The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-01-17
WOOL GROWERS.
Resolution of the Vermont MerinO Men,
Sharp Sticks for the Administration.

Resolution of the Vermont MerinO Men,
Sharp Sticks for the Administration.
Following are the resolutions of the
Vermont Merino Sheep Breeders Asso-
citation, adopted at their annual meeting
held in Middlebury on Wednesday OF
last week
WHEREAS, The Vermont Merino
Sheep Breeders Association during the
Is years that have elapsed since its or
ganization having with constant persis-
tency advocated the principle of protec
ton to American products as necessary
for the welfare of the country and as es-
pecially necessary for the preservation
of the business of sheep breeding as
we'll as wool growing and wooden man
ufactures, do hereby congratulate our
selves and the country upon the t. iumph
of that principle at the recent election
for President and Members of Congress.
We also view with pleasure the evil
dence furnished of the confidence of the
business portion of our people in that
principle by the great improvement in
the revival of bushes, and notable in
the confidence already displayed among
breeders of stud fiocks, wool growers
and wooden manufacturers the adj
vance of five to six cents per pound in
the price of our unwashed Merino wool
during the last six months being good
and sufficient evidence of a restoration
of confidence in the future, that the ad-
ministrative and legislative branches of
the government will be favorable to
American production by American lab
or, instead of favoring the products OF
| foreign soils by foreign labor, as has
most clearly been the policy of the pres
ent administration and the present
House of Represen' atives ; and we have
no doubt, if they could have carried
their policy into fo.ce by legislative
enactment. the effect would have been
to cripple American enterprise and cause
widespread suffering among the work
ers of our country. While this associa-
ton still is of the opinion that lowering
the duties by the act of March, 1888,
was great damage 10 the wool growers
of the United States, and still greater to
the breeders of stud flocks, we believe
we have suffered It II more by the I'M
wise and un-American policy exhibited
in the execution of our tariff laws by an
administration not IN sympathy with
American production or American labor,
although expressing great sympathy for
the latter And we most emphatically
condemn the unjust interpretations, rul-
ings and practices of the customs officials
so manifest in the classification of wool
en- goods, wool, wool waste and substi
tutes for wool especially has this been
apparent in wool at the lowest rate of
duty, that has been used in the manu-
facture of clothing fabrics instead of car
pets, under which designation it Las
been imported. And we hereby
Resolved, That the rebuke admini'-
tered by the American people in with
drawing the power entrusted to the
present administration four years ago
was just and deserved.
Resolved, That we respectfully remind
the administration soon to come into
power and the Congress lately elected
that the people have decided that wool
shall not be imported free of duty, and
we confidently look to them for such
recognition of our industry and such
protection as its importance to the coun-
try demands, and that the policy so det-
rimental to our interests pursued by the
present administration and the present
House of Representatives shall be cen
sured ; and we especially ask Congress
to pass such laws as shall secure Just
and equitable classification of wool and
guard against fraudulent importations of
wool. wool wastes, or substitutes for
wool, and we earnestly request the Sec
rotary of the Treasury, soon to be ap-
pointed, to cause the laws to be so ad-
ministered as to protect the interests of
the wool growers of the United States
and insure to us such rates of protection
as we are entitled to under them.