The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-03-06
Ui,c aSntclliotnler.
once No.. 20 and ~ rour,s.utl STREET
THE FALSE PLEA FOR FREE WOOl. /
Real Meaning OF this Howl About "rl,t
Markets OF tho Worlu"-taluo OF III,

ltcnl Meaning OF the Howl About "rlit
Markets OF tho ,Yorid"-valuo Of III.
Home Market. ~'E
Chicaao LattT.0etaa. s..,-5 20
II italfords any free trader pleasure Ia
consider that there are greedy fools
among those who manufacture goods ,as
well rs among those who buy them, be
Is welcome to his enjoyment Of the Ugly
fact. Wead,nit 1t, and rcl6,co That tho
few greedy fools arc not aud arc not
llikclyto DO In control OF National allars,
The old woman who. killed tho goose
THAT laid tho golden egg was n iecunll
dame, and her postcrity has been like
unto herself; he, successors arG many In
actually, though few In ratio Of tho
whole population. go
There are n few woolon manufacturers
who would like to have free wool; what
they truly desire Is to bU able TO pro.
duce goods Mt, say, . cents per yard
cheaper than they now make them, and
to sell them u. hall n cent lcss than they
now sell them. ,Three.iourths OF the
gain would DO theirs, onG.iourlh would
be the consumers; that ID 70 say, II any
gain there really were to anybody,
which, considering the decrease OF pur.
chasing power among American farmers,
owing 10 the lessened price Of tho wool
clip, Is very doubtful.
But the FREQ wool manufacturers DO
not come into court with IN honest
plea. They DO not disclose the true
motive which wc have disclosed. They
make iaisc pretense OF II desire to coul.
pete in what they call ''the markets OF
the world" The pretcnsc is false.
The real intent is 10 tilch dollar from
tho American wool grower, TO keep 70
cents for, themselves, and to offer the
purchaser Of manufactured woolens %
cents, or perhaps lees, or perhaps moth.
ing ut Ill. The division OF the swag Ia
for future consideration. Thcy-,will
keen alt of it II possible; ii not all GER
tainly most. - :"
The exports OF WOODEN manufactures
by NIL tho manufacturing nations OF the
world, exclusive OF the United States,
amount TO only 100000 n year. The
value OF American manufactures OF wool,
sold and consumed in our own market,
is $3.50, 200, 900 a year, and in addition We
the value OF nearly SJ0,000000
per annum, more than half us much as
all other nations. We use more wooden
goods than any other people upon earth,
and it is said upon good AUTHORITY that
we use more than all other peoples upon
earth put together. Moreover, the pur-
chasing power OF our home market is
forever. increasing, and increasing far
more rapidly than the purchasing power
Of any other market. Now, does any
one believe that the American mapn-
facturerris anxious to relinquish his
share OF the $3.50, 600, 900 that the home
market requires to 60 a hunting for q
share Of those $4,000 900 in the "mar.
ke;s OF the world" which Britain, Ger
many, France, and Italy nowSoccupy?
The plea OF "markets ofrthe world"
sounds falsely.
But even ii by reason OF free wool our
American manufacturers should feel en-
couraged to compete with European
manufacturers for. the 500, 100000 worth
OF foreign trade, a second demand would
be made by them. Having got free
wool they will demand cheap labor. For
FREQ wool would place them equal with
Britain only Ms tc. costof raw material to
compete successfully with bthe output
which Britain would offer to the people
Of Australia or Japan or China the
American manufacturer would need to
have his labor, as we'll as his raw mater,
ial, as chcapas that OF Britain. !,
And this, as VIC think, is the true oh.
ject OF tho free wool cry from certain
manufacturers. They don't want the
markets OF the world. They want cheap
raw material and cheap labor. The de.
sire is selfish. II also is silly. Tie
American market consumes $500, 100000
worth Of American wooden goods a year,
with $4,000, 900 of imported goods added,
simply because the American : wage
Garner is uble to,buy twice rs many as
the wage Garner Of England or Germany
and four times as many as the wage
Garner Of Italy or Russia. Cut down the
income OF the American farmer by cheap
wool and the income OF the American
wage Garner by cheap labor, and the
goose that lays S300,000,000 worth Of
golden eggs for tho American wooden
trade will be in bad state Of health, if
not dead outright.