The Forrest City times., 1891-02-20
AGAINST THE WOOL TAX.
Wool Growers of Now York State De- nOunce the Wool Duty and Ask for Frce Woot and Woolen Goods.

Wool Growers Of Now York State De-
 nounce the Wool Duty and Ask for Free
 Woo, and Woolen Goods.
 The wool tariff is doomed. Tho wool growers themselves have started to kill it. One of the most remarkable events In the recent tariff agitation has just happened. The oldest wool-growers' as- sociation in tho country has passed reso- lutions strongly condemning the wool tax, and demanding that wool be placed on the free list This is the Ontario and Livingston Sheep breeders and Wool growers association, which recently held it's twenty fourth convention in Honeoye, N Y. This association has always been strongly in favor of protection; but now change has come over the spirit of it's dreams. At the meeting referred to tho following resolutions were passed:
 WHEREAS, It has been the policy in tho past for this association to annually pass stereotyped resolutions praying Congress to restore the wool duty of 1862 or it's equivalent; and
 WHEREAS, This association, finally recognizing the unSoundneSs of its past position on this question, and ever ready to correct any error into which it may have fallen, begs leave to submit the fol. lowing:
 First-We recognize that the wool duty is delusion and snare 10 the wool grower, and that it has largely been instrumental in driving to the wall an industry it was calculated to benefit.
 Second-Prior to 1867, under the vari- ous changes of the wool duties, the price of wool fluctuated, not in sympathy with the tariff, bat by reason of the ever con trolling law of demand and supply, tho grower having received high prices and low prices under high tariffs, and, con versey, low prices and high prices under low tariffs
 Third-The success of tho wool grower depends on the success of the woolen manufacturer, while the American man ufacturer is seriously handicapped by reason of being compelled to pay exorhi- tant tariff taxes on every pound Of cloth. ing wool imported for necessary admix- ture while all foreign countries of any consequence have the benefit of free wool, and are thus enabled to undersell our manufacturers
 Fourth-The great wool tariff of 1S67 { resulted in driving from tho eight chief wool producing States-for whose special benefit said tariff was conceived and pasSed-more than 30 per cent. of their sheep in single decade, while tho price of wool declined in a nearly eorreSpond- ing ratio.
 Fifth-The importation of foreign
 wool increased from about 26, ,001, COG pounds In 1867 to more than t96, o0o, COG pounds in 1871, just fopr years succeed ing the highest daty ever imposed on
 wool and woolens.
 fssh oP ba eighteen years the foreign price of i'm. l ported clothing wooIs at the last port of export actually exceeded the price ot our domestic fleece in the markets oi l Boston, New York or Philadelphia, while in no single year did the domestic
 wools bring the foreign price, plus the duty.
 Seventh England, France, and Ger
 many are the only three countries in the
 world that export woolen manufactures l in excess of the imports of raw wool; in other words, these countries by admit 1 ting wool free have created demand for their home wool in excess of all wools | required to clothe their people, and, At- ter giving employment to labor. export more wool than they have imported ! The United States, on the other hand i by imposing high duty on raw wool, has
 not only destroyed our export trade but
 so throttled our manufacturers as tc i ruin the market for domestic fleece and 1 give to the English, French, and German manufacturers the cream of our markets 1 for cloths.
 Eighth-The free importation of raw i wool into the United States would knock out the imports of woolen goods and
 would revive the present depressed state i of our own manufactures, thus giving employment to labor hero, and creating ! an increased demand for our strong
 wools for necessary admixture. Ninth-Recognizng the truth of tho l above facts, therefore, we, the members | of the Ontario and Livingston Sheep | Breeders and Wool Growers Association 1 in convention assembled, most respect l fully petition Congress to immediately i place wool and wooden manufactures or 1 the free list, in order that these indus | tries may again thrive and assume that l magnitude commensurate with nation 1 of 63. 900, 900 of people.