New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-02-29
REPORTS ON THE WOOL BILL.
A CURIOUS DOCUMENT PREPARED BY THE
WAYS AND MEANS MAJORITY.

us INCONSISTENCIES AND llS MIobLADi1''
srArEMENrs-rHE LUCID AND UNAN-
swERABLE VIEWS" or THE
MINORITY.
,BY TELEGRAPH TkIBuNg.l
washington, Feb. 25.-The report Oh the OIL 10
Lestroy the wool growing and wool manufacturing In
lustes Of the United states will be submitted 10 the
House TO- morrow accompanied by the views Vt the
minority OF the Ways and Means Committee In OPP
position thereto These documents will be read Win
deep interest, and will provoke much eareet DISCUS
sion. The report, well a. the ill., wi doubtless DO
something TO revive the dropping spirits Of foreign
wool growers and manufacturers many OF whom do
not know that the latter cannot become law within
the next two years at least.
The report of the committee which was prepared by
Chairman Springer, is such production as might DC
expected emanate from mind cropping III the DARK
Of ignorance and graphing subject when II Is
unable 10 comprehend Like the authors scheme on
tariff reform II Is piece OF patchwork-confhseo'
SELF contradictory and void OF intelligent design NO
man who may read 1t. and who has ever observed
what may be styled the mental processes OF springer
will doubt for an instant that he aud he alone Is the
author Who else than springer would cooly assert
this for example, 1.-The prObabi ties are that there
will be greater per cent Of Increase In the consnmp-
ton OF woolen goods, II the pending bill should pass.
than occurred in the OF sugar. after the removal
Of the duties ? According 10 the figures which Mr.
Springer gives, the total production of In the
United States in 1891 was 246.29O tons. against a
total consumption amounting to 1,ss5o04 TONS and a
total importation OF 7GO 419 tons. In other words,
the amount Of sugar imported about "a per cent
Of the total amount consumed. In the same year.
Springer says: There 10000 900 pounds Of
wool imported, which 80 $40 per cent OF the
total importation of the country" but that statement
appears different page OF the report
Nnxr bopa In tha lima
be found show that woollen gods cost the Amer-
can consumer more than before the enactment OF
the existing law; nowhere is an attempt made TO
show, except by bold assertion, that the cost OF
woollen goods to the American consumer Is enhanced
by the amount Of the duty, although page Of the
document bears the caption: Consumers not bene-
hted"
Two pages Of the report are devoted to discus
sion Of the effect son the revenues Of the pro-
posed legislation. In the first sentence the sapient
author remarks that the effect cannot be stated
with accuracy Further on he observes 1t is i'm
possible determine Just what the effect the reduction
OF duties In the bill would have upon the I'm
poraions Of wooen goods" but he thinks not I'M
reasonable TO assume that the reduction would cause
large increase I'm importations,' although the
amount Of such increase would depend upon variety
OF circumstances other than the tariff In the next
paragraph the angamon statesman makes rally and
says:
tons under the low rates provided would amount to
al least 80 per cent" In the succeeding paragraph
he remarks: 1t Is possible that the bill might In
crease the revenues. 1t is also possible that 1t might
reduce the revenues to the extent Of S20ooOoOo n
year. In other words. springer confesses that he
has 10 idea what the effect upon the revenues would
be II he and his free-trade associates should be
permitted to deal deathblOw 10 the woolgro"ing
and Mountaineering industries OF the United
states. But his judgment in regard to that is AS
sound and his knowledge thorough, as on any
other branch of the subject.
Nearly ones sixth of the report is devoted 10 an
irrelevant discussion of soddy which is injected into
the body OF the document with the Introductory remark
TINT the quality OF woolen goods has deterorsted
from year 10 year since the discovery OF machinery
for converting woonen rags into substitutes for WOOL
This Is followed b. the acute observation that pro
tectivo tariffs have not protected consumers OF wool
against the used Of adulterants In the manu-
facture Of such goods" II 1t could be shown mat
free trade protects consumers against the use OF
aduteants there might be some excuse 1or the lusghy
of shoddy into the report, but Tile authority winch
Springer cites IN order to show what shoddy CONSISTS
Of says as quoted by him. that shoddy, mungo and
wool extract are three varieties Of the same thing and
that their preparation first discovered IN Eng
land, where they more extensively utilized than
anywhere else Considerable space IS devoted 10
review OF the growth OF the shoddy industry OF the
United STATES aud the discussion closes with the absurd
assertion the high protective tariff On wool has
forced manufacturers TO use cheaper material ana
has resulted in a competition (which now threatens
mostly the wool producers Of the country Nothing
Is said about the importation in 1901 OF about 100000
pounds pf shoddy, the duty upon which, under the
existing tariff Is 80 cents pound-a duty which
springer proposes TO remove, thus admitting the
.adulterant" free CT duty TO compete with honest
American wool.
In his treatment OF the statistics Of sheep. and the
a,tH NJ, Arrp
either wilfully otherwise. attempts to mslead The
House and the same remark Is true Of his discussion
OF the prices OF wool-in fact, the report is marred
from beginning to end bv usststements OF fact and
with differences the falsty OF which viii be apparent
TO every intelligent and well Informed man who cares
TO study It, IL is safe 10 affirm that so weak not 10
SAY pucrile, all argument subject Of so much I'm
potance was never submitted TO either branch of Con
gross.
The majority report says the Mckinley ball was
passed with enormous rates OF duties many OF them
prOhibitory, and all OF them unreasonaby higIL
Twenty five per cent" comments the report was
all the protection that wool manufacturers In 1867
asked In order enable them to compete successfully
with their foreign rivals but it seems, in the OF
woolle3 goods in all Others the amount OF protec-
ton Increases from year to year.
Under the title "Tie duties than
compensatory" the report goes on 10 show
that while 1t is alleged that the specific
dulles imposed woollen goods by the Mckinley law
were merely compensatory, careful examination WILL
show LII the specific duties are, In fact, highly pro-
tective, and in many cases prohibitory The rates
proposed in the bill submitted the report says. are
fixed with due regard the labor, cost Of production
and 10 the necessities Of consumers The lowest rates
are placed upon goods which the least labor has
been bestowed and which are consumed by the great
est number Of people" Statistics printed In sup
mort OF this statement. The history OF the effect OF
high tariffs on wool woollen goods is reviewed. With
the object of showing that. since the beginning. in
1867 Of the policy OF high protective tariffs wool
and woollens disastrous results have followed TO grow.
ers manufacturers and consumers.
"The wool-g growers OF 1867 believed" continues the
u.ia. o.. tr,roeition ~ bi,h sarios on urooI