Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-04-14
HIGH WOOL DUTIES.

The protected manufacturers, who, TO
put it mildly, have had "soft snap" for
30 years, are already beginning to plead
for mercy from the new administration.
They realize that to keep its pledges the
administration must reduce protective
duties considerably, and they of course
are unwilling to part with their privilege
to charge the American people, "the dear
American people," two prices for manu-
featured goods. By dickering and threat
ening and by pleading the "baby act
they hope to make a compromise on a
price and half
One would naturally suppose that with
free wool and chemicals our wooden
manufacturers ought to compete with
foreign manufacturers if the latter were
handicapped by a duty of 50 per cent.
This especially since Labor Commission
er Wright's recent report shows that
there is practically no difference in the
percentage of labor cost of producing
yard of cloth here or in Europe. Notso.
Says The Wool and Cotton Reporter:
"The wooden industry would just as soon
try conclusions with the foreign manufac-
turers on basis of 20 per cent as on 80
per cent. The agony of the struggle for
existence would be over the sooner if the
lower rate was adopted"
Then The Wool Reporter makes
threat. "From political standpoint"
it says, zone would be as bad as the
other. It would be toboggan slide to
destruction for any party that adopted
such an extreme measure. The Demo
cratic party does not dare formulate
bill that will menace the wooden IL
dustry."
This is simply frightful! To think that
in attempting to give the people cheap
clothes we must go to destruction on
toboggan slide if we approach within
80 per cent Of European prices OF cloth
ing. Shades of protection! What would
Madison have said in 1890 when he ad-
vocated duties on woolens of from to
II per cent if he had known that when
the wooden infant was 100 years older it
would cry so hard that its foster parents
would give it SO per cent protection, and
that it would threaten to throw up its
monopoly arms and expire if given only
35 per cent rations 1913 years later-not,
however, before making a great scene
by causing the destruction of the new
foster parents who would reduce the sup
ply Of pap2
Madison little guessed the insatiate
greed and the pentup spunk, wickedness
and power Of the brood of monopoly in
fants to which he gave birth, with du-
ties of to 10 per cent at the time that
he said "the duties on the great mass of
imported articles have reached point
which it would not be expedient to ex-
ceed," or he would have been tempted to
spank the life out of the whole lot Of en-
bryonic cormorants.
But the wooden men intend to get as
much as they can, and they are not
ashamed Of the most shameful pretexts.
They say, for instance, in The Wool Re-
porter of Feb. %, that the 40 per cent
duties of the Mills bill, though it might
have been ample in 1888, would not suffice
now, because conditions have changed
considerably during the past four years,
and the foreign manufacturer because OF
higher duties has been forced to a lower
plane of economy, while the domestic
manufacturer, with wider market than
formerly to cater to, has had less incen-
tive to restrict and economize."
Thus it is admitted that high duties ener-
vate and demoralize an industry instead
of stimulating and fostering it SO that it
can stand alone and produce goods as
cheaply as they are produced in unpro-
tected countries. And then we are asked
to continue, only on a slightly reduced
scale, this demoralizing system of pro-
lection.
81 have been drunk, off and on, for 80
years." says the man in the ditch as his
friends are about to rescue and reform"
him for the tenth time. "Three years
ago, when I was accustomed to only seven
have stood reforming down to two
glasses. But now, since l have become
accustomed to 10 and 12 glasses, it would
mean death on toboggan slide to try to
reform me even down to three glasses"
There is but one way to deal with these
manufacturers. They constitute less
than per cent of our population, even
after including their employees. They
are sellers of what the other 80 per cent
are buyers. AS they have for 30 years
had everything their own way and have
entirely disregarded the rights of the SO
per cent, it is only fair that the latter
should have their say and pay no atten-
ton to 1.-The largest and most powerful
crowd" of wooden men which the manu-
facturers threaten to send to Washington
to protest against duties as low as IS per
cent. This gang will learn when it goes
to Washington that it does not own con-
gress as it did in 1890. 1t invested in q
set of representatives elected TO stay at
home.
The Chicago platform declared protec-
ton to be an unconstitutional fraud.
The manufacturers need not expect and
should not ask the Democrats to disre-
gard their platform and make protect
i've tariff. To tighten the burdens of the
people as much as possible and at the
same time to obtain sufficient revenue it
is likely that duties of about 25 per cent
will be left on wooden goods. Mills that
have become so slovenly in their meth
DDS that they cannot exist under 25 per
cent protection ought to die, and the
sooner 1.-The agony of the struggle for
existence" is over the better it will be for
the country and the party. 1t is, how
ever, quite certain that by far the great
er portion Of our wooden mills would re-