The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1891-02-05
FARMFRs DEMANDING FREE

The Wool Growers Association of
Western New York has declared for
free wool. The following are part of
the resolutions adopted:
WHEREAS, II has been the policy in the
past for this association TO annually pass
stereotyped resolutions praying Congress
to restore the wool duty of 1867 or its
equivalent; and
WHEREAS, This association, fully recog-
nizing the unsouudness of its position on
this question, and ever ready to correct
any error into which il may have fallen,
begs leave to submit the following:
First-We recognize that the wool duty
is a delusion and a snare to the wool
grower, and that IL has already been in
ST. tiumental in driving to the wall an in-
dustry II was calculated to benefit.
Second-Prior to 1867, under the various
changes of the wool duties, the price of
wool fluctuated, not in sympathy with the
tariff, but by reason of the ever.control-
ling law of demand and supply, the grow
er having received high prices and low
prices under high tariff, and, controverse-
ly, low prices and high prices under low
tariff.
Third-The success Of the wool-grower
depends on the success Of the woollen
manufacturer, while the American manu-
,cturer is seriously handicapped by rea-
son of being compelled to pay exorbitant
tariff taxes on every pound of clothing
wool imported for necessary admiNture,
while all foreign countries of any conse-
quence have the benefit of free wool, aud
are thus enabled to undersel our manu-
facturers.
Eighth-TLe free importation of raw
wool into the United States would knock
| out the imports of wooden goods and would
revive the present depressed state OF our
| own manufacturers, thus giving employ
ment to labor here and create an increas-
| ed demand for our strong woods for nec'
| essary admixture.
Notwithstanding the truth OF the
| above facts, therefore, we, the members
OF the Ontario and Livingston Sheep
Breeders and Wool-Growers' Association
| in convention assembled, most respectful
| ly petition Congress to immediately place
wool and woollen manufactures on the
| free list, in order that their industries may
| again thrive and assume that magnitude
| commensurate with a nation of 100000
| OF people.
John M. Norton, a practical farmer
and wool grower, read very able ad-
| dress before the association, endorsing
the free wool resolutions. We have
not space to print his remarks in full,
In speaking of the tariff on wool, and
the high tariff generally, Farmer Nor
ton said:
"Not only has the iniQuitous tax rob.
bed us directly in this way, but indi-
rectly it has plundered us in thousand
ways, and to thousand times greater
extent.
1T has been most effectively used as
a gag to stop all remonstrance on our
part against any scheme, however mon.
strous, that the greed OF man could de-
wise.
ut has thus been made the very cor
ner stone upon which to build the whole
superstructure of imposition and fraud,
falsely called our protective tariff
"As sheep breeders, this burden
weighs upon US with double force, be-
cause our only market for iirst-rate
stock must be found across the sea.
"If we were allowed TO exchange our
surplus breeding stock with Australian
and South American wool growers for
their much needed wool, without being
forced to leave all the profits of the
trade at the Custom House, it would
give US a more permanent and better
market than we have ever known.
The cry of cheap Australian wool
would then have no terrors for us. The
cheaper it was the more we could pur-
chase with our sheep, while every
pound 50 obtained would be worth just
as much to protect us from the wintry
blast as though it cost dollar, and
that sort of protection would benefit all
and wrong no one"
Farmers of Stark Co. do you hear &?
If so heed, read and ponder we'll.