The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1888-08-02
PLAIN TALK BY A FARMER
Who Appears to Know What He is
About.
some Observations on Wool and the
Wool Tariff.

l. r|N -@-e fEN
The Republican party tEor3 ttbe last de-
cade has endeavpred TO maintain pow
er by Misrepresentation and by fraud
uIently impressing upon the minds Of
the people a state of things that do not
exist, upon the assumption that a large
part of the people who are not politi-
clans, do not read OF think for them
selves and therefore can be led through
ignorance and party prejudice to be-
lieve what is published through un-
scrupulpus newspapers and scheming
politicians throughout the country.
Asan evidence Of this we haYe only
to refer to the Republican newspapers,
and especially those that are published
in the country districts, and whichhave
a circulation almost entirely among the
farmers.
These papers are just now filled with
every kind OF Misrepresentation that is
calculated to create prejudice in the
minds of the farmers, by a distortion OF
facts, in respect to the cause for the de
crease of the price of wool. This has
been true every campaign for sew
eral years past, and the same
thing is repeated this year,
The assertion is made broadcast, with
out any argument OF effort to support
it with facts, that the decrease in the
price of wool this year is caused solely
in anticipation that the Mills bill, which
places wool upon the free list, will be-
come a law. 1t only requires a mo-
ment's thought on the part of a person
anxious to investigate with a view OF
ascertaining the true cause of this re-
duction in the price of wool to see that
there is not one word Of truth in the
columns of stuff that are thus dished
up every week to prejudice the mind OF
the wool grower. Now what are the
facts? In 1859, wool was ready sale
all over this part of the country at from
40 to so cents per pound, and from 1868
to 1866 it brought in the market from
70 cents to 81 per pound. Now, 1t cam
not be argued that these high prices,
covering a period of six or seven years,
could he attributed to a high tariff, be-
cause during all that time and on up
until 1867, tuere was no tariff on wool,
and, in fact, it is the observation Of
every person who will think for a mo-
ment that at no time since we have had
a tariff duty upon wool have the prices
in the market been as high as they
were during the years it was entirely
free.
There is only one cause for the fall
ing off in the price Of wool, ard which
will bring about that result with or
without tariff, and that is over produc-
tiol he production of more wool than
the inanufactories of this country need
and especially when the market of the
wool grower is confined as it has been
during the existence of the tariff to this
country alone. But they say it is not
an over production because there are
not as many sheep In Ohio today as
there were ten years ago, That there
has been a great decrease in the mum
bel, Of sheep in Ohio within the last ten
years is true, in the face of the fac3 that
a protective tariff is beneficial. as they
argue, to the wool growing interest.
The development of the great West
with It's boundless expanse OF fertile
prairie lands, has not only made won.
derful progress in the raising of sheer
and the production of wool, but it is sc
also as to wheat. 1t is not commended
that the tariff has in any way affected
the price of wheat, and yet the price OF
wheat is lower now than it has been fol
forty years. The demand for wheat
was equal to the production in this
country from 1858 until within the last
ten years, and the prices ranged from
$1.50 to SO per bushel during nearly al
that time, but the enterprising capital
lists discovered the great wheat pro
ducing character of the soil Of thu
States and Territories west of thu
Mississippi, and the result is tina
millions of bushels of wheat are pro
duced annually upon the lands tina
were hitherto ~undeveloped and useless
prairie The production of wheat is M
longer confinedto this part of the coun
try but has extended to the great whea
country of the West, and the result il
| Illdb Ull0 ULACO llbo DCCh lCuuCCA ny J'
supply exceeding the demand; or il
other words the production exceeds tn,
consumption, which necessarily cause
low prices. Farmers are suffering a
much from low prices in wheat as the!
N are from low prices in wool, and tn,
same cause that produces it in n cas-
produces it in the other.
There has been a remarkable chang
in the production of wool. Within tina
time it has largely been transferred
from Ohio and other wool growing
states to the far West. These western
states and territories, which are nue.
better adapted to wool growing an,
/ sheep raising, have been flooded wit
sheep for several years past by capital
lists engaged in the business in tina
part of the country. These men ca
! grow wool in the West where sheep cal
be herded on the prairies the year rounl
at a nominal cost, and can afford to SCI
it at a much lower price than the far
, mer who is compelled to feed his shee
nearly half the year. This wester
wool floods the market and controls tn
prices. and compels the farmer in thi
part of the country to sell at the price
. thus fixed and controlled by the west
ern spectators.
Wool is raw material and should no
be limited to this country alone for il
market. The markets of the worl
: should be open to it, so as to create
. greater demand. The tariff Of 1867 ha
r the effect of shutting out the market
8 of the world to our raw wool, an
4 during all the time since it has bee
y limited and restricted to the demand Q
. the manufactures of this country alon,
s and the result was that the productio
e EXCEEDED the demand from year to yea
and a consequent reduction of price
Z Farmers who reason and think fl