Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-01-26
THE NORTHWEST
The WOOL Tax.
The SOphistry Of the Wool
PrOtectiOniStS Riddled
with Cold Facts.
Arguments for Farmers and Wage
Workers, the Producers ofthe
Wealth of the Country.

Wealth of the Country.
Hon. Frank H. Hurd, one of the
clearestheaded tariff reform advocates
in the country, was recently interview
ed on the subject of President Cleve-
lands tariff reform message to Con-
gress.
Reporter take it that you are pleas
ed with President Cleveand's tariff
message?.
Hurd-I am very well pleased with
it. He brushes away all equivocations
and presents rugged issue.
Reporter-But our Republican friends
say that the message and the issue seal
the death warrant of the Democracy,
and insure Republican victory in 1888?
Hurd-Certainly they do, and | only
hope that they will go hucging that de-
lusion to their bosoms. Some of the
leaders possibly do not realize what a
revulsion has taken place in public
sentiment. They will discover it, how
ever, later on.
Reporter-What is the character of
the revulsion of public sentiment to
which you refer:
Hurd-The cultured and educated
sentiment of the country is once more
with the Democratic party.
Reporter-Was it ever opposed to it?
Hurd-The preponderating portion
of it was for long series years.
Reporter-For what reason?
Hurd--Beginning with 1850, the
slavery question assumed a phase that
was disastrous to the Democracy.
While the position of the party was
strictly defensible on constitutional
grounds, it resulted in the alienation of
the controlling educated sentiment of
the country from the party, and it re-
mained with our opponents long after
the slavery question was eliminated
from our politics.
Reporter--But now you think the
tide has set in the other direction?
Hurd-It is almost at flood in the
opposite direction. Upon the issue of
the hour you will find nearly all the
leading educators of the country, and
the heads of our chief educational
institutions, with the Democratic idea.
Men may sneer, as good many of the
Republican leaders and editors do, at
the school-masters,' but they will find
in the end that educated public opinion
leads the way to all real and perman-
ent reforms. 1t may be batfled for a
time. Greed, selfishness, hate and un-
reasoning prejudice may cloud the
public judgment for season, but the
educational force is working with an
Irresistible power, and finally accom-
plishes its aim.
Reporter-Then you fully anticipate
reform in our revenue and tax
system?
Hurd-Beyond all peradventure, and
at even an earlier day than | anticpat-
ed few years ago. The monster of
monopoly is already in its final strug-
gle. 1t is face to face with the Destroy
ing Angels, and its contOrti0ns portray
the throes which precede dissolution.
Reporter--The wool-growers seem to
be especially wrought up over the ideas
of tariff revision and revenue reform.
Hurd-Apparently; some of the most
active of them, | suspect, the shrewd
politicians, who are interested in keep
ing up the reign of monopoly, and are
trying to play portion of the farmers
against their own hest interests. In
my opinion, to put wool on the free list
would be to enhance the price of
uOiIleStlC IletCcS'
Reporter-Do you think so?
Hurd--I do most sincerely. Let sus
look at the thing gintelligentiy. WoOlen
manufacturers everywhere will tell
YOU that the best results can only be
obtained by the admiXture of different
woods. Every country, or the marked
climatic sections of different counties
produces class of wool peculiar to it.
self For manufacturing purposes no
class of wool alone produces the best
results. 1t requires admiXture with
some other class from some other coun-
try or section. The woolen manufac-
turing establishments of this country
have q capacity for manufacturing six
hundred million pounds of wool annu.
ally. Our wool production of all classes
and kinds is less than this. Moreover,
an admixture of foreign woods is neces
sary to carry on those manufacturers
SO as to compete with those of Europe
even witha high tariff on maj fac.
tured goods. The tariff on raw wool:
restricts importation and consequently
restricts manufacturers. The more
foreign wool imported the more manu-
factures, and this would increase thu
demand for domestic fleeces and an in
creased demand would produce better
prices. Ihave no doubt but that fre,
wool would result in higher prices TO
the domestic product and lower price
for woolen goods.
Reporter How will you make thai
out?