New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-01-25
FREE WOOL NOT WANTED.
MANUFACTURERS PROTEST AGAINST IT.
PROMPT AND EMPHATIC REPLY TO FREE-TRADE
,or-pv,1.s-ACTIoN OF THE MEN WHO
KNOW MOST ABOUT TUE SUBJECr.

KNOW MOST AbOC IL SNn'i"
From The Weekly Tribunc)
When the Mckinley bill was passed the OPP
nonents of that measure were constantly making
the assertion that The Nauohal Association OF
Wei Manufacturers was opposed to the schedule o
drt;os ON wool and woollen goods. Since that
,ir,e the free-trade journals have persistently
claimed that what those manufacturers need and
demand is free wool" They have insisted that
thsre exists a bitter conflict between the manu-
facturers of woollen goods and the growers of wool
This has led to a sort of general understanding
+bat Now England factory men were going to favor
on immediate change Of the tariff laws DIS regards
wool and woolen goods. Congressman Springer
* one of the men who has been claiming that such
a war is being waged; and he has presented bill
in the lower house of Congress which aims TO place
wool on the free list lie expected that the manu-
facturers of woollen goods would be among the
first to approve of his work.
A SETBACK FOR SPRINGER.
On the sth of this month the National Associa-
finn of Wool Manufacturers met in Boston fof their
twenty-eighth annual session. Then and there they
rave expression TO their opinion upon this subject
in memorial address TO Congress. This memorial
appeared in full in The Daily Tribune of the 9th
inst. desire to call the attention of my readers.
and especially the attention of Mr.. Springer, to
40
l. The Tariff act of 1890 has been in force but
fifteen months. 1t is matter of general agreement
MAT from three to five years of practical operation
IRE required TO determine tie actual effects OF
new tariff upon the revenue of the Government
and the industries specially affected by new rates
OF duty, and upon the consumers OF articles TO
which such rates of duty apply. An intelligent
Judgment of the present law, necessary TO Its salts
factory revision. is not Yet possible.
=. The retention of the wool and wOocn schedule
in It's present form until it can be thoroughly tested
There is universal agreement among manufacturers
that the tariff is accurately and scientifically
adjusted in it's relationship between the duties on
raw material and the finished product II thus
establishes the condition of prosperity for the
woollen industry, so far as dependent upon custom
duties
submit that these averments seem sensible, and
that these men know what they talking about
better than Mr. Springer They tell us that time
enough has not yet been given to test the wisdom
of the wool schedule. They further say that
there is universal agreement among manufact
urers that that tariff is accurately and scen-
ticaly adjusted in its relationship between the Jaw
material and the finished product
That is simply saying that the tariff is now fairly
adjusted as between the farmers, the men in the
United States who produce WOOL and the men who
manufacture and who consume wool their raw
material This is exactly what the free-traders
have been denying. They have been all the
while saying that the manufacturers felt aggrieved
and would never approve the present adjustment
wooLLEN CLOTH Low IN PRICE.
But listen TO the next statement:
g. On the other hand. no injury to consumers
has resulted from the law, notwithstanding the
fact that the increase in duties on woollen goods
by the tariff of 1890 greater than In any other
schedule (ntcessitated by the unfortunate and IL
logical dsproportion between the wool duties ana
the goods duties in the tarif OF 1851 IheIe
las been increase whatever III the market
price of domestic wooen goods. On the contrary,
all the staple woollen goods and most Of the Fancy
goods NAV now he obtained in the greatest
abundance at a cost to consumers less than ever
before in the history of the country, except al
brief intervals of universal panic and financial
crisis Competing wOollen goods of foreign make
have paid the increased duties without an increase
OF the prices at which those goods are SOLD 10
forced a corresponding reduction in foreign prices
Ia that possible? Can such things be?
Here come the very men who make and sell
woolen goods and actually tell us that staple
woolen goods are cheaper now than at any TIME
before in the history Of the country" They nave
been selling these goods for many years Ill
the past they are selling them now.
They actually know the price they used
IN Get md also what they getting
now. And these very men now tell us
that consumers in the United States are buying
woollen goods, since the advance in the tariff
cbeaper than they purchased them before.
What saws some free-tra lie advocate, do you
mean TO tell us that woOllen goods cheaper
since that Infamous bill put up the tarIh on
wool and wOoen goods, than they were before
that bill passed - Certainly. That is precisely
what this memorial states drawn by men who
ought to know. | will 60 still further AMI add
that these men have told the truth; and DEFY
Mr. Springer or any other tariff reformer To re-
flute their statements.
am we'll aware th& Schedule K-the wool
lad no fe ON
any in the Mckinley bill From early morning
until late at night on each day of the week, in
Guiding SUNDAYS we were told by the frce-trade
people that such law would drive up the cost OF
the Door mans coat and rob the men who work
for a living and wear wooen garments. That
statement was paraded before the people in season
and ont of season. If the free-trade theory is
true, such result must have followed. But no
such result has followed. Exactly the opposite
has taken place. The goods actually lower
in price not higher. The working people have
been blessed not robbed AS commonly happens
the theory led to one conclusion, while the facts
all led the other way. Why have not these manu-
facturers the right to claim what they do2
GREAT RECORD.
Listen TO them again:
4. What the woollen manu- facturers Of the United
States now needs, before all else, is period OF
entire rest from tariff agitation aiming at rad
cal departure from the conditions upon which
the industry is now organized, and to which IL
has been fully adjusted. The w0oen industry
is subject TO unusual and unavoidable difficulties
impossible 70 foresee provide against owing
70 constant and arbitrary changes in the fashions
and the popular taste. Wien 70 these difficulties
are added tho doubt and uncertainty arising from
continual tariff agitation, stability is destroyed
and prosperity becomes impossible.
SO say we. Let these men have little rest
Give them a chance TO see what they can d. for
this industry What they have already dcnr Is
wonderful Let them state in their own words
what has been done for this industry here III
The United States during the last thirty years:
9. We Lcn, direct attention 10 the cN-