Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1891-01-01
Stand by Your Flocks.

| MIR. GlODS Oh COlOradO wa right IN
warning the woolgrowers, in your Oc-
tober issue, that the danger to their
interests was by no means past.
| have just returned from New Eng
land, and can assure you that money
and men will not be lacking to secure
free foreign wool if it is possible.
| The National Association of Wool
Manufacturers, has for a generation
defended the interests of the wool
growers. But now many OF the leading
manufacturers, especially of carpets,
have withdrawn from the Association
and openly advocate free wool. The
late elections i'm the West were consid-
cred as an endorsement of President
Cleveland remarkable message which
flocks. The eastern manufacturers
naturally say if the West don't want
wool protected why should we? Mr..
E. B. Bigelow, who invented the ma
chinery by which the ingram and Brus-
sells carpets of both the United States
and England are made was friend of
the wool-grower and one of the ablest
advocates of protection.
But the men who have grown rich
by the use of his machinery are now
ready to sacrifice the sheep husbandry
OF America for the sake of securing
their wool and sboddy u little cheaper.
| The duty on carpet woods has been a
| lou, 1ntx ~ 10, oh
than the 80 per cent. revenue duty of
the free trade tariff from 1916 to S57
Besides this, they have had the benefit
of the fraudulent Importation of mil
lions of pounds OF wool for many years
past. They are quite ready to sacri-
flee the wool grower who buys their
carpets, but insist that they them
selves must have n least 40 per cent.
protection against the dangerous COM
petition of Europe. To their credit
be it said, the most OF the New Eng
land wooden manufacturers are still
true to protection, for they know that
free wool would damage their market
far more than it would help them.
The American market is an argu-
ment not to be overlooked. We con-
sume twice as many woolen goods to
the individual as we did in $50 and
more than twice as many as the people
OF any other nation.
More than two-thirds of all the sales
OF carpets in the great store of Mar
shall Field & Co., are above the grade
OF ingram.
The politicians in the East have
made great use of the plausible argu-
ment of free foreign wool to help orr
manufacturers, but saide from few
| a, 4. 4 III
equipped with shoddy machinery, free
wool means the death both OF Ameri-
| lean tiocks and American factories.
The mere discussion and danger OF
| free wool since 1883 cost Ohio and
Texas each loss of S5,OOO,OOO in a
single year, and the total loss to our
agriculture amounts to not less than
81 so, ,00O, 900, or enough to buy every
wooden factory in the land.
You will notice that this free trade
discussion centers mainly on wool and
steel, simply because these are the two
things England is most anxious to sell
us, and because the control of them
would give her easy victory over all
our useful industries.
The talk of free wool, however, is
only a blind, for what they are work
ing for is to sell us their wool in the
form of manufactured goods. The
great trouble with our wool growers
and in fact with all our useful indus
tries is this, that they will not organ
ize nor spend dollar in their own de-
fense. 1t is Just as it is with whiskey.
/ can raise a million dollars to defend
the whisky interest while you are rails
ing hundred dollars for temperance.
Mr.. A. G.. Mills, secretary of the Texas
Wool-Growers Association, sent out
1 OBI circulars to wool-growers, to
which he received only 32 replies and
among them not one application for
membership. Yet Texas leads the
nation in sheep. Mr.. Gibbs says nc
one responded to his circular and that
the State association of Colorado is
dead, yet that state has nearly 2, 900,
900 sheep and they have done more
than anything else to help her poor
men get start in the world. l car
freight a dollars worth of wool across
the continent for eight cents while II
often costs $500 to send a dollars
worth of corn from Kansas to New
York City. The papers and the ALI
ances all denounce the rates on grain
but what are they doing to help thu
poor iarner change that oorn into
wool before he ships it Most OF then
would sacrifice what sheep We hav'
and so compel the farmer to ship raw
grain and stay poor forever.
The sheep OF England have yielded
her an annual revenue of S10O, 600, ,OOt
for mutton alone, while We with nearl,
double the population get less thai
half this revenue.
The free-traders denounce the pack
ers because ii does not pay the farme
to raise beef. but what are they doin
to give us the l0O, O,OOO,O 900 sheep W
need which would yield us a profitabl
revenue of $500, ,0OO,0 900 a year j
mutton and wool.
The great alliance and labor cor
vention lust held in Florida had muc
to say OF the farmers poverty, bu
not a word to say for the America
sheep. the only factor that will eve
enrich the wasted lands of the sout
and her impoverished people. A fe
all important facts should be kel
:, before the people.
( /. Sheep husbandry is essential t
the prosperity OF the nation. Ii an
other nation would give us our wo'
and woolens it would be the poores
bargain we could make. Nothing shol
- - of 100, ,OOO.OOO sheep will maintain
y :, healthful condition of our agricultur
~ and we have only A 200, 900
2. The cry that free foreign mixiI
wools would help our hocks and ia