The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-02-27
THE WOOL TARIFF.
THEFARmER AND CLASS LEGISLATION.
One Who Wants TO Stop Wholesale Rob-
bery-other Topics For Our Agricultural
Friends-February Field Notes
Household Recipes, Etc.

In the Rural for December |. you laid
down principles about tariff to protect the
wool industry. I have read it, says J. F.
Erickson. but am unable to see through it.
] beg to say few words on the question.
The first point where the Rural wants
wool industry protected is for fear of COM
petition in the farming industry. can
not see into that, because sheep industry is
mostly carried on on poor land, or at least
land less profitable for farming. If we
had land that would make farming profit
able all over, we could not agree to till it
all. Some would be let to the fockmas-
tiers for the sheep. The second point is
beef industry. If everybody produced
beef there would be no demand for it. Are
not the fockmasters in competition with
the beef-growers? The people cannot eat
beef and mutton at the same time. | can
not see how tariff will do any good; on the
contrary, it will hurt US. We have wasted
our money to worse than nothing. l am
confident that the flockmasters will come
out even with our beef industry outside
the wool. The third point that l wish to
touch is the need of tariff on wool for fear
that our home industry will be driven to
ruin through foreign wool thread. A good
many facts are against that argument. |
will only give one point. England mostly
depends on foreign wool. and yet the price
stands most uniform. / think free wool
in this country would benefit the most OF
the fiockmasters. The small ones always
have TO pay back on their clothing what
they got by tariff on the large ones. L
cannot see why we will always do so much
for the already wealthy. They can, as
stated, compete with our beef outside the
WOOL. If the wool was free they would
aot abandon their industry.
The RltTal is always opposing class legis-
atiOn | think that tariff on wool or any
other industry to protect one class at ex-
pense of another is the greatest rank fraud
Df all class legislation, and should be OPP
posed. 1t is true. as the Rural says that
arif on wool affects us but little, but
when we have to pay one tribute to the
xool-grOwer and one to the manufacturer
ne Will find a tribute from - TO IS per
cent. Is it not time to stop this wholesale
robberv2 Tariff Is theft. In the heather
times the tariff was practiced by a gang OF
robbers on public highways. They
stopped the public and took toll or tariff.
Now, in our time of Christianity and CIV
ilization our government is the king of
tariff robbers, and sell themselves or con-
tract TO any party they please to plumber
she people. | have been in this country
sixteen years and my observation is that
we are going from bad to worse. Our self
government Is entirely a failure. We
have so long supported greedy capital and
railroad corporations that our hope is lost
so entirely that no hope remains The
farm mortgage can no more be redeemed
Rs long as we have a wall of tariff to stop
the foreign trade from taking our surplus.
The government tolls us on every neces-
sary OF life and on every highway. | find
u most difficult to maintain the farming
industry. | can see no hope for our fu-
ure. Mr.. Butterworth OF Ohio has intro
duced bill TO annex Canada to the United
States. | submit to the Rural readers that
Il would be better to annext the United
States to Canada. Over there people are
more happy, have good pay for what they
produce. and no tariff TO rob them on what
they consume. Let us be annexed.