Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1890-02-28
DEMAND FOR FREE WOOL.
MR.. BENEFITS PETITION A HARD
NUT FOR PROTECTIONISTS

There We're $50 Signers and They Were
Among the Most Prominent Manufac-
turers in the Country-Some Extracts
from His Speech-What the Duties Do.
The hardest nut the high tariff party
have yet had to crack was the recent
appearance of Mr.. Frank P. Bennett of
The American Wool Reporter, before
the committee of ways and means with
a petition for free wool, signed by $50
prominent wooden goods manufacturers.
Mr.. Bennett in presenting this petition
said, in part:
"Among the $50 signers of the petition
for free wool are Mr.. Moses T. Stevens,
of North Andover, Mass, the largest in
dividual wooden manufacturer in the
United States; Mr.. G. q. Silsbee, treas
urer of the famous Middlesex Wooden
company, of Lowell, Mass; Mr.. Arthur
7. Lyman, treasurer Of the great carpet
mills at LOWELL Mr.. Galen G. Moses,
treasurer of the Worumbo Manufacture
ing company, the largest wooden manu-
featuring establishment in the state of
Maine; Mr.. Jesse Metcalf, one of the
largest wooden manufacturers and most
influential citizens of Rhode Island; Mr..
James Kitchenman, large manufac
turer of the city of Philadelphia.
'sThe astonishing feature of this unex-
pected list of names in favor of free wool
lies not only in the character, but in the
number of the signers. 1t has been
hitherto asserted, on very high authori-
txrf hat hn 0n1u for favNs.
of free WOOL are few officers of large
corporations, the number of whom does
not exceed ten. But this list of sigma
lures shows that the rank and file Of
smaller manufacturers are as willing to
express their opinions in regard to wool
duties as are the great leaders Of the
trade. No effort has been made to ascer-
tain the politics of the signers of these
petitions. Among the manufacturers
who petition for free wool in New
Hampshire Mr.. Charles J. Amidon, of
Hinsdale, is a very influential Republic
can; Mr.. A. w. SuIloway, of Franklin
Falls, is an influential Democrat of ma
tional reputation
SIN the state of Rhode Island" con-
tinued Mr.. Bennett, ''the total number of
looms in wooden and worsted mills is
7,461, and of these, manufacturers rep
resenting 4,085 looms, or considerably
more than half the whole number in the
state, have signed this petition for free
WOOL But besides these mills which
represent the 4,0e5 looms, several spin
ming mills containing no looms, but
which have in the aggregate Al sets of
cards, Is combs and "a knitting ma
chimes, have signed the petition for free
wool. Among other signers whom /
have not mentioned in Rhode Island are
the celebrated Wey bosset mills, of Olney
vile, the equally well known Lippett
Wooden company, of Woonsocket, the
Peacedale Manufacturing company, Of
which Mr. Rowland Hazard is treasurer,
and the great Atlantic mills, of Olney-
vile, by Owen Bros, agents.
"These Atlantic mills make ladies'
dress goods, such as are also made by
the Arlington mills, of which Mr.. Whit
man is treasurer, and the Owen Bros.
actually own a considerable share of the
mills which they manage. There can
be no doubt that this growing demand
for revision of the tariff in the direc
ton of reduced duties has had much to
do with taking Rhode Island out of the
list of sure Republican states and putting
it into the ranks of the doubtful, and
will confess right here that, as Repub
ican, one of my reasons for engaging in
the distribution of these petitions has
been the hope that this growing demand
for a revision of the tariff in the direc
ton of reduced rather than of increased
duties might be complied with and sat
isfied under Republican auspices.
''The signatures to these two petitions,
the one in favor of free wool and the
other in favor of ad valorem duties, are
from nearly every state and territory in
which wooden manufactures are stu
ated. A few wool growers have signed
the petitions, but they were men who
found them in neighboring wooden mills,
and signed them without solicitation.
have no hesitation in saying that petit
ton for reduced duties upon wool for the
benefit of our manufacturers who fur
nish our domestic wool growers the sole
market for their fleeces, would secure
great many signers among that portion
of our agricultural population concerned
in the raising of wool. The signers of
these petitions do not believe that free
wool means free goods. One of the most
prosperous periods the wooden manufac-
turing industry has ever enjoyed in the
United States was from 1862 to 1867, and
this prosperity was not due alone to the
wsr, but to the fact that the duty on raw
onI tho 611tv MOI
featured goods was high enough to af-
ford our mills abundant protection and
to bestow upon our wool growers the
blessings of an abundant home market.
During that period American sheep
husbandry expanded enormously, and
in 1867 the number Of sheep in Ohio
reached total of 1856, 507 head. Then
came the increased tax upon wool in
1867, which continued unchanged until
1888, and, with the exception of the
single year, 1868, the number Of sheep in
Ohio grew steadily smaller and beauti-
fully less after that date. In 1875 the
number of sheep in Ohio had fallen to
4,100,2 head under the highest duties
upon wool ever known, and now, when
little coterie of Ohio politicians stands
in the light of wool growers and wooden
manufacturers alike, and to such proofs
of the destructive influence of the high
tax upon wool as we have just presented
replies merely with threats, we are GER
tainly very sorry that they cannot take
more reasonable ground. And, as one
Of the largest manufacturers and strong
est protectionists In Philadelphia re-
Gently remarked, I would rather have
four years of free wool, even with the
risk of free goods at the end Of that time,
than to endure another four years such
as we have just been through
PortugaI's King and Queen.
King Carlos Of Portugal. who possesses six