Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1892-10-26

Manufacturers and Wool Growers
associations in the United States met
| In Joint convention some years ago
and agreed upon a fair and just rate
| as between the two industries, to be
levied as duty upon wool and wool
en- manufactures This rate was in
substance embodied in the Mckinley
| law But Mr.. Barwig voted to strike
off all the duty on WOOL and at the
same time, The Telephone admits,
voted to retain q IL per cent. ad
valorem duty on the manufactured
goods which IS palpably unjust to the
wool grower and would place him at
great disadvantage. The manufact-
'Irer would find compensation for the
reduction on his goods by being able
retuVed rates All the loss would be
orne by the farmer and none by the
ranufacturer. The one industry
I'D be entirely ruined, while the
other would not be effected. Ii cheap
10th is to be gained the wool grower
has to pay for it, and when his sheep
disappear, AS they soon would, the
foreign producer can force an advance
in price.
Mr.. Barwig also voted, says The
Telephone. to put cotton on the free
list 'as a measure of relief to the cot
ton states.' This is precisely what
The REPUBLICAN charged bit OF
favoritism and discrimination in
favor of the South. 1t is true the
price of cotton is low this year, but it
is because of over-production The
crop Of last year was enormous. 1t
is estimated that the whole crop when
sold, even at the low price will far
exceed in value any crop ever raised,
and there existed no cause for special
r7lief. Cotton might advance again
within a year, while a duty is fixed
tor many years, and the benefits of
free baQLing and free tirs would sill
be enjoyed by the producer, however
high the price of cotton Besides it
is claimed by Democrat hat no legis,
ation shall be had to favor any IN
dustry-thatit is unconstitutional"
The price of wheat is low, but it does
not appear that Mr.. Barwig ever pro
posed any measure Of relief for the
Western farmer. The price of wool
went down, The Telephone says, but
Mr.. Barwig did not see fit to cast a
vote for the relief of the wool grower,
while he did give one for the producer
of cotton. Besides, putting wool on
the free list would make the price still
lower, which makes Mr. Barwig's posi-
ton so mach the worse.
The Telephone seeks to justify Mr..
Barwig's vote TO put tin plate on the
free list because it says ours is of an
inferior quality and ''protection on
this kind of manufacture is a rank
fraud of the first water" This cam
paign story has been refuted many
times; indeed we have before US a
circular letter from the manager of
the United States Iron and Tin Plate
Co., of Pittsburgh, Pa, which dis
proves the statement. He says:
There are now in America forty
two tin plate mills, producing both
bright plate and plate for roofing.
New mills are being organized every
day and the amount Of capital in
vested IN TIN plate manufacture is in
creasing There are in my store sam
pies from most of them and stock
from ten American mills and all are
cheaper and superior in quality to
the English goods Of the same grade"
We are not advised as to the price
Of tin in Juneau, but we know the in
crease of duty was $1.29 per box, and
that almost Immediately after this
tariff on tin plate took effect, the fac
tories in Wales reduced the price fully
one dollar a box. The price of tin
ware to the consumer has not ad-
vanced one cent, but is in fact in most
cases lower than before the duty was
raised. If the bill for which Mr. Bar
wig voted had become a law it would
have ruined every factory which had
b cen started in the United States and
Wales could again advance the price.
As to Mr. Barwig's vote on the sill
yer bill. we only desire to add to what
we said last week that Mr.. Barwig
may we'll exclaim ''save me from my
friends, if they can offer no better
excuse for his vote to instruct the
committee to report a free coinage
bill than tht one given by The Tele-
phone. It is worse than pleading the
baby act. The Telephone says he did
| it because che knew it would never
again be heard Of" That is reas on