The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1893-11-10

- "ss 80 a%tss
pioyed by McKlniey itea
We %bservc. from the Ohio papers
that TIN republicans IRE still busy try
ing to pull wool over the eyes Ut the
farmers Of the Buckeye state. IL real.
~ reads like a chapter Of ancient his
tory. this rciteration Of the old state
ments that free trade will put dowr
the price Of wool and ruin the farmer
unless he is vigilant enough to get q
~protectionist elected governor Of Ohio,
. position that has nothing TO do with
the tariff whatever. This is. the same
old drcary stuff which may have teeu
current In those prehistoric times when
the m~cgalosaurus was in the waters,
the mcgathcrium in the fields and the
mylodon browsing on trcc-tops in the
forests. AT all events, the memory OF
man runs not back to the time when
II was not a part of political discus
son.
There is much rational entertainment
In hearing . republican discuss the
wool tariff before an audience Of farm.
ers. 1t is a study in psychology. The
orato has to forget all that be and his
party have commended for i'm other mat.
:ers; he has TO put out Of view both the
lessons of tho past and the facts OF the
existing situation. lie feels bound Ia
lay the low price Of wool on the demo
Gratis, because that is necessary to the
success Of his scheme to get votes; but
as this is directly in conflict with all
the facts of the case, SO much the worse
for the facts. There is no case re.
ported in the books where facts ever
seriously impedcd the fluency Of q re-
publican spellbinder.
In holding the democrats responsible
for the decline Of wool the republican
has first to forget what lie has always
said is the object and ctfcct of protcc-
ton, namely, to make commodities
cheaper. As soon as he gets before an
audience of Ohio farmers the spell
binder tells them that the tariff on
wool was put there to protect the
farmer, ana that it has kept up the
price. All that has ever been said
about the tariff making prices lower u
carefully forgotten.
There are several other things that
have equally TO be forgotten. A very
important one is that the Mckinley bill
is still in force, and that a new tariff
bill has not even yet been framed. If
it be said, as it has been said, that the
bare prospect of a change in the tariff
disturbs business. the speaker is
troubled with another lapse Of men,
Dry. II changing the tariff is bad for
business, how can anyone see his way
clear to vote for Mr.. Mckinley, who
spent all Of the summer and half of the
fall of 1890 in that same process Of
tariff tinkering," which is always con
sidered as immoral when undertaken
by democrats.
The psychologist object lesson, how
ever, does not end here. The gentle
man engaged in pulling the wool over
the eyes of the Ohio farmers also finds
his memory paralyzed with reference
10 the history OF the wool industry
1867, the year when the policy Of
high duties on foreign wool may be
said to have been inaugurated. 1t was
devised for the avowed purpose Of
keeping up the price, but it has not
done it. The price continued going
down until 1853, when there was .
reduction in the rates. 1t kept
declining. Protectionists went to
the farmers and told them that the de-
cline after 1883 was due TO the reduc-
ton of the duties, though they had
made the reduction themselves. In
1890, the Mckinley bill increased the
but the fall of prices of wool
went on. This worried the SPELL
binders q good deal. but when Mr..
was elected president they
their opportunity, and have since
been saying that the low price Of wool
Is due to democratic ascendencv.
Wool has declined from sixty cents .
pound in 1867 to less than half that
price now for the corresponding grade.
The free trader does not assert that tho
high tariff has caused the decline Of
price; but logically the protectionist is
bound to take the responsibility, since
he contends for the general principle
that protection always cheapcns com
modities." 1t is just as logical to con-
tend that protection has chcapened
WOOL as that it has cheapcned ~woolens,
Or steel rails, OF any other articles
which, under the ipexorable law Of
and demand, have suffered Q
decline in price. But when a
talks to q farmer about
wool he always forgets all about the
that protection causes the fall
Of prices.
There have beer symptoms in recent
years that the Ohio farmer, so far rs
wool Is concerned. has reached the
limit of his credulity. In one or two
elections lately the democratic gains
have been heaviest in the wool-growing
counties. 1t remains 10 be proved that
the old wool-pulling device retains any
Of its potency as votc-winner in Ohio.
Louisville Couricr-Journal.
Now that Thomas Brackett Reed
has not only taken back his refusal to
appear in McKinlcy's Ohio campaign,