The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-10-18

Fatle ~ WOODEN gJGls iiI3 ss1fteI aas IL
Ininished &21 90, g)0 in two years
Il IS this growing industry, which SUI
ferei such serious depression under The
tariff Of 1888. that the Democratic party
propose 10 wipe out at the hrst oppor:u-
nifty under their Cleveland policy Of free
raw materials" Cleveland in bis letter Of
acceptance declares for ''free "a. mate
rials for the manufacturer as he did n
1888. That means free wool" and pro-
tected WOODEN goods. OF course this
would delight the WOODEN goods manu-
facturer Of the Eastern seaOoard. who
would then lie ale % buy foreign
wool and his raw materials" free Of duty
while a. the same time he vas given a rate
OF duty that would protect him from the
competition Of the English manufacture
ers. Australian and South American
wool. are produced very much cheaper
than in the United States, for the wool
grower there pays scarcely one-four.h the
wages that the American wool grower
does. In the Argentine States particu-
larly men employed by WOO growers work
for few cents day and board them
selves. In the United States they are
paid from SIS 70 So per month and are
boarded and lodged by their employers.
The American wool grower canno: hire
men TO work for the wretched wages paid
the Australian and South American sheep
herders; therefore, the American wool
grower would be unable TO compete with
the foreign wool growers, and free wool"
advocated by the Democracy means the
complete destruction Of the business OF
the American wool grover. How would
the wool grower. OF Eastern Washington
and Oregon ike the election Of Cleveland,
this obstinate advocate OF ''free wool2"
The United States produces about one
sixth Of the wool growers IN the world.
The free Importation of cheap foreign wool
would entail loss Of many millions of
dollars, which would not be compensated
By the additional profits of the wooden
manufacturers. Each sheep sheared il
valued ct $3.50, and there are about 80 00o.-
60 OF sheep in the United States.
II 1888 the tariff upon wool was reduced.
and the loss in one congressional distric:
in the state OF Ohio during the year follow
ing the reduction was computed at sos, 0l5.
In August last the Antelope (Or.) Her
adj published the statement that the
Land ana Live Stock Company has q, 90
sheep, which yielded an average clip Of
e;gh: and q half pounds this year. This
immense number OF sheep requires the en-
ployment Of forty men the year round,
and some parts of the year il takes no less
than fifty or sixty men to manage them"
The'value OF this wool clip was S25. 90.
Out of this were paid the wages OF forty
men for year, and from ten to twenty
more q fraction Of the time, say al average
Of forty-fve for the year. At only 500
year each the wages would amount to
$4,000.
The Portland Oycgonian published these
facts with the following incisive COM
ments:
What manufactured product" of the Masss-
chQsetts WOODEN mills shows 80 large proper
ton OF labor in its value as this raw matsriaI'
of OregonS More wages were paid III convert
Ing the grass into baled wool than III converting
the ba.es OF wool into wooden goods, and ye.
the mau who does the latter demand. protection
for his industry and would deny IL 10 the one
who does tue former.
This Is the tariff policy the Eastern manu-
fgcturers demand OF Cleveland and the Demo
cratic party, aud which the latter by its free
WOO bill IN the House has been trying TO carry
out The Democratic platform demands ires
trade all around, but the necessity OF carrying
certain manufacturing states compels an aban-
dominant OF the platform aud the adoption Of
the iree-raw- m sterials policy. which means free
trade for the West and protection for the East,
free trade for those who produce in the West
what the East consumes, but protection FOX
those who produce ia the East what tie Yves,
consumes,