Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-08-18
M.KINLEY ON WOOL.

Major Mckinney has at last opened
his mouth on the subject of wool, and
the decline in its price since the passage
of his bill, which promised to raise it.
He says:
'They tell me that wool has gone down.
Soft has. Ny impression is that last year.
| clip sold for thirty-two cents, and l under
stand now that the best clips bring but
twenty-eight cents. II the tariff is tax,
why is thisl What fixes the price of wool'
The manufacturer in the United States
paws 16 cents per pound for wool. with a
duty Of IL cents, making q cents, and the
English farmer sells his wool for II cents,
and adding the duty Of IL cents, it costs
the manufacturer 2S cents. Where does he
derive his benefits Suppose your wool was
free and the II cents per pound were strlck-
en- down. 1t would be the London price,
with the transportation added. If you have
any doubt about IL, go over into Canada,
and you can sell your wool for seventeen
or eighteen cents per pound"
THAT" says the Intelligencer, with
flourish, Isis the whole matter in a nut
she'll, and the people Of the United
States are posted about it," OF course,
they are, and that is why they are not
TO be misled by such bald and foolish
reasoning as McKINLEY's'
The huge duty imposed on wool by
the Mckinley law was intended to COM
pei American manufacturers to use the
domestic article, but it has had the con-
trary effect. In April, 1890, the entire
importations of raw wool were S,469, 401
pounds; in April, 1891, they were 49,
S33, no pounds. The difference is
especially marked in clothing woods,
the importation in April, 1890, having
been 1852 pounds, paying duty OF
$50, 900, and those of April, 1891, $685.
43s pounds, paying duty OF S575,0OO.
The explanation is that, whereas the
manufacturers formerly mixed fine do
nestle fleeceS with inferior imported
woods, they now mix Australian and Ar
gentine woods with coarse Rocky Noun
tain feeceS, passing over the fine Ohio
feeces altogether, unless they can get
them at as low rate as the imported
article. The grand result is that the
Ohio men who brought about the ad-
vance in rates get lower price for their
wool, while the consumers have to put
up with inferior wooden goods.
There is nothing puzzling about this.
II is as plain as one and one make two.
Australian wool is cheap, and the Terri
tory and wild woods are still cheaper.
By importing Australian and mixing it
with the Territory wool the manufac-
turers get something that ANSWERS fOr"
the finer Ohio and Michigan woods.
There is nothing unusual in the decline
of the price upon the advance OF
the duty, since wool declined II
cents a pound in three years after
the imposition of the 1867 tariff, the
highest ever known on wool, whereas it
advanced when the duty was removed
from wool in 1857
In this connection, also, the following
argument and table addressed by the
high tariff leaders to the wool manufac-
turerS to show them why they should be-
lieve in high protection, will be interest
ing and every Democratic farmer should
keep it pasted in his hat to show TO his
por,,hl;cop nai0bbOr.
It is a mistaken idea with many manufac-
turers that foreign prices of wool areneces-
sarily lower than home prices under pro
lection. They acreage higher. They would
be much higher but for large and certain
domestic supply. The following table Is
instructive.
Foreign average Average price
n ~ M N