The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-11-05
PEAcEDALE, X. l., Nov

I PEAcEDALE, II. l., Nov. 8.
| To the Editors Of the Ncics
An argument against keeping the tariff on
! wool that IL being used down here is thai the
| sheep have for the last decade decreased in
| stead OF increased. Can you furnish. through
| your paper, the Republican explanation of
! this and oblge, YOUNG REPUBLICAN,.
Considering that the decrease in the
production of native wool was directly
attributable to decrease in the tariff
by which the protection of that industry
was in part removed, the argument"
to which our correspondent refers APP
pears to us very wobbly, decrepit and
| ludicrous.
It's very much as if the "besom of re-
form" and economy were TO sweep away
two-thirds of the PROVIDENCE police
force. Robbery, assault and disorder
would increase Then might some Mar
ragansett District philosopher of the
Mugwumpian brand arise and say:
"What is the use of police force?
Crime is increasing in spite of it. Wipe
il out altogether Abolish it In the in
terest of economy and free crime" And
then we can imagine the philosopher
aforesaid TO vaunt himself much rs one
who uttereth wisdom.
Why, "Young Republican" tell
those doubling Thomases that the
Congress of these United States did in
1888, in answer to the demands Of the
Mugwumps, revise the tariff on the
cutdown plan; that wool suffered with
other things; and that sheep which
were worth $253 (average) in 1888
dropped to s.. IA in 1885, that the
amount Of native wool raised i'm 1886
was II, ,113,3 ,345 pounds less than in 1884:
while the importation rose from 3.0l6-
100 in 1882 to 4.404, ia in 1887, more
than doubling in FIVE years.
Naturally this state of affairs affected
the census of 1890. The Mckinley
tariff passed in the same year, did not
materially alter the tariff on wool. or.
TO be more accurate. it increased some
wbni the duty on higher grades but not
on the lower, as follows:
Mckinley 9Sr1Ey # Tarls 9ss,
woos nrst-class Nerno, Down
wools'' second class OI.eieester
CotsWold, Down co nbng wools
wools t6ird class tDonska Cor. ' ''"' "'-'
dOyn. Native = Amer, Turkey,
Greece, syria, etc.. valued at
wools. third class. worth over p'' -''"''
l2c ...,....... .............,,....... 80 perc DC
Not a great change in any case, ex-
except as affecting the more expensive
woods of class three and camel's hair.
But on the other hand, the Mckinley
bill did increase the duty ON all sorts of
manufactured and partly manufactured
wool.
Mr.. Rowland Hazard, wool manufac-
turer of Peacedale and Democratic can
didate for Elector, would doubtless be
very glad TO get not alone raw wool, but
shoddy, yarn waste, and especially
'tops," free Of duty. How would the
Peacedale wor1ingmen like it, when all
the washing, securing and other pro-
cesses mp to the "tops" was done in
Great Britain 10y cheap labor? This
was provided for by the Mills bill
The Mills bill would have suited
manufacturers well enough, If it did
not invite reprisals, but il would have
turned the sheep ON a thousand Yankee
hills into mutton, and have thrown out
of employment a very large proportion
Of RHODE ISLAND wool workers besides.
The Mckinley bill makes the woolen
industry prosperous beyond example.