Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1889-08-02
COMING to Free Wool.

naturally made in the process of man
ufacture of wooden and worsted
fabrics. is the waste intended 70 be
covered by the tariff act of 1883. " liz
is bold step toward free wool and
il means free wool as the future policy
of the government. 1t is not called
by that name; but both wool-growers
and wool manufacturers understand
that it means practically free wool.
By this strained decision, that over
rules the plain text of the tariff laws
and also overrules the recent decision
of Secretary Window given on the
22d of March last, large amount OF
the best imported wool is reduced
from 60 per cent. to 10 per cent.
tariff duties. The amount of wool
likely to be imported at the reduced
rate by giving it the semblance OF
waste, will be just the amount of the
best class of wool that our manufac
turers want, and we are now about
to reach, by a violent overriding OF
the law, just what the Mills tariff
bill declared to be necessary policy
to quicken our industries and supply
our home market with American
woolens.
The people are not deceived by any
of these awkward and violent tariff
notifications in defiance OF law.
They are simply contract obligations
made under the pressure of political
necessity, and those who paid the
price of party victory if cash, now
demand, are obtaining, theirrewards.
The first demand was for construc-
tive increase of tariff taxes on worsted
goods in violation of the plain letter
of the law, and it was given because
it had been paid for in advance and
the party obligation had to be met.
Next, the same wooden manufacturers
who had made common cause with
the wool-growers for high taxes on
both wool and woolens, demand that
their raw material shall be made as
nearly free as possible; and by the
baldest trick in trade-that Of put
ting up fine wool to resemble waste
they have now thrown the wool-grow-
ers overheard and forced another VIC
lent constructive revision of the tariff
in their favor by CHASING fine wool as
waste and getting it at 10 per cent.
instead of 60 per cent. duty.
This method of coming to free wool,
which all the wooden manufacturers
want, is a treble fraud. First is fla
grant fraud upon the government,
by which millions of pounds of free
wool will be admitted at five-siXths
reduction of duty; second it is fla
grant fraud upon the wool growers
who were promised increased tariff
taxes upon wool by the Senate tariff
that was made the party platform for
the campaign; and, third, it is fla
grant fraud upon consumers, as it fur
nishes large portion of the raw ma
terials of wooden manufacturers free,
and yet taxes the people, all of whom
consume woolens, on the high basis
adopted to justify high duties on wool.
1t is practically making nearly free
raw materials for manufacturers and
giving them all the benefit of the
high protection needed by wool grow
ers. The Mills bill made wool free
for manufacturers and reduced the
tax on woolens over 90 per cent. for
the benefit of consumers; but the
fraudulent constructive tariff revision
gives capital everything and consum-
ers nothing.
Is it not quite time that President
Harrison should call a peremptory
halt along the whole line on the violent
modification of sacred laws by mere
official construction? If the construc-
tive increase of tariff taxes on worst
eds and the constructive reduction Of
tariff taxes on wool are TO stand as
precedents ovr tariff laws will be ac-
cepted as the mere plaything of tenn
porary political accidents. One adj
ministration may, by construction,
reduce duties, and another increase
duties indefinitely, and thus fling un-
certainty into every channel of indus
try and trade, and how could any bus
mess prosper under such reckless va
riations of political power? In like
Tanner can ''re-rate" pensioners from
"a per month up to $50 at will what
can hinder a future Commissioner
from 're-rating" pensioners from $50
down to "a per month? The President
should see that his subordinates are
steadily drifting his administration
out into tempestuous sea Of lawless-
ness, and he should at once call halt
and remand all needed revisions of
the nations laws to Congress.
The action of the United States
Customs Appraisers is notable as a
confession that free wool is necessity
to give prosperity to our industries;
but there is right way and a wrong
way to do even the right thing, and
increased duties on worsteds, lessened
duties on wool and increased pensions
are questions which belong solely to
the law-making power and not to ir'
responsible political accidents who
happen to be appraisers or pension
officials
Let us lave free wool, but let us get
it by lawful methods, not by revolu-
tionary DEGREES of petty placemen,
who simply execute campaign con-
tracts. Philadelphia Times.