Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-03-02
CONGRESSMAN MILLS AS A TEACHER

To the Editor Of The Boston journal .
The exposure of the ignorance of Mr..
Mills on seamless stockings prompts me
to say that was not the first time the
chairman of the present committee of
ways and means has shown his ignorance
of what he was endeavoring to teach
Others, and his unfitness for his present
position.
When the representatives of the wool
growers appeared before the committee of
ways and means in 1884 to protest against
further reduction of duties, as was pro-
of the committee. we were told by Mr..
Mills that the wool growers of Texas did
not need, want, or ask for any protection
on wool; that Texas could grow wool
the world.
cannot now give his exact language,
but that here given expresses the ideas
lie impaired on that occasion.
To show how ignorant Mr.. Mills was
on the subject of wool growing in Texas,
the necessities and conditions demanded
to insure Il profit on that industry in his
own State.I will give the statement of Mr.
Schaffer, wool grower of long expert
ence in that State, before the conference
of wool growers and dealers at Washing
ton last December, that if wool could not
be better protected than it was by the
act of March, 1888, that the wool grow
ers of Texas would be obliged to give up
the business, and the decrease Of two
million in the number of sheep in that
State from Jan. l, 1886, to Jan. l, 1887,
was abundant evidence to prove the cor
rectness of the statement.
The following item from the Wool Re-
porter is strong indication that Mr..
Mills did not understand the necessities
and wishes of the wool growers of his
own State.
ga rousing mass meeting was held at
San Antonio last week to protest against
the proposed wool tariff reduction.
Speeches were made by eX-Congressman
Epson, Hon. George Paschal and Col.
W. l.. Black. and some ringing resou-
tons were adopted"
Another indication that the wool grow
ers of Texas understand their own needs
and wishes better than Mr. Mills is the
following copy of a letter | received a
few weeks since:
GAINESVILLE, TEX, Dec. II, 1887.
Dear Sir Il have voted the straight
Democratic ticket for twenty-seven years,
but shall not vote for or with the party
that will throttle our sheep interests. We
have 2600 fine sheep that will be for sale
when this insane idea of free wool is car
ried out. If sheep men can vote next
fall you will see them vote with strangers,
as it were, and they will not vote for
Grover Cleveland"
1t is not surprising that the Madam
Jellabys lately called in from the impor-
tiers and advocates of free raw material
to give the majority of the committee of
ways and means private tutelage in
political economy should have given
wrong teachings on the manufacture and
importations of seamless stockings, but
it would seem that Mr.. Mills should have
posted himself more accurately on the
wants and wishes of the little Jellabys
engaged in wool growing in his own
State before he ventures to speak for
them. If he does not he may expect to
hear more ''hollerng" than he has yet.
1t is possible that if Mr.. Mills had
allowed some of the Mr.. Jellabys engaged
in endeavoring to build up our home
industries and save our home market, to
give himself and his associate of the
majority of his committee some true in
structions, he would not have Numbered
into such an exposure of his ignorance
and his unfitness to deal with the prob
lens affecting the prosperity of the pub
lie that he has been appointed to take
into consideration.
ALBERT CHAPMAN.
Middlebury, VT, Feb. %, 1888.