National Republican., 1888-01-14
TIE TARIFF ON WOOL.
AN OPEN LETTER FROM JUDGE WILL
IAN LAWRENCE.
ConvincinA esrta Showing That There
Should be No Reduction In the Duty
Free Traders Misrepresentations Meet
with an Able Answer.
cleveland Leador.1

on the 9th instant the wool growers Of
Carroll county, at o meeting In Carrollton,
adopted "ringing resolutions critcislng
Cleveland's message and desiring the tariff
OF 1867 to be restored" have not seen
the full resolutions, and so do not know
their exact language 7 know the great
service you have rendered to the wool
growing and other industries Of .. the coun-
try by your able advocacy and support Of
protective tariff, and / avail myself OF This
occasion 10 express my great satisfaction
that the wool growers and wool manufac-
turers oil over the country are at last walk
ing up to the dangers which threaten the
destruction Of the great industries In which
they are engaged, and you are fM'r en-
listed In the effort to, avert 30 great o
calamity to all the people. My particular
purpose III addressing you is to call at
teption to some part Of the remedy which
wool growers and manufacturers should de-
msnd to relieve the present depression in
the industries mentioned, and to place them
on a basis of permanent prosperity. The
Farmers' National Congress OF 1885, and
again IN 1885, demanded "a restoration Of
the wool tariff OF 1867" The congress Of
1887, held at Chicago In November, changed
the form Of the demand In favor Of tariff,
which will In due time secure the American
market for the American wool growers and
manufacturers. There WAS reason for,
this change which should be more 1enerally
understood.
The purpose OF all the resolves Tin favor
of O restoration Of the wool tariff Of 1852
has been to obtain leg Station which will
place the wool growers In as favorable
position,in view OF nov. exciting conditions,
as they occupied under the wool tariff OF
1867 under the conditions then existing. In
this view OF the real purpose Of such re-
solves they are eminently just and proper.
But II is mistake to suppose that we now
want literally restoration OF the wool
tariff OF 1867. We want new tariff-the
tariff of 1Sss-adapted to conditions which
now exist, but which did not exist when
grown the tariff OF 1867. 1t is no longer
applicable, and would not now be sufficient
ly protective. / do not mean that higher
rates Of duty are required as to all forms Of
wool, but as to some classes the rates pre-
scribed in the act Of 1867 would no longer
be protective.
The act OF 1867 for the FIRST time in our
history classified woods as:
/. "Clothing WOOL" being the ordinary
merino wool such as we raise In Ohio.
2. "Combing WOOL" being the long,
8. Carpet WOOL" a coarse, inferior
quality. unfit for and not then used in the
manufacture of clothing, but in cheap car
The act of 1867 imposed duties as fol-
lows:
On clothing woods, unwashed: value 50
cents per pound or less, 10 cents per pound,
30 cents per pound. IL cents per pound, and 10
Per cent, ad yalorem. Washed, double duty.
On eombing wools; value 81 cents or less pss POI
valorem. Value exceeding 80 cents per
pound. u cents per pound, aud 10 per cent I'D
on carpet wools; value u cents per pound or
less. 8 cents per pound; value over IL cents per
pound. cents per pound.
On the opesaon Or iss his law 4: wool
dustry prospered. The increase in the number
of sheep from 1860 TO 1870 amounted to 6.0O6,
crease n nRumSer Rsn s was G SIS OF about boz
per cent; and In 1884 our sheep numbered &c, :
3Go,243. Our wool product increased faster
ieece rose from 2IS and sN pounds to and 81
pounds lofwashed wool, according to loca.
lion. Thus the wool industry, for the first
Gus and remunerafive under the act of March
2, 1867, and up to act Of March 8. 1888.
give the provisions Of this tariff, not for
your information--for that is not necessary
but that may have the weight Of your
name in calling the attention OF others to
passage Of that law is SO well known that
you do not need to be enlightened. 1t Is tc
be, especially noticed that this act imposed
one rate Of duty on raw clothing wool, aud
double that duty on washed wool. That Is
for Illustration, about as the fact generally
was, say 133 cents per pound on raw cloth
Ing wool, or 81 cents on washed clothing
wool.
The long comhing wool was admitted
washed at the duty OF l3l cents per pound
only hall the duty on clothing wool. Th,
reason for this that combipg woods wer
not then used in making cloth or mem
clothing goods in any form They %ers
dresses and for Innings. Thus the secretar,
of the National Association Of Wool Manu-
facturers, In pamphlet prepared in lSs
for the Senate committee on agriculture, a
Washington, said
In England and in this country onl
the long staple woods were clnssed as combn
aI Of that @ % tsS n,i ReraGa ser % tha
sueS Woos sSa beSn sSd a eohs
the fabrics for the ordinary wear of men, bu
were used only as "stnils," or the unfeltet
ings.
Thus, when the act OF 1867 was passed
the importation OF the long woods did no
In the least interfere with or displace ou
merino woods. The long woods were theI
only produced In this country to limited
amount, and the manufacture of ladies
dress goods was then comparatively small
In extent. In view Of these conditions tn
tariff of 1867 admitted the long WASHED
woods at half the duty imposed on tn
merlno clothing woods. II the same con
dtions now existed similar Legislation
would be wise. But this is no longer SO
In the manufacture OF ladies' dress goods
but also In making clothes for mems wear
The chief Of the bureau Of statistics, In hi
special report Of 1887 on wool, &C., says:
Prior to 1868, worsted manufacture was con
fined to the goods before mentioned (delaine'
ladies' goods, &c.,) but In 1865 diagonal an
other w0rsteds for mems wear (worsted cloth
began to be made.
And he says:
A considerable portion of the wool produC
OF the country which, according to the term
wool, has, by comparatively recent improve
ments in machinery, been rendered snscec
tible TO the combing process, and thus ha
been utilized In the manufacture OF wOrstc
goods embracing certain higher grades o
wearing apparel, womens AVID children
ing. Such woods, though in the trade regarie
as combing woods, under the terms of tn
Ievenne;law tariff would be classed as cloth
ing woos.
In other word, mcrlno wools and the Ion
combing woods are now all clothing an
combing wools. Both can be and are mad
Into cloth for mems wear, and both ar
made into "women's and children's dres
goods" A.
Yet, under the act OF 1SG7-and the sam
strue Of the act OF lSS3-washed long woo
Ia only charged bali the duty as washe
merno wool, though both are now used 70
exactly the same purposes. The result
that tile country is being Hooded with tn
foreign long wool, which supplants on
American merlno wool, aud what is wors
tha al lnt hs haI Ia,