The Bottineau pioneer., 1892-02-13
HOW Wool IS PROTECTED
THE HIGHER THE TARIFF THE Less
Il. THE WOOL GROWER GETS.

the Tsst,.e.y ef Senators Allissa ssA
shsrman a.d Ths.ss Dslss, ne IGaa-
afactursr of Woolsns-Ths Dilemma
Presented 20 Major l1oKistsy.
High tariffs on wool affect the price Of
domestic wool in two ways On the one
hand they restrict the importation Of
iine woods to mix with our medium
woods in making fine goods, and thus
invite the importation Of the goods
themselves. In this way tho demand
for our medium woods 10 decreased and
their price goes down. On the other
hand high tariffs 90 enhance the price of
goods that there is constant tempta-
ton to use shoddy and other bogus ma
terials in woolen manufacture. This
also decreases the demand for wool and
lowers its price. To such an extent is
shoddy used now that it Is q common
remark among woolen manufacturers
today that all wool goods are the excep-
ton and not the rule: that in fact the
greatest advancement In the wooden in
dustry during the past ten years, has
been in machinery and methods for the
working of shoddy and other bogus ma
terials. ..,... 49,.
Hence it is that with every increase in
duties the price Of wool goes down.
Senator Allison recognized the truth
Of the above when he said in 1870 during
the debate on the wool duties: Il allude
to the wool tariff. law the effect Of
which has been materially to injure' the
sheep husbandry Of this country. As
the law now is the tariff upon fine woods
Of character not produced in this
country is 100 per cent. on their cost.
Before the tariff Of 1867 our manufac-
turers of fine goods mixed foreign fine
woods with our domestic product and
were thus able to compete successfully
with the foreign manufactures OF simi-
lar goods But. being prohibited from
importing this class Of woods. these fine
woods cannot now be produced in this
country as cheaply a. they can be i'm
ported. Consequently mills that were
formerly engaged in producing these
goods have been compelled to abandon
business or manufacture the coarser fab.
RIGS, If they could afford to manufac-
ture these fine goods they would make
. market which we do not now have, for
our fine woods to be mixed with other
fne woOls Of q different character fro,u
abroad. The want of q market, ~ !
understand it. il bhe reason Why our fine
woods now command 30 low ~ price,"
Senator Sherman expressed = similar
view in 1888, when he said. during the
debate on the wool sche.iuls: I'm 1867
the price of wool was fifty -ons cents; in
1870, forty-six cents; in 1880. which was
an abnormal year, forty-eight cents.
This was the result Of the policy Of pro-
tecting the wool grower, ~ it is in all
industries. to gradually reduce the price.
Under the operation of the existing laws
(the tariff Of 1867 the price Of wool has
gradually gone down.
Believing that the same thing would
occur again If the duties were raised,
The Manufacturer, the organ Of the high
tariff Manufacturer club of Philadel-
phia, advocated an increase in the duries
on wool. In January, 1890, it sald:
"Whso tha duti.s- have gone up, psioss
have gone down; when duties have de-
clined, prices have advanced. The do
mestic manufacturer has always had IN
abundance Of superior fiber at low
prices under tariffs which imposed high
duties upon wool, and he is today paying
more for wool than he would have paid
If the defective tariff law of 1888 admin
istered by free trade administration
had not practically cut down the wool
duties" And on Oct. 16, 1880. after the
Mckinley tariff had gone into effect, it
expressed its satisfaction as follows:
"The prices of wool have always de-
clined when the duties have been ad-
vanced. and no doubt exists in the mind
of any we'll informed man that :hey will
again decline now that the new tariff
has put the duties up"
1t seems that the editor had q good
pointer for the above prediction, for MI.
Dolan, the president of the club and it's
representative at the conferences with
the wool growers at which the duties
were agreed upon, recently said: ut is
an interesting fact, deserving much en-
phasis of statement. that the prices OF
wool are lower now than they were one
year ago. This result was distinctly
promised by protectionists during the
discussion which accompanied the franz
ing Of the tariff bill" - s~7. .s
No wonder that, in view Of the above,
Sherman and Mckinley are avoiding the
wool question in their attempts to justify
the new tariff. :. 49,: ~.