The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-08-20
ENLIGHTENED WOOL GROWERS.
New York Sheep Men Discover That the
Wool Tariff Is u DeIusion.

New York Sheep Men Discover That tbe
Wool Tariff Is u DeIusiop,
The are beginning to under.
stand this matter. The Wool Growers
and Sheep Breeders association, of On.
tario and Livingston counties. in New
York. is n of the oldest and strongest
and most representative organizations
OF that kind in the United States. There,
sir, is one of the great centers of the fine
wool growing and sheep breeding indus
tries. The members of that association
are in the main Republicans. They were
protectionists. They are so now 81
everything but wool-the n thing they
know about.
But when they got together andlooked
each other in the face in January, 1891.
they concluded TO stop political wool
growing and to look at that matter in a
practical way. They had not neglected
their political duties us they saw them.
They had only ashort time before elected
to represent them from Ontario county
MIR. Railles, and from Livingston Mr..
Wadsworth. But when these wool
growers and sheep breeders got together
after election. and their party was not
at stake and all they had to consider was
the wool business, here is the conclusion
to which they
Whereas, II has been the policy in the pas,
for this assoriation to annually pass stcreo-
typed resolutions praying congress to restore
the wool duty of 1857 or its equivalent: and
Whereas, This association iinally recognizes
the unsoindness of its past position on this
question, and, ever ready TO correct any error
INTO which 1t may have fallen, 80 beg leave
To submit the following:
First We recognize that the wool duty is a
deiusion and o snare to the wool growers. and
that it has been largely Instrumental in drjy-
INK 10 the wall ar industry it was calculated
to benefit.
Second Prior to 1867, under the various
changes of the wool duties, the price az wool
fiuctjiatcd not in sympathy with tho tariff,
but by reason Of the ever controlling law oi
demand and supply, the grower having re-
ccivcd high prices and low prices under high
tariffs, ana. conversely, low prices and high
prices under low tariffs.
Third The success of the WOOL grower de-
ponds on The success of the wOOl"h mnnufac-
turcr, while the American manufacturer IL
seriously handicapped by reason of being com.
PEELED 10 pay cyorbitaut tarin taxes on every
pound Of clothing wool imported for necessary
admi"turc, while all foreign cOuntrics of aay
consequence have the benefit of free wool. and
are thus enabled TO unirrscll the mauuiac-
turCrS.
Fourth The great wool tariff of 1867 resulted
in driving from the eight chief wool producing"
states Tor Whose special benefit said tariff wa
conceived and passed more than 80 per cent.
Of their sheep in IL single decade. while tllt
price %! "OOI declined in Il nearly Corrr.pUnd-
in" ratio.
iiflh-Vhc importation Of foreign wool in
c!C"-rd from aho"t -j.UD.0N pound in 1867 to
more than I@j.pO,uO pounds in 1871, Just four
years Succeeding the highest duty ever i'm.
posed on WOOL and wOolcns.
sixth During eight Of the past eighteen
year, the foreign price of imported clOthiug
woods ~ the last port Of export actually cX.
"oclcd the price pf our domestic fleece in the
markets of Boston, New York or rhiladcl
phia. while in no single year did the domestic
woods bring the foreign price, plus the duty.
seventh England. France ana Germany are
the only three cuunlrics in the wuriG That cN.
port wuulCn manufactures in excess OF the i'm
ports of raw "op!; in other words, these coun-
triCs ~ admitting wool frcclpyc created Il Il.
mani for their home Voul ia excess of all
UNINTERRUPTED 10 CioIhr ircir people. and after
Si,ihg employment To laiur export more wool
lii.u ltrrl have imported. The Dnitcd Sta'cs,
on ia" other h",d, by imposing II high duty %"
raw No.i has not only destroyed oar eXrUrt
trade, bu' 80 ihr0i,icd our manufacturers a.
To RUIN tho nilrErt for uu'nc.ti" fleece and
rive 10 the English, French and Gcrman man
uIlclur'r, the cream Of our markets. Ion
c!oli,.
flghi.t Tie rec importation 81 rjt;y wool
MO the irityi STATES would Eau"k sut Tie
import oi W"ulru goods, and would revive the
pier"u: d"prcs- ud state Of our own IaGnuf,c-
lures, thus GIVING employment to labor her,
and Great" an increased demand for our strong
woods IUr nr"C->ary UdmiXiUrr.
Smith recognizing the tru;n Of the adore
facts. therefore, We, the mCIuJurS Of the Ola