wools Of the frst-clAsa, the value whereo
at the lsst port or place whence exported
TO the United States, excluding charges II
such port shall be thirty cents or less
duty ten cents per pound"
Let me call attention to this fact, 50 ap
pears from the foregoing clause OF law,
viz: that the price OF our domestic pro
duct OF wool is fixed outside Of our OWE
country, notably at the London and Ant
werp auctions; and our domestic product
Is worth tho fixed foreign prices with i'm.
port duties and ireights added. The clause
| have quoted, which covers clothing four
fine woolP) whatever the price, lees than
thirty cents, in foreign ports, we add to
this price ten cents per pound and freights
to mako the priCs Of our domestic; thus Il
the foreign price is twelve cents per
pound unwaahed, our clothing, fine, will
be worth twety.two cents and treighta
added. Without an import duty our
domestic fine clothing would be worth the
foreign quotations with irsights added no
more. Although q pound OF domestic
may be preferred to pound Of imported,
II the foreign cost oRe-hali cent per
pound less it would be used 10 the exclu-
sion Of home product. Nov, what is the
eonclueion 10 be drawn from these facts
Ia 1t not that We, as producers in the
United States, are brought into direct com.
petitiOn with all the world, compelled to
put our production Of raw material from
lands, the cost Of which is astounding in
comparison. Five scTea Of ours would
equal in cost q league Of 600 acres in
South America, and that, too, in q climate
80 mild that the wool bearing animal
needs nothing but the spontaneous growth
OF vegetation that springs from the bosom
OF this oun.kisaed land every hour OF the
1856 days Of the year, sufficient without
artificial food for the maintenance OF life
and healthy wool production. The range
oil prices in foreign ports Of unwashed
clothing like our XXX fine washed wool
since the tariff revision Of 1883, has been
from eight 10 fourteen cents par pound.
Without protection our Z and XX
would be worth from 10 to 20 cents per ID.
Since the revision Of the tariff OF 1888 our
domestic product has decreased and the
imports OF wool have more than doubled
in the came time. From 1850 to 1882 the
donestlc product had increased from two
TO five pounds per capita. In the same
time the manufacturers increased their
production from S257 TO s. 90 for each
inhsbisant. Imports Of goods meanwhile
declined from 81 20 10 II Csnta per capita.
What 10 the logical conclusion to be
drawn from tho facts and fguresH How
can We escape the conclusion that with
out duty on importa the home pre-
duCtion must decrease, prices decline be-
low point at which We can with profit
produce domestic wool, and the decrease
Of production and the defamation OF the
Aocks will 60 on indefinitely Once this
state Of things is brought about, let me
venture TO predict much higher range
OF prices, both for the raw material aud
the manufactured goods-ior these rea.
sons: that the supply Of the frat Is les
sened and tho competition Of manufac.
turers Is cut of. Eight years 1.-TWO Presi.
dental terms will not have passsdl with
these or like conditions e&iatins and
every consumer will fealizs that under q
protective law the importer paid q bonus
for the privilege Of our markets, but now
we all pay bonus to the importer, and
this, too, in times OF peace. In the event
Of war with our transatlantic cousins 1t
is possible to blockade our ports until we
become a nation Of paupers, wholly de.
pendent on sthegs for clothing 10 protect
snd preserve lie,
We do not draw on Imagination for this
picture; the Argument Ia fair, the conclu'
sions Just and the results possitle. be-
gan by saying that the present duties pro
tect 10 the extent Of the per cent levied or
the foreign prices, with freishts added. ]
now want to call your attention to thi!
fAct-the imposlibihty Of regulating and
securing uniform high prices by legials'
ton. regard this as one Of the grea
stumbling blocks, often, even, to the
friends OF protection. Ilmi:Ss duties ar,
positirE::!iyy prOhioitory our wool product will
come into competition with the wool pro
duct Of all nations, as before stated; anC
the wool producing nations Of the worlC
are influenced in their production anC
prices by numerous causes. prominen
smoDg which l may name thess causes
the climatic-heat, cold and drouth-Ant
these enRendCr disease and death; war
that interfere with commerce; the relatiYI
Value Of gold, ito premium, OF discount o.
the circulating medium. The prevGlen
idea with regard TO prices under Q pro
teCtiVe law, is that they should be uniform
IN high. Tho enemies OF protection have
played upon our credulity and want o
knowledge By citing term oil years Of Low
sysrAgS prices during the operation Of I
protective law, claiming, for this reason
The law and system are failures. II TIT
causes were known to these, they haYt
been carefully kept in the background
and the additional fact that but for thu
duty prices would have ranged lower b.
lust 80 much as the per cent Of duty i'm
posed. Now, II II be true, in whole or II
part, that q protective duty enables 4s Il
compete In productions, while in an opeI
or unprotected competition the wool in
dustry could MOI survive, for little le
us inquire the effect on agriculture tn
destruction Of the wool industry voul,
have. lie 1t not true that the wool grove
for the most part, especially OF the olde
states, pursues mixed husbandry?
driven from wool growing, they must en-
ploy their lands In agriculture, CROWN
whest, gorn, rye, oats, barley, DC, large
Increasing these products and beyond III
ratio Of increase in the population, ct tn
same time leEsening the consuming cApaC
lity BY lust 90 much as the docks are deci
mated.
a full supply Of the cereals means iGi
prices; an over supply means ruinously lo'
prices. All agriculture brings impoyel
ished lands; impoverished lands bring
Annually smaller returns 70 the husband