The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-09-27

TalIow
Tho following open letter from Theo-
dore Justice, OF the wool commission
firm Of Justice, Baseman g. Co., Of Phil-
adelphia, is published in the Cleveland
Leada. 1t will well repay acareful and
thoughtful reading:
M, n NaehaRGn, RdyaetSarg, Stark comfy U
DEAR StR:--We have yours without
date, in which you state that high pro-
lection, put on wool in 1867, when Ohio
had seven millions Of sheep, and when
wool was worth 80 cents, had reduced
the number Of sheep in 1888 to only
three and q half millions, and had re-
duced the price to 25 cents. You are
wrong as to the causes which reduced
the sheep in Ohio, aud reduced the
price elsewhere as well as in Ohio.
Under the tariff law Of 1857 the NUM-
Der Of sheep in the United States in-
CREASED from about forty millions In
1867 to over fifty millions in 1885, when
President Cleveland's administration
first approached the subject Of free
wool. This was during period COW
cred BY the tariff Law Of 1867. CleVe-
lands free wool ideas caused the whole
number OF sheep in the United States
to decline from over fifty millions in
1885 10 forty.two millions in 1889. The
tariff lawof 1857 was repealed in 1851,
but its effect was not felt until pre'l-
dent Cleveland's administration began
to agitate the subject Of Tree WOO: me
duties upon wool In 1867 to the time Of
CleyeIand's election were nearly 10
cents per pound, but when the tariff
Law Of 1888 was repealed, aud the duty
was reduced to 10 cents per pound, the
number Of sheep in the United States
decreased, and the cause OF that de-
crease was inadequate protection.
The increase from forty millions IN
1867 TO fifty millions in 1884, when the
duties were 10 cents per pound, shows
that adequate protection increased the
wool clip, and the increase III the num-
Der Of sheep in the United States In
1884. when there were over fifty millions,
down to forty-two millions in 1889, when
the duty was only 10 cents per pound,
shows that while with adequate protec.
ton our focks increased, with mad:
quate protection they decreased, and
this was the time whom the sheep OF
Ohio disappeared most rapidly. But,
while they disappeared from Ohio, they
were not destroyed; for II you will
recollect that about the time Of Presi.
dent Harrison's election, with the prom.
ise of increased protection, there was a
demand for sheep for shipment to the
territories.
UNDER PROTECTION.
Your Ohio farmer found better
market for the sheep with the growers,
who wanted them for the Rocky Noun
tain regions, than with the butchers,
who wanted them for slaughter, and
You will fiud thai the tariff law Of 1890
called the Mckinley law-checked at
once the decrease in the number Of
sheep, and although the increase in
duties by the Mckinley law was only
one cent per pound, the fact that the
American wool growing industry was
no longer menaced by free wool, stopped
the decreasing tendency that was so
conspicuous previous to that, and up to
the time OF President Cleveland's re.
election in 1892 the whole number Of
sheep in the United States had increased
to 100000.
Now, what was the condition of affairs
in six months after President Cleve-
land had been inaugurated? You find
the price of wool lower than it has ever
been in the memory Of this generation,
and for the first time in history, Ameri-
can wool ia no longer double the value
ofwools OF the same time in London, as
It has been ever since we had protecA
tive tariff. On the day that President
Cleveland was inaugurated Ohio wool
was worth, in the secured condition, to
the American manufacturer, considera-
bly, over sixty ce1ts per pound; to-day
its value to him in the same condition
is below fifty. centsper pound, and much
OF itis worth not more than forty cents
per pound, and this fall from sixty cents
ON the 4th OF March to nearly forty
cents on the 4th OF September is because
It is feared that the coming session OF
Congress will put wool on the free list,
and when that Is done, American wool
will never again be worth double the
London price, or free wool price. The
London price Of thirty cents for secured
Merino wool, under free trade will be
the American price, and this is why
there is no sale for Ohio wool now, and
this Is why prices are tumbling toward
the London level OF thirty cents secured
or fifteen cents in the washed fleece in
the eastern market, which mems twelve
cents on the Ohio farm.
II you doubt that the lear Of free
trade is the cause Of the present de.
cline induce President Cleveland to de-
clare that he would promptly veto any
law that removes the duties upon wool.
In such an event as this, Ohio washed
wool would Immediately run back to
sixty cents secured or thirty cents in
the fleece, because the wooden mills
that are now idle because they have no
orders for cloth, would soon have more
orders than they could fill tho WOODEN
mills would be in operation, and there
would not then be enough wool TO 90
around.
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN.
The Australian wool, which is now
being reshipped in such large quaint.
ties to London, would. have to be
brought back because there would not
be enough American woods to supply
the demand. You are awore that by
placing wool on the free l6t, that act
alone, without any further legislation.
at once removes A cents per pound Oh
Of cloth, making a difference in the
cost OF imported cloth OF 65 cents
per pound on 20-ounce goods: Mer'