Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-02-28

Here is scrap of snti-fSes trade
argument fresh from the fountain head.
It is an extract from private letter
written by II. 81. Foskett to his son, j.
Il. oskett, OF Ysnkton. The elder Fos-
kett resides at Pnlteney, Steuben coun-
ty, New York, He is farmer, and
like most OF the farmers OF western
New York, relies almost entirely upon
the wool product for his income and his
profits. He has devoted quarter OF q
century OF his life TO perfeoting his wool
bearing fiocks and has invested in them
many thousand dollars. Mr.. Foskett
says:
We are very much worried about the
presidents future policy. We have o
very mics flock of registered sheep. Have
been 1T very great expense in improving
them, and with a moderate duty on wool,
such as the duty of 1867, they would be
worth three or four Thousand dollars
But with free wool they will be value,
less, except what they would bring as
mutton, as the wool would not pay half
for keeping. For few years past the
wool growers of Australia have been
baying sheep in this country and paying
very good prices. But il we
haYe freq wool they will know thet they
have our wool market and we will be
obliged TO sell our sheep at any price we
can get, emu they will not be slow to
take advantage of the situation. Take
the wool market from the farmers In
this state and don't know what they
will do. We cannot raise grain, or cattle,
or hogs in competition with the western
ssates. ontne whole feel pretty blue
over the situation. I noticed in the
Yankton Herald an invitation to capital.
lists to go to Yankton and start mannfao.
turing industries, and in the same paper
ives a political article advising farmers
to go in for free trade 80 they could buy
their goods from foreign countries so
much cheaper. frequently see articles
in the democratic papers telling farmers
how much cheaper they could buy their
farm machinery in obher countries il we
had free trade, when everybody knows
there is no place in the world where
farm machinery is SO good and so ucheap
as in the United States.
If the New York wool grower is to ba
ruined by the admini stration policy OF
no duty on wool, how can the Dakota
and Nebraska wool grower hope to
escape? Here the wool grower is large.
ly in debt for his start. In Neg York
the wool grower owns his "plant" and
has enjoyed profits therefrom. The des.
tructicn of the industry would be serious
enough in either place. but vastly more
serious among western producers, The
fears of this New York wool grower are
not ill-founded. Himself and his neigh
bere arc in d position where judicioas
protection ie their only financial saliva
sion and they may we'll view with alarm
the tendency of the democractio party
60 utterly ruin their chief industry.
The Inconsistency OF our democratic
contemporary.in in urging manufacturing
capital to invest here al Yankton and
then advising people TO buy in Europe
the articles this capital would produce
is poinsedly put in the foregoing ex-
tract. A general policy should be WIGS
enough and strong enough TO stand the
sest OF local application. Yankton ear
never become successful manufactur.
ing point without protection through
Iudicious tariff.