Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-06-13

mnrket< Gid Clarke = 0eovo - fnn-
adslphis il TIE uoeson los1 night Mr..
Grove u the buyer In Jsnu1s = Lpun.
and = che Il the ksst posted uooa usn
IN tks country.
-Esesybody y waiting Cor fsss vool-
he continusd and nobody CORES - bay
any 0ore wod thar = necsnnnry. The
present sdministrsfioa has psunhsed 10
put wool Ia the FREE list and y IN duty
bound 30 fnlfiu the pzx,mseo.
Last yess bought 3.oO0o pounds
and had saxiy i've men o. The roed Ihss
year have oniy ops gang of buyess and
sra not particular whether they bslng IN
any wool or not sxpect 10 buy ucoi
for which I formerly paid - cents Tor
IL. and that for which ] have formerly
paid ~ - and - / expect % gst fos II,
Is and u. But that = only N illussra-
tlon a the condition Of the market
Nobody knows bow Low American
wool may drop. ] myself should not 10
surprised 70 ses u drop below the price
of foreign wool. Of course the market
viii rebound siightly; but when WOOL
is put on the free list he underpinnipg
win bs knocked from tlls American
grower. To remove the duty viii not
help the consumer materially either.
The retailer gill knock Cd the plum.
The manufactures can get his ra. ma
terial little cheaper. but the duty on
the finished article viii hs reduced In
proportion. The cost u ths WOOL ia any
piece Of goods u small IN proportion To
the expenses for labor and for running
the plant The American manufacturers
have decided 10 cut wages when tho
tariff IL revised and thus keep even with
the foreign manufacturers Who pay lees
for labor. taxes and interest. This Of
course will make marked difference in
the cost Of cloth; but the public
will not get the benefit Of IT,
The retailers will not reduce the
price Of their goods in proportion.
The consumer will continue u pay the
present prices: the laborcr will work for
Ices money; the dealer will put the diff
ference in his wallet. and the American
wool grower will be floating in the very
center of the turecn.
This il fact. not fiction. An illustra-
tive case may he found in the effect IL
the Mckinley law. When il was passed
everybody obtained the idea that there
would be marked advance in prices.
The retailers took advantage Of the
scare and showed prices up. One day
another wool buyer and myself went
into q Philadelphia furnishing store "a
buy some undertaking. Ny friend
ordered four suits and then asked the
price. The clerk told him.
"'How's thaty asked my friend.
THE Mckinley bill has increased the
price, responded tho clerk without a
blush.
but it has made no such difference
as that
lit certainly has responded the
salesman.
"'Now tell the truth about this mat.
ter i cxpostulatcd. This man is a
wool buyer, and knows better than that
The clerk FLUSHED. but refused tn he
classed otherwise than 40 an unmiti-
gated liar.
Upon investigation No found that
that particular LOT 81 undertaking had
been purchased at l2i per cent below
the usual price. and was marked - per
cent above the previous selling price
The retail dealers will pursue the same
tactics after wool is put on the free list
The American wool industry will he
ruined aud tho consumers will receive
no benefit. Free wool IL several months
distant, but il has already effected the
market. and heaven only knows where
it will stop"
Speaking about Wildcats remarked
John Ii. Harrison IL Denver AZ he
leaned against the Morton house bar
and gazed thoughtfully into q
glass Of settler and lemon. "that re
minds me IL an experience Of my own
l was working with contraction party
on the Denver 4 Rio Grande road. /,
was about twelve years ago, il remem.
Der correctly. One day long haired
idiot came into camp with a wildcat
He had her in a cage constructed Of cot
tonwood boughs and wanted to sell the
animal for g.. She was as ugly and
ferocious brute az the sun ever shons
upon. but old Tom jackson who az boss
ing the gang. took a fancy 10 her
Old Tom had something of the villa
cat in his own nature, and perhaps there
was bond Of sympathy between hiu
and the wild eyed beast which glarec
through the openings Of the cottonwood
cage. Tom spent q good deal Of his
spare time in the company Of the wild
cat and she soon took decided fancy
10 him. He tanned her and finally tool
her out Of the cage. She vas general,
chained 10 stake in Toms tent and he
would play with her as IL she were a
child At times. however, the cat would
become frightfulIy ugly. and II was dan
gerous for anybody to come within the
length OF her chain. On such occasions
Tom would put on n pair OF cavalry
boote. buckskin trousers and shirt and q
pair Of gauntlet gloves. and visit the
tent He'd take blacksnaks
whip and maui the brute
until she was forced 10 give up through
sheer exhaustion. Then she'd be nc
gentle as a kitten Cor Q week or ter
days One morning Nellie, n Tom nj
fectionately called the cat. WA on q tear
He didn't have time to discipline hel
then, but said he'd do il 1T night The
cook bad little 6-year-old girl who
played alone about the camp: but she
had never been permitted to visit with
.Jacksons Wild cat That afternoon abou,
4 o'clock came TO the camp for some fig
ures that were in a book in jackson
tent. AZ I entered the tent saw the
cooks little girl seated on n blanke,
playing with Nellie. The wild cat which
bad been raging In the morning. was
now purring like kitten. aud little
Maggie was pulling its tail with the ut
most unconcern. The sight almost frozs
my blood. l know IL Nellie saw ms
thcre'd be trouble. so ] stepped bach
and called 10 the child. She left ths
wildcat and tcddied toward tho entrance
Of the tent. At that instant Nellie saw
me. and all the sava9ery In her mature
seemed b. he aroused. She eprang fol
the little one and caught her by The
shcnlders I ruflei my revolver anf