Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-12-18
FOR FREE WOOL.


A High Protection Paper Wants Free Wool
1t Warns the Wool Grower To Stand
From Under-Let the Manufactures Also
Shell Out.
The Boston Journal of Commerce is a
high protection paper which does not
believe in a duty on wool In recent
number it comments on the westward
movement of population as shown by
the census. and finds in that movement
IAN disqualification of the course of
settlement and development of coun-
try"
That course of settlement and de-
velopment it describes in words which
it quotes from somebody as follows:
after the hunter. trapper and prospect
or, the herdsman follows and for a
time the raising of cattle is the chief
industry. As settlement becomes less
sparse, this is followed by agriculture.
which, in It's turn, as the population be-
comes more dense, is succeeded by
manufactures
The journal makes this the text
from which to read the wool grower a
brief lesson. Here is an expression of
fact. it says, that is entirely ignored
by the wool-grower in his struggle
against the inevitable course of natural
events. He is made to believe that
pioneer occupations can live and thrive
by the side of those that are fostered by
density of population and a more civil
liked order of surroundings It is be-
cause of these false ideas that cause
him to be constantly clamoring for Gov
eminent protection against the inroads
of natural forces that denote social and
industrial progress"
In other words, Massachusetts, wants
free wool for her mills, for she is smart
enough to see what a great boon to her
industries free wool would be. The re-
cent election in that State, which re-
suited in a Democratic majority in the
Congressional delegation of the State
for the first time in more than thirty
years. is an emphatic expression of the
New Engl and demand for free raw ma
terials. above all for free wool.
1t will be only a few years before
wool is entirely free. and then the 6S.-
600, 900 people of this country will at
once have the advantage of cheaper and
better clothing-an advantage with
which the entire wool-growing industry
of the country does not for a moment de-
serve to be compared. The wool product
of the country does not amount to more
than two per cent of our agricul tura1
products; and our native wool is con-
siderably less than half of our yearly
consumption. In regard to our wool
growing industry, the one question
which always hits the bulls eye is,
why should 63. O0o, 600 people be made to
pay high tariff tax on wool for the
benefit of the insignificant number who
grow wool?
The Benton Journal of Commerce is
right; the duty on wool must GO But
the Journal as a protectionist paper and
on protection grounds, can not make
out strong case against the wool
grower. The latter has perfect right
to the same protection that the Journal
demands for the manufacturer, and
when the grower is put on a basis of
competition with the whole world he
will not be thought unreasonable if he
asks that the manufacturer should sur
render some of his protection also.
When the Journal cries out against
the wool-grower for constantly clamor-
ing for Government protection against
the inroads of natural forces" it must
remem Der that the woo1-grower is not
alone in that clamor. The tend
ency Of the time is toward the
cheapening of all manufactured
products as the result of invention and
improved methods of manusac ture and
transportation. When our manufact-
urers ask to be exempted from the play
of this cheapening tendency. they. too.
re ''clamoring for Government protec-
ton against the inroads of natural
forces;" and it is only a matter of simple
justice that when the emancipation OF
industry commences the good work
should go forward along the whole line.
Let us have cheaper wool; but let Us
also have cheaper coats-and no feal
that these cheaper coats will ''necessa.
rily involve cheaper man and woman
beneath the coat" as our wise Presi.