Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1891-10-01
BYNUM N WOOL.


the malarial swamps OF Indiana with
a huge array of statistics to instruct
Montana wool growersin the beauties
OF free wool. He produces figures to
show how many sheep can be raised
t. the square mile in France and Ger
many, but he says nothing about the
South American pampas and the
plains OF Australia, from whence
comes most of the wool to compete
with the American product, and where
herders are employed for a mere pit
lance. Mr.. Bynum presents figures to
show that wool growing is on the de-
cline. II that is so it is an argument
against free wool. If we cannot raise
wool under protection and make it
pay we certainly cannot do so under
free trade. Says Bynum: "Only a
few years ago there were $4,000, 900
sheep in the United States; now there
are only 40, OOO, 600" Now every in
telligent man knows that wool grow
ing has been slightly on the decline in
some of the old states where land is
worth from $50 to 500 an acre, but
is rapidly increasing in the west. Mr..
Bynum was enough OF ademagogue to
state that wool had declined two
~ "a - N"U;-r~r .o-;s hut
not honest enough to give the prices
of foreign wool. John Sherman, in a
recent speech to Ohio wool growers,
states the situation as follows:
When this summer the price of wool was
not as high as it was a year ago. they said
that Mckinley promised them il would be
higher if his bill passed. This was not true.
He could not and did not expect to control
the price OF wool in foreign lands. What
with the large importations of wool in ad-
vance OF the taking effect OF the law, and
the very low prices at the source OF supply,
the price of wool was lower this summer
than the farmers hoped. But what would
it have been if the Mills bill had passed.
Wool is worth in Canada IL cents. Ii is
worth in Ohio rs cents. In competition
with Australia and South America the dit
ference is greater by the addition of trans.
~portation. II our Democratic friends do
not like the price of wool under the MeKin-
ley law, how would they like il under the
Mills law?
Bynum says "no article of any con-
sequence is manufactured in this
country wholly OF American wool"
Even If this were true, what an admis-
sion for an American to make. But
it is false as the majority OF his state
ments. There are n great many mills
in the United States that do not use a
pound of foreign wool. Mr.. Bynum
says: ave can never in this country
raise all the wool we need, for the time
has come when the profit is not in the
are a better product today than wool
at % or 80 cents per pound"
Mr.. Bynum would have us surrender
wool growing to foreign countries, and
engage in raising lambs for mutton.
Has "Ingeany" any more statesmen
of his caliber? Ii so, they should be
used entirely for the home demand.
Mr.. Bynum would have the lambs
hllicu ol III Gtib " Iiul hCbs IN
result would be that in a short time
the supply would exceed the demand,
and then there would he no money in
"lambs."
Mr.. Bynum, like the balance of the
free traders, would sacrifice everything
to establish his theory. The Republi-
can party wants the wool growers OF
Ohio and Montana to make money
raising wool, and they are going to do
o If there is money in mutton so
much the better. Mr.. Bynum goes to
Butte and tells the miners that wool
growing is an Improbable industry,
and that "the largest herds are being
sold off," Bynum probably heard of
a man in Indiana who sold a band OF
fifty. No large herds are being sold in
Montana, or anywhere else. 1t is
hard to get sheep at any price.
1t is a favorite argument with the
free-trader to compare some other
country with our own. Such compar-
isons are an insult to every true Amer
ican. II our social conditions were
similar they might have some weight.
II our laboring classes were willing to
accept the same compensation, and
be reduced to the same level in other
respects, we might meet them on COM
mon grounds; but they are not and
never will be, and no one wants to
bring them to that level but Bynum
aud the party he represents.