The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1891-11-21
ANCIENT ECONOMISTS.
David A. Wells Tells about the McKinieys
OF the 18th Century.


OF the 18th Century.
Mckinley, Aldrich, Delano and Law
renee, some will say, did not live in the
fifteenth century, remarks David A. Wells
in the Boston Post. Very true they did
of men did then live, and. for all we
know, may have had the same names
Anyway, they followed the same occupa-
ton of insructing the people of England
as their namesakes or representatives are
now instructing the people of the United
States, how ii was best to regulate tIe
trade in wool. And it may be interest
ing and perhaps not improbable
to set forth the conclusions TO
which they came and which they prdc-
ticaly carried out. The problem the six
teenth century instructors had to grapple
with was substantially the same as now
troubles their representatives III the nine
teenth, but in reverse terms. England
then claimed that she produced wool of .
quality superior TO that of any other coun-
try. and that the wool OF other countries
could not, without some mixture OF
English wool, be wrought up In any toier-
able manufacture She therefore thought
ii TOR her interest that the manufacturers
of other countries should get none Of
it, and that if its expectation
could be totally prevented England
would monopolize the wooden trade OF the
world, and having no rivals, could sell AT
what price she pleased, and so in a short
tine acquire the most Incredible degree OF
wealth. This theory, as experience sub-
sc luently proved, was perfectly .alse. but
the statesmen OF that period were prac.
tical men and did not stand in need of
any aid from theorists and Literary tel-
Iers." The high proteciionist statesmen
of 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 so they consider 1t a good
policy and one certain TO secure to the
country an incredible degree OF wealth TO
prevent other countries from supplying
these deficiencies. The Mcklnleys and
the AldricheS or the sixteenth century had
a perfectly clear idea of what they wanted
and how to do it; and they were not
troubled in the least degree by any hu
manitariau sentiments (such as the social
scientists of today are incuicatlng) or any
absurd notions about freedo n either OF
trade or of the person. The Mck'nIeys
and Aldriches of the nineteenth century
also appear 10 be one In sentiment in these
respects with their prototypes Ct 300 years
or ore ago. and 10 have initiated their
action so far as the present greater re
| straints of our civIiz ttion will permit.
And with this preface let Us see what the
! former did:
''By the act of the eighth of Elizabeth,
1866 any exporter OF sheep, lambs OF
/ ,h Ii. Il J.
to suffar years imprisonment, and then
have his right hand cut off in market
place on a market day and then nailed
he should be adju1ged felon and suffer
/ !eath.
'In the days of Charles II. no person
within fifteen miles OF the sea was allowed
! % buy wool without permission of the
king; nor could it be loaded on any vehicle
| or carried except between sun rising and
sun setting on pain Of forfeiture
| and Il fine o! three shiliug>
! for each pound (about four tin'es its then
! value) Any merchant or other person
convicted of these off noes was further
punished by being disabled from collect
| ing any debt or amount belonging To him
! fIlm any factor or other person. Fne
| The people of the 'hundred' (parish) mex
! adjoining the seacoaSt, ont or through
which the wool was carried or exported,
| forfeited E20 il the wool was under the
value of elO, and If of greater va!u =,
/ then treble that amount. together with
treble costs. Execution could be
rad against any two OF the inhabitants.
| FROM this las. provision it aiil be seen
where the idea adorted by Mckinley and
! Aldrich. of increasing the duties on coarse
woods from 81 TO fifty per cent. whenever
the pound value of such woods exceeded IL
cents by even the mcrest fraction, probably
hid its origin.
1T ought to be most instructive to also
note that under such restrictions the trade
and commercial movement of wool. the
price of wool in England exhio.
tied the same phenomena as
have followed in these later days
similar restrictions in the United States,
namely, continued depression in the price
of domestic wool, which in the former
country finally touched figure less than
u had con- manded in the time of Edward
| Ill. 200 years before To change this
state of things ana by creating better
market for wool through a new and en-.
forced use of it, remedy the great decline
in its price, parliament in 1873 enacted
that every corps should ba buried in a
wooen shroud Gen. Garfield in lecture
| On the Mercantile System. which he gave
about 1870 after quoting and specially re-
ferring TO this shroud enactment, added
to it the following comment, rs full of
meaning now as then: And in such
shrouds they were burying not the bodies
of Englishmen alone but the spirit of
English liberty and industry"