Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1893-12-07
wooLGRowERs HEARD FROM.

mendable enterprise in giving the views
OF woolgrowers from all over the state
on the attitude of the Helena indie
pendent. Some of the replies are bril-
liant and telling, showing great famil-
iarity with the subject. In fact a
number OF the writer's are quite cap
able of instructing the editor on the
benefits of protection. William Lind
say, president OF the Dawson County
Woolgrowers' association, writes at
some length and advises prompt &C.
ton on the part OF ~woolgrowers:
But the audacity of the cur in attempt
ing to convince the public that the wool
growers are playing second fiddle to his
idiotical opinion is amusing as well as as
tonishing. The one hope that has cheered
the heart of the w~oolgrower and encour-
aged him to heroic effort to tide over the
present crisis has been his faith in the JUS
tice and judgment of the American people.
He has never wavered in his belief that the
sober second thought, the matured iudg-
ment of the people would stay the hand
that would strike "a blow that would not
only cripple but destroy one of the great
industries of the country. The great
trouble lies with the wo~olgrowers them
selves. 1t seems nothing short of complete
annihilatiou will rouse them to action.
The letharsy brought on by years of pros
perity bids fair to develop into a sleep Of
death. The time for action is short. Will
we stand idle and depend on Others to fight
our battles? Will we see this great wrong
consummated without making an effort to
prevent il? Will we remain silent while
such sheets as the Helena Independent SOW
broadcast their falsehoods and misrepre-
sentations? Will we allow the hirelings Of
the worst element OF Democracy to place
us in a false position before congress and
| the people? Will we, by our silence and
inaction. give the color of truth to the as
| s~ertions of these men, who would prosti-
tute and destroy our great industry forthe
sake of carrying out a political idea. We
cannot afford to do SO. Six months oil
fear and anticipation has embarrassed and
crippled US. Four years OF free wool will
destroy us. Not over half of the wool
growers in Montana can weather the
breakers of free wool. Our only hope is in
determined and intelligent action. The
grand old Republican purity is solid Tor us.
The hest element in the Democratic party
is wavering in its allegiance to leaders who
are determined to strike a blow at Amerl-
can enterprise and industry. Will we make
our needs known and present our case to
congress in such "a manner as to enlist the
sympathies OF these men and draw them to
our support in this, our hour OF peril. or
will we, by our Indifference and inaction.
assist in destroying the industry we have
spent so much time and money in building
up? The woolgrowers OF this country are
men of brains and energy and il thoroughly
aroused to the needs OF the hour have in
them the power to prevent this great
wrong.
d. E. Folsom of Meagher county
writes as follows:
| am temporarily located at Trevor,
| Wisconsin, feeding sheep to fit them for a
Democratic market, and your favor of the
18th, enclosing copy OF an editorial para
graph from the Helena Independent, under
date of Nov. IL, has just reached me-
You ask my views on the same, also my
opinion on the subject OF free wool. l re-
ply that the editor of the Independent can
not find a dozen woolgrowers in the state
of Montana who share his so-called opin-
ion, and he knows it. This is only another
example of the reckless perversion of facts
which has characterized the entire Demo-
cratic press when commenting upon the
Mckinley bill and it's results. 1t deceives
nobody and proves nothing, except to what
desperate straits the free traders aredriven
in their search for something to stay the
tide of popular opinion which the last cleo
tions show is soon to r~elegate them to n
state OF .'inocuous desuetude." have no
doubt but what wool will be placed on the
free list. After p~roclaming that the Nc
Kinley law is a fraud and a tariff for pro-
lection unconstitutional they cannot al
ford to s~tultify themselves by leaving the
entire law unchanged. They are forced to
do something and because our industry lis
seated over the country in small holdings
and the hockmasters have neglected to or
ganize for self protection. our business pre-
sents the point of least resistance in the
whole line of protected industries, and will
therefore be used as the tub to be thrown
to the so-called tariff reform" whale. The
result i'm Montana can easily be foretold.
A very large percentage of the hockmasters
are already financially ruined and if any
are able to continue in business it will be
only by the most rigid econom in all their
expenditures. Wages must be reduced to
IA scale commensurate with the deprecia-
ton in value of the woolgrower's products,
and even then | prophecy that before the
end of this present administration the
number of sheep in Montana will be re-
duced forty or fifty per cent and the re-
mainder will not represent ~one-fourth OF
the present assessed valuation.