The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-01-04
THE WOOLGROWERS' DAY.
Sheepraisers Have a Hearing Before
the House Ways and Means
Committee.
The Growers Want tho Present
Duty Increased and Tell
Why They DO.
Manufacturers Opposed Auy Further In-
crease, but Want n TO Rcmaiu lust
What II Sow Is.
THO woolrrowins nn.Ile...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8. Before the
house cor,.Gltice Oh ways and means
this morning, Garter, % Montana,
spoke in relation to sheep hpsbandry, par
iicularly on The eastern slope OF the Rocky
mountains. Shepherd, = woolgrower of
rexss was the next witness
After somc remarks bv Walsh Of Mis-.
souri, Hon. VIM. Lawrence, of Ohio. read
statement as the representative sent by the
National WoolRIowers' ussociation.
Payne suggested, in order 20 save tine
and give other gentlemen az oppOriunity to
address the committee, thai Lawrencc's
manuscript bC printed without being road.
10 this suggeation Lawrence nssontcd, with
the condition that he make n condensed
statement orally of what his manuscript
contained That clause was adopted and
Lawrence went on with hla remarks. He
would purposloy, he sid. omit atariil speech
which he would Ill AXE ia congress. 10
the effect that ~ d. ate duty on wool
and manufactured ..n goods wOald not
ultimately increase the cost AZ
all, because home compeiitin would
prevent unreasonable charges. while il the
protective policy were abandoned aud all
such products imported from iabroad. the
result would be tue American people would
be at the mercy Of foreign trusts and cor
porntions.
Carlisle-Tliat argument rests on assump-
ton that the home industry would be aban-
doned.
witness-Yes, the effect Of the tariff of
1888 has been TO cut down vastly the num-
Der If our sheep. and with free wool the in
dustry would be practically abandoned in
the United States.
James Dobson-A Philadelphia carpet
,no .l.,,t.l .tp ..f
many of Lawrcnce's statements. lie ar
Rucd the wool growers of the United States
would not and did not produce the quantity
of carpet wool used IN that industry, be-
cause where they received Sl.50 for the
fleece Of a fine wool sheep, they would not
receive ~ cents for coarse wool sheep.
VIM. Whitman, of Boston, president of
the National association Of wool manufac-
turers, said; "Ihe prevailing sentiment in
the organization was for the maintenance,
but not for the increase. of the present
duties. They would oppose any attempt 10
restrict the importation of foreign wool.
Manufacturers could not produce all the
goods necessary for home consumption un-
less they could have foreign wool in reply
10 question, Whitman said that under no
circumstance would free wool enable the
r.anuiactas ~ 70 mike an impression on
the foreign markets. He thought free wool
would slimulatelproductio and give man
ufacturers IN opportunity 10 displace
foreign products not used here, but he also
thought the effect on wool would be 90
diminish the price of wool and consequently
discourage the sheep raiser. The moment
We begin 10 take from the wool product any
given amount Of wool, the price win
be raised aud wool become considerably
dearer thgu now.
L. Z. Search, representing the Manuinc-
turers' club of Philadelphia, declared him.
self in harmony with Whitman's views. A
statement TO like effect was mhde by W. ii,
Folweli cloth manufacturer of Phila-
delphia. He announced himself in favor of
putting high duties ON southern products,
sugar, rice, turpentine and peanuts and of
having free whisky and free tobacco. lie
would tax the sugar that comes from
abroad, until we could supply the whole de-
mand ourselves
John +. Plummer, of New York, said the
co lntry is suffering under the popular
pre- udice that better clothes can lao got
Rbro ld than here, at the same price. He
declared there WAS no country where man
could ot as good a suit Of clothes for es
little N pcy ns in the United States.