Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-08-26

New YORK, August 25.-The World
publishes the following article on the
tariff by David A. Wells:
"And then cried out and said, there is death
IN the pOt."-Kin0S H., chap IT,, o. 40.
The United States does not grow
wool in sufficient quantity to meet the
requirements Of its own people for con-
sumption. 1t grows annually about five
pounds per capita of its population and
consumes about nine and half pounds
per capita. The difference-fOur and
half pounds-is the product Of foreign
countries, and is imported either as
wool or in the form of goods. The
quantity Of what purports to be wool
consumed by the people of the United
States, but which is not wool, as will be
hereafter shown, is also factor Of no
little interest and importance.
The deficiency Of wool product in the
United States is, moreover, in respect
to quality as we'll as quantity. or all
the fbreS which man uses for textile
purposes there are none which are char
acterized by so great a variety Of those
of wool.
The wool of the tropics aSsimilates TO
hair: in moist, temperate or cold CHI
mates. to silk; while much Of the wool
product OF Southern Russia or Western
Asia is so coarse and so lacking In soft
ness and pllability, that viewed superb
any textile purpose; anu -o1eT1tFsal"ntNv
largely used for the manufacture OF
rugs and carpets, commands so small
price in the hands of the original pro-
ducers that none but half-civilized or
barbarous people can afford to grow 1t.
Between the extremes and varieties
Of wool, blending into each other
by almost inSenSible differences,
are almost infinite, and constitute the
basis for the almost infinite variety OF
wool fabricatiOns. Such is the influence
Of soil and climate, that fits said that no
two places can grow wool exactly alike;
and q change Of food or exposure often
ruins a fibre for certain special uses TO
10 which il had before been adapted. In
short, it is nature and not legislation
that determines what kind OF wool q
country shall produce, and no one coun-
try can produce to advantage woods Of
All kinds; fact so we'll recognized that
the governments Of all the great manu-
featuring countries of Europe cOnsiderit
as OF the greatest Importance, and as a
measure OF true protection, that their
manufacturers should have the freest
and cheapest supplies Of wool, and con-
seQuently impose no, or merely nominal,
duties on its importation.
EXTRAORDINARY TARIFFS on WOOL.
But Notwithstanding this record of
fact and experience, which no one can
honestly question or dispute, the policy
of the United States has now for many
wears been TO restrict, and TO great
extent prevent, its wool manufacturers
from obtaining from foreign countries
such supplies of wool as are not or can
not be produced in their own country,
but which are absolutely essential to
them If they are to conduct business on
terms of equal advantage with foreign
competitors, by imposing extraordinary
heavy and complicated duties on the
important Of every variety Of wool.
To those who are unacquainted with
the intricacies OF American tariff legis-
lation it may be said that Yankee inge-
nuity is exemplified in the highest de-
gree in the phraSeology adopted in NAM
ing or assessing the duties on the i'm
pOrtations Of this Judging by the treat
ment IL recelveS) truly unfortunate raw
material; the object in this speciality.
and in all other cases where a high pro-
tective and nOn-revenue duty is enacted,
being apparently to make it difficult for
the general public to know the amount
and incidence of the duty or tax, while
there seems also to be proclivity to
use, or omit to use, words Of such sig
MITIGATION as make the construction of
the statute doubtful 10 its practical ap-
plicatiOn, and provide opportunity for
endless litigation and rich fees and en-
ployment for the legal fraternity.
THOUSANDS OF CASES IN COURT.
The number of such cases on the
6ockets OF the United States Courts,
in which the Federal Treasury and the
importers are the parties at issue, al.
wa'vs runs up into the thousands, and
oven tens of thousands; and one of the
most distinguished Of our Fedora
Judges, who has had long and varied
experience in such litigation, recently
expressed the opinion, that he could
hardly resist a conviction that the skill
full alteration of revenue enactmentl
between the framing Of the act by Con
oressional committees and its final en-
rollment as a statute, by the Substitu
ton or omission Of words apparently
,f,,Dortant hut which left the inken
of the law susceptible OF more than on
Interpretation, had become regula
business, with view OF obtaining larg
repayment OF duties subsequently hel'
by the Courts 20 have been illegally col
lected.
In the celebrated shat trimmin!
case" for example, it seems hardl,
possible that men Intelligent enough Il
pernit Of their being appointed on tn
Finance Committees Of Congress coul'