The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-02-29
PULLING WOOL TWO WAYS
Majority and Minority Reports Pre-
# pared to Accompany springer's
Wool Bill.
Price Of Wool and Number Of
Sheep Have Decreased
Under Taxation.
Common Sense Wow cf tile Proposition
Ancient Plea for High Tariff Re-
peatod by Burrows.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28.--The reports of the
majority and minority Of the house COM
mittee on ways and means, to accompany
the Sprin ger wool BILL are prepared and
will be presented to tho house Tomorrow,
The majority report WAS prepared by
Springer, the minority by Burrows (Mich. J
The majority report says the Mckinley bill
was passed with enormous rates OF duties,
many Of them prohibitory, and all un-
reasonably high. There is no good reason y
says the report for 'tmaintaininP such
high taxes upon articles so necessary to the
health and comfortof the people. Twenty
hye per cent was all the protection
the wool manufacturers in 1867
asked. hut it seems that in the case
OF woolen goods as in all others, the amount
OF protection required increases from wear
to year. As tho industries grow older and
better established more protection is de-
manded. The wool growers Of 1867 be-
lleved the imposition Of high tariff on wool
would secure them the control Of the home
market. The result proves how greatly
thcy were mistaken and how Intellectual the
law has besn to produce the condition they
deaired. Az TO its effect on prices, wool
has steadily declined from 1867, whom it
was worth 81 cents per pound. The Nc
Kinley act increased the duty on
wool an average Of ono cent per pound
The result has been fall in prices of from
two to three cents per pound, instead of a
raise. The rssult Of 25 years of experiment.
has been reduction of ons half in the
number of sheep in the states east of the
Mississippi and Missouri rivers. and reduc-
tions of one half the price of wool. Nor
have the manufacturers of woolen goods
been benefited by the imposition of high
duties on wool and wooden goods.
Notwithstanding the high protection ac-
corded manufacturers OF WOODEN goods, the
quality of such goods has deteriorRtea from
year to year. Since the discovery of ma
chinery for converting woolsn rags into
substitutes for woods the high protection tar
il on wool has had the direct effect Of lin
lting the demand for American Wools for
the reason that under such tariffs neither
domestic woods nor manufacturers Of wool
can be exported and Gold at profit Only
that amount Of domestic wool viii be
purchased and consumed which is required
70 mix with foreign wool to produce the re-
quired quality and quantity Of goods to
supply the home market"
Tho report concludes: 'It is not un-
reasonable to assume that lower .dutes
upon these articles would cause some in
crease of Importance. for reduction of
duties would cheapen this price to con-
sumera, thus largely increasing consump-
tion. Increased consumption would call
for increased home manufacture. as we'll as
enlarged importations. BY substituting
economy for taxation we shall run no risk
of causing deficit in government rev
enues, while lifting arieyous load of tax
alton from some of the plain necessares
of life."
The minority report says that from both
wool consumers and manufacturers there
comes almoat the unanimous sentiment that
the law should be permitted to stand as it
ls. Not only are growers and manufact-
urers benefited by the law. but consumers
have shared the benefit. The people of the
United States find themselves able to se-
cure woolens required at smaller cost than
ever before. The committees bill proposes
to deprive the wool growing industry of the
United States at one blow of the entire
tariff protection it has heretofore
enjoyed. The effect will be the complete
and final abandonment of tho effort to pro-
duce in the United States the supply of
wool needed for the clothes of our people.
The bill does not mean cheaper wool for
the masses, but does mean the wiping out
of great properties, the curtailment of our
industrial resources, and is a savage blow
aimed at our ngricuturists, without the
of compensating benefits in any
quarter.