Sharp County record., 1890-08-21
STILL PULLING WOOL

pIumb the Folly Of Mokinleys Du'
Garnet Wools-fayorablo hepiy
senator-How the senlte ,,,I
yieIded to the "Demand" OF tho
orowor.-Tbe shoddy Men Clamor io'
MoKInIey's High Wool Duties.
Mr.. Louis Windmueller, large VIZ w
Iroror,nr of New York, wrote recentiy
10 Senator Plumb protesting against a
autv on Russian camel'S hair and agalhs.
Increased rates on coarse and mlAeu
wool su,h as are used in carpet making
It was shown by Mr.. Windmueller tna,
os wo have no camels, it would be 1901
Ish to place protective duties on Gamer >
! hair to build up new industry anu
bot the same is true of coarse carpet
wool snco next to none is produced IN
America The only effect OF these
dutie, therefore, would be to increase
the price of carpets to our own peopls,
In reply 10 this letter Mr.. Windmueller
received the following letter from tne
Kansas Senator:
UNITED STATES SENATE,
WASHINGTON, d. e., July H. los'')
LouIs Windmuollcr, Esq, New lorK'
near Sir. have read what you say aDou'
the duty on Russian camePs hair. WIN s'o
this matter full consideration, ana e1ceP'
! for someihinv which do not now loresec
will sunnort the position which you take
do NOT object 10 the tectification OF the IN
conal ties of the tar # but have net Deen
able 10 convince myself, nor have peen
convinced by the reasoning Of others, that
there should be any general increase OF the
! duties now imposed, especially upon articles
which 20 into general consumption anh'PG
our people Yours truy,
| PRESTON B. PLUMB.
It was Senator Plumb who introduced
the resolution in the Senate to require
the Finance Committee to give reasons
for changes in the tariff. But this reso-
luton called out such rigmarole OF
glittering generalities about creating
new industries, protecting American
interests" meeting increased competl.
ton abroad" and so on, that it would
have been as we'll if Senator Plumb had
never introduced the resolution at all
With regard to the wool duties, for eA-
/ ample, llb obiN'
mand from the representative WOOL
growers of the country that the rates
upon wool should be largely increased,
has led the committee to recommend
the adoption of the classification herein
suggested, which it is hoped will result
in uniform and honest classification OF
wool"
That is funny. The wool-growers de
manded" largely increased rates upon
wool, and the committee gave them "a
new Classification" But this was by no
means giving a stone instead of bread,
| for the new classification" results in a
large increase of duties though the
committee neglected to assign any
reason for that increase beyond the
demand from the representative WOOL
growers of the country"
This affords another example of how
the protected interest of the country are
allowed to write their demands" into our
tariff laws. The theory of protection is
that the lawmakers examine the con-
dition of the country and then decide
that protection" is needed, and this is
accordingly given. In point Of fact the
thing is never done in this way; but the
hungry interests come floclHng to Con-
gress to impose their demands" upon a
committee that usually knows very
| little about trade and industry and is only
| too willing to have its action guided
by men who know what they want. This
is the way tariff bills to defend "Ameri-
can interests" are concocted. 1t is the
! men who want to fill their own pockets
who rush before committees of Congress
and prate about protecting American
labor from disastrous foreign compe-
tition"
AS the Senate committee had no rea-
son to give Senator Plumb further than
"the demand of the representative wool
growers of the country" Mr.. Wind
mueller undertook to show the Senator
that there was no good reason to in
crease the duties on camel's hair and
coarse wool; and he undertook to show
up also the iniquity of the uniform
and honest classification" which the
committee said it had given at the "de-
mand OF the representative wool-grow-
ers of the country"
The present rates and the increases
are as follows on coarse wools: On wool
valued at IL cents pound or less the
duty is ~ cents pound, which is
equivalent to 2460 per cent. ad valorem,
and this is changed by the committee to
S2 per cent, for wools valued at 13 cents
pound or less; on coarse wool worth
more than u cents pound the duty Is
cents, which is equivalent to 80. As per
cent, this being raised in the present
bill to 80 per cent. on wool above 10
cents pound
So much for the duties; but here Is
whore tho uniform and honest classlh-
cation" comes in and effects doubling
up Of duties in way 10 delight the po-
litical shepherds of Ohio who made the
demand" The bill provides that II
any bale Of wool Of one class contains
any portion Of wool Of higher class the
whole bale must pay the duty Of that
higher class; and further, that II any
sorting Of the wool has taken place the
duty shall be doubled.