Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-03-10


increased protection been to himf II wal
passed under pretense of q desire to benent
what he his amd
scionably.
Task any of the Republicans on the Commit.
iaborer whose wages have been increased
py that law. If lit dtmfnishes the revenue
received by the Government. II 1t docs not
increase the wages of labor, II NJ iossers
trusts. II it makes pooling prontaoles IN
heavens name let us no further legal1xe
the robbery, but try some better method
Hearings were had by the Ways and Means
Committee on the Mckinley bill: Some nrm.
ers and representatives of Agricultural as
sociations came before The Committee. With
out single exception, SO far as now re.
member. they testified that the he value o. o.
years all the way from 25 to 30 per cent
Among those who came urging relief for the
people, came the many who sought to still
their % own 1A Enrichment. % lit had been less
serious it would have been ludicrous to be
hold the solemnity and seeming sincerity
with which they asked Congress, while the
treasury was overfowing with surplus. to
levy higher import duties upon the things
the people must consume, in order that theil
capital might declare a greater dividend.
And their demand was needed.
As to the Duty on Wool.
The duty on wool was in 1867 placed at II
cents pound on unwashed wool. This was
by an agreement entered into between the
National Association of Wool Manufacturers
and the National Association of Wool
Growers, and they dictated terms to Con.
gress. 1t was claimed that this would foster
the sheep industry and increase the value Of
wool to farmers What were the resultsf In
1868. the year after the enactment of the law
raising the duty on wool, there were 81, ,6Sb-
600 sheep in the States east of the Missouri
and Mississippi rivers. In 1891 there were
only Is, ,476, ,00o sheep in the same territory-a
reduction of more than one-half in the q
years when high tariff on wool had been in
force-this in the face of the fact that the
population in these States has vastly in.
creased. If the increase OF sheep had kept
pace with the increase of population there
would have been probably Is, 600 900
Great things were promised to the State OF
Ohio in the way OF increase of the sheep
husbandry bv increased tax on wool. That
State had in 1868, 730 900 sheep; in 1s70 it had
only 1928 O00 in 1880 1850 600; In 1885, $3.50 600;
in 1890 it had but s, ,94S, ,00O though in 1891 it
had 4, Isl, 600. A falling off of more than one
third in the State of Ohio during the 81 years
of protective tariff on wool and in that time
the population had increased more than one
million. MI. Chairman. the results are not
which had in 1868. 2, 736, 900 sheep and in 1891
only III, 900. So might go on through the
eastern States. A thorough investigation of
question SHOWS GDaG tne increase IN Cu0
sheep husbandry has been in the west,
where the grazing was hmitless and cheap
The price of wool at this time is about one
half what it was at the time of the passage
OF the act OF March 2, 1867.
The whole matter may be summed up in
the fact that after Is years of experiment
with a high rate of duty on wool the result
has been reduction of one-half in the num-
and Missouri rivers, and a reduction Of
ABOUT one-half in the price of wool. Nor
have the results been encouraging to wool
manufacturers. They have been restricted
afford to buy in the grease by reason
of the tariff; they have been re-
stricted in markets substantially to
their own country. They have been forced
goods The rags that had already fallen
from the backs of beggars in other countries
have been used as substitute for wool. So
great was this that petition came up from
wig and others, claiming to represent 40,O00
laborers in textile industries, demanding
free wool for the manufacturers of the
United States. The tax of IL cents q pound
on wool, it must be remembered, Is not q
tax on pure wool, but is II cents a pound on
all the grease on the wool and all the dirt in
the grease, and is estimated to amount to n
cents on every pound of finished cloth.
shoddy Also as Factor.
Mr.. Chairman, this high tax on wool has
forced the use of vast quantities of SUBJ
-stitutes for wool-shoddy, mungo, and other
adulterates used in the manufacture of
woolen goods. According to the report, it is
seen that these substitutes have taken the
place of the f1eeces of % 000, 900 sheep, or
about two-thirds as many as there are in the
whole United States.
MI. Chairman, in the first quarter Of a
century in the history of the Government,
there was no duty imposed on wool. The
first duties that were imposed were in
significant as compared with those now.in
existence. The pretense that o high duty
would increase the number of sheep in the
older States has not been verified. The value
of wool of similar quality has varied very
little in the markets OF Boston and London
little higher abroad, sometimes a little
higher in this country, but the average ad-
vantage in favor of one country OF the other
has not been one-f1fth of the duty imposed
sively that, while the cost to the consumer
has been increased by the duty, and the
possibilities of the manufacturers have been
restricted, both in market and quantity, the
sheep husbandmen have derived no SUBJ
stantial benefit.
The tariff rates levied at the close of the
Revolutionary War when, if ever, we were in
constant danger of having our infant indus
tries overwhelmed in England and other old
countries, were not one-sixth of those i'm
posed by the present law. Those levied to
carry on the war with Great Britain, in 1872
when this capital city had its baptism of fire,
were not one-third so great. They are about
two and one-half times greater than the
rates imposed to carry on the Mexican War
and 60 per cent higher than the rates i'm
posed to carry on our recent Civil War.
A War Tariff Never Yet Reduced.
Mr.. Chairman, when the Morrill, tariff was
imposed to carry on our great civil war and
more than 100000 men in the
iel1 coid hxyf nth of$l,e 1,Slr
those who favored it that the high rates
were only temporary. and would be reduced
with the return Of peace. Sir, about one
third of a century has now elapsed, more
than two-thirds of the expenses incurred
have been paid every legitimate excuse for
the increase OF rates has disappeared, and
yet not only has there been no reduction in
tariff rates, but they have been vastly in
creased. The act of 1888 imposed an average
rate of 45 per cent. The two acts of 1890
which supplanted it, have imposed an aver
of nearly 60 per cent. This is not the worst.
The rates of duty were placed lower by that
act on. luxuries than on the necessaries of
life. There was less increase on the finer
goods than on & the coarser There was less
increase on silks than on woolen goods; less
on jewelry than on cutlery; less on dia-
monds than on table knives; less on cham
payne than on linens.
duty was almost prohibitory before, it was
made higher, seemingly for no other pur-
pose than to enable those now engaged in
operations here to form pools and Organize
combines" remember well when the bin
was under discussion in the House a Rennb-
lican from Illinois, Mr.. Hopkins, rose, and,
pointing to the gallery, said: 81 see a man
in the gallery who will go from there worth
millions more than he is now if my amend
ment is not adopted. He is in trust which
will make millions If this bill is passed"
His amendment was not adopted, the bill
did pass. This is only an illustration of
hundreds of jobs and schemes which that
bill in one WAY or another fostered and car