The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-02-18
ABOUT FREE WOOL.
Mr.. springer's Confession of the
Motive and Aim OF Froe Trade.
BIG INCREASE IN APPROPRIATIONS
VIII Follow tho Passage OF tho Wool
Bill...Iow Can Tint Benefit hmcri.
can Produccrs?.-.Tho Purpose Of tho
Measure Sauarcly Opposed to tho
Interest OF Agrlculturists.

sWW iVIE JI0s.
The Springer FREQ wool bill was yes
terday reported 10 the house Of repre-
sentatives. A few days ago Nj.
Springer, the foremost champion Of tho
bill and the Democratic leader OF the
house, was asked the following qucs-
ton: II tho bill is enacted do you cx-
poet very large increase in tho i'm
portations OF foreign woolcnsP IIo re-
Piled: "Yes, there will undoubtedly be q
heary increase in imporiGtions."
The confession exposes in single
sentence tho motive and aim OF FREQ
trade. Americans everywhere will do
we'll to mark it's significance. 1t is a
notice served on every American farmer
( that raises sheep, every American man
uiacturcr that makes woolens, and
every operative in American wooden
factories, that. it Is tho deliberate pur-
pose of tho Democratic party TO cripple
and destroy tho wool growing and wool.
en- industry OF tho United States. 1t is
clear, definite statement that II the
Democracy has its way the importation
OF foreign woolcns into this country is
TO be heavily increased in volume.
There should be no misunderstand-
ing rs TO what FREQ wool means. It
means that every additional pound
OF low priced foreign wool that
comes into the United States
will displaco a pound Of wool grown on
tho backs OF American sheep. 1t meana
that every additional yard OF foreign
woolcns imported will displaco yard
of wooden made by American labor It
means that the farmers ,of the United
States are to be placed in direct compe-
tition with the sheep ranchers OF Aus
tralia and the coolic labor Of Asia; that
the well paid American woolen.worker
is to be put on the same level with tho
foreign pauper labor that lives from
hand to mouth on starvation wages and
dies in the workhouse; in short it means
that vast wool industry OF tho United
States is to be sacrificed TO crafty the
free trade fanatics OF the Democratic
party.
The provisions OF the Springer meas
ure are worthy OF its object. The entire
tariff is taken of from wool. Every
specific duty on woolens is repealed
Only an al valorem duty is retained,
and this is placed on IN average at n
much lower figure than the 10 per cent
nd valorem OF, the Mills bill. 1t is no.
torious that the nd valorem duty is,- OF
all tariff methods, the most ineffective
and the most conducive to corruption.
The opportunity for differentiation is
constant, and advantage is constantly
being taken OF it. = 1t is probable that in
collecting an nd valorem duty at least
one-third Of the protection is last
through fraudulent and systematic un-
dcryaluing OF goods.
This is something which Mr.. Springer
and his colleagues know as we'll as any
body; but to men whose ultimate object
isto destroy every atom OF protection to
American industry the fact only serves
rs q Recommendation OF the nd valorem
method.
The purpose OF tho Democrats to
make foreign wool free, on the ground
that it is raw material" is squarely
opposed to the interest OF the agricul-
turist. To carry it out would be to re-
duce the income OF every farmer whose
sheep contributed to last years Ameri-
can wool product OF $50, 100000 pounds.
So far as the farmer is concerned, the
wool he sends TO market is not raw ma
terial. It is finished product which
represents his OWE labor, the cost OF his
farm, the interest on the cost and all
the expenses oil running his farm and
making it pay profit The farmer is
entitled to full protection as much as
the wage worker who manufactures
woolens. The Democracy would pro-
tect neither. The Republican party
would protect both.
No possible Justification exists for the
Springer measure. 1t aims to undue all
that the Mckinley law has already ac-
complished for the WOODEN industry. In
1890 the American people paid foreign
ers G,S9S,9l4 for wooden fabrics. In
1901 they paid only S34,0iO,543. This
represents an immense gain to Ameri-
can industry, which the free trader
would wipe out at single stroke.
American WOODEN goods not only COM
mand better home market than they
did year and a half ago, but they arc
cheaper to-day than when the MclIin-
ley bill was passed. The Democratic
free wool bill is i'll the interest OF for
eigners and against the interests OF
Americans. 1t should not become a
law, and it will not while a Republican
senate is in the capitol and Republic
cali President in the white house.