Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1891-11-13

hoal men and did not stand in need of
any aid from theorists and literary fell
lerS, The high protectionist statesmen
ot the United States at the present time
know that their country does not and can,
not produce the quantity and quality of
wool which the people and manufacturers
need, and 50 they consider il Il good
policy and one certain 10 secure to the
country an incredible degree Of wealth to
prevent other countries from supplying
these deficiencies, The McktuleyS and
the AldricheS Of the sixteenth century had
4 perfectly clear idea of what they waute,,
and how 10 do it; and they were not
troubled in the least degree by any hu.
mauitariau sentiments (Such MS the social
scientists Of today are mculoatingl or any
absurd notions about freedom either If
trade or OF tho person, The Mcknleys
and AldriChcS of the nineteenth century
also appear to be one in sentiment in these
respects with their prototypes Of 800 years
or more ago, and to have initiated their
action SO far rs the present greater re.
straintS Of our civilization will permit.
And with this preface let us see what the
former did;
by the act of the eighth of Elizabeth,
1866, any exporter vt sheep. lambs or
rams was to forfeit all his goods forever,
to suffer years Imprisonment, and then
have his right hand cut eff in market
place on a market day and then nailed
up ON Il pllory, For the second otIouSe
he should be adiudged n felon and suffer
death.
"ln the daye of Charles IL. no person
within fifteen miles Of the sea was allowed
to buy wool without permission of the
king; nor could il he loaded on amy vehicle
or carried except between sun rising and
sun setting ON pain of forfeiture
and fine oE three shilGnps
for each pound (ahout four tiwes its then
valued. Any merchant or other person
convicted of these Offences was further
punished by being disabled from collect
ing any debt or amount belonging to him
tIom any factor or other person. The
The people of the hundred (pariSh) next
adjoining the SeaeoaSt out or through
which the wool was carried or exported,
forfeited G20 if the wool was under the
value of $40, and, If OF greater value,
then treble that amount, together with
treble costs Execution could be
had against any two of the inhabitants
From this last provision II will he seen
where the idea adopted by Mckinley and
AIdrlch, of increasing the duties ON coarse
woods from 81 to fifty per cent, Whenever
the pound value OF such woods exceeded Ii
cents 10y tven the merest fraction, probably
h%d its origin,
at ought to hp most instructive to also
note that under such restrictions the trade
and commercial movement of WOOL the
price of wool in England cxhib.
tied the same phenomena rs
have followed in these latter days
similar restrictions in the United States.
namely, continued depression in the price
of domestic wool which in the formcr
country finally touched figure less than
it had commanded in the time cF Edward
H. 200 years before. To change this
state of things and 10y creating better
market for wool through u new and en-.
forced use of it, remedy the great decline
in its price parliament in 1878 enacted
that every corps should be buried in
WOODEN shroud. Gen. Garfield in u lecture
On The Mercantile System, which he gave
about 1870 after quoting aud specially re-.
terring to this shroud enactment, added
TO il the following comment, rs full of
meaning now ms then; And in such
shrouds they were burying not tho bodies
of Englishmen alone but the spirit of
English liberty and Industry"