Sharp County record., 1891-03-05

tario and Livingston Counties, in Ne5
York State. Their twcnty-fourth an
nual meeting was held at IIoncoye, in
tina State, was largely attended, and
was marked by an interesting discus
sion on the subject of free wool. As
the result of this discussion the follow
ing remarkable resolutions were
adopted:
Whereas, 1t has been the policy in the past
| for this association to annually pass stereo-
typed resolutions praying Congress to re-
store the wool duty of 1851 or its equivalent;
and
Whereas, This association finally rocOg-
niZes the unsoundness of its past position
| on this qUestiOn. and ever ready to correct
any error into which it may have fallen, We
| beg leave to submit the following:
First-Wc rccogn ze that the wool duty i3
| a delusion and a snare TO the wool growers,
and that it has largely been instrumental in
driving to the wall an industry it was calcu-
lated to benefit
Second-Prior to 1861 under the various
changes of the wool duties, thH price OF wool
1uctuated, not in sympathy with the tariff,
| but by reason of the ever controlling law Of
utllldllu anu SupDlNI INV SlONNl nav ms ~
ce we'd h 'gh prices and W prices under high
! taJiffs, and, conversely, low prices and high
| prices under low tariffs
Tnird-The success of the WOO grower de-
pends on the success of the wooen manu-
facturer, while the American manufacturer
is seriously handicapped by reason of being
compelled to pay eXOrbitlnt tariff taxes on
| every pound of clothing wool imported for
necessary admiXture, while all foreign cOun-
| tries of any consequence have the ben fit of
| free wool and are thus enabled to undersell
our manufacturers
Fourth-The great wool tariff of 1851 re-
suited in driving from the eight chief wool
producing States-for whose Sp cial benefit
said tariff was conceived and pasSed-mOre
than 50 per cent, of their sheep in single
decade while the price of WOOL declined in
nearly corresponding ratio.
Fifth-The importation OffOreign wool in
creased from about 26O 0C0) pounds in 1856!
to more than l26,OOOOoO pounds in ISL iust
four years succeeding the highest duty scr
imposed on wool and woolens.
Sixth-During eight of the past eighteen
years the foreign price of imported clothing
woods at the last port of export actually eX
ceeded the price of our domestic tleeca in the
markets of Boston, New York or Philadcl'
phia, while in no SINGLE year did the domes-
tic woods bring the foreign price, plus the
duty.
Seventh-England France and Germany
are the only three countries in the world
that export wooden manufactures in excess
of the imports of raw wool; in other words,
these countries, by admitting wool free, have
created demand for their home wool in cX-
cess of all woods required to clOthe their peo-
Pile and after giving employment to labor,
export more wool than they have imported.
The United States on the other hand, by inn
posing a high duty on raw wool, has not only
DESTROYED our export trade but so throttled
our manufacturers rs to ruin the market for
domestic fleece and give to the English,
French and German manufacturers the
cream of our market for cloths.
Eighth-The 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 man.
ufacturcrs, thus giving employment to labor
here and create an increased demand for our
strong woods for necessary admiXture.
Ninth-Recognizing the truth Of the above
facts therefore, We the members of the On
tario and Livingston sheep Breeders and
Wool Growers Association, in convent on
assembled, most respectfully petition Con.
gress to Immediately place wool an woolcn
manufactures or the free list, in order that
these industries may again thrive ana as
sumo that magnitude commensurate with a
nation of63 poo of people
At this meeting Mr., John NJ. Norton
read paper in which he denounced the
wool duty in the strongest possible
language. One effect Of free wool Mr..
Norton explained in the following
words: "There is just one of our now
fat and thriving infant industries that
would gracefully turn up its toes at the
advent of free wool. refer, Of course,
to that beautiful cherub, the shoddy
manufacturer"
This association is the oldest one of
the kind in the country and it has here
tofore been worked for all it was worth
in the interest of high protective duty
on wool The meetings of the associa-
ton were in the habit Of passing the
usual resolutions favoring high duties,
and petitions were circulated only last
year asking for the Immediate passage"
of the Mckinley bill
Mr.. Norton in letter to the editor Of
the New York Standard, says "Many
of MS have for years been disguised
with this course, but if any one offered
the slightest remonstranco he was
promptly jumped upon by the whole
gang and effcctually squelchcd, i had
resolved that if the opportunity over of
fered ! would stir them up little, any
how. So, when invited to read paper
at the meeting, ! mixed them u mild
dose Just to see how it would work.
One year ago they would have jumped
upon me by the dozen and tried to choke
me off, but now they took their mcdi-
cine as mcelSly ,as lambs. In the dis
cusson that followed they didn't getup
and dust worth cent"
1t is interesting to note that the two
counties in which this great change
has taken place were thoroughly cam
vassed by the New York Reform Club
last year. Representatives, of the club
q la, Ia, i,,f,,