Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1893-11-15
rae WOOL TARIFF.

foreign wool il Is cents pound and
Amefican wool sells ia this country for
10 cedts, the Mckinley tariff should be
doubled and thereby iDcEesse the price
oE Afis ricxu wool to % cents a pound.
or course this IL alI fsceIious. What
this farmer Is trying 20 get at is why il
any tariff at ALI necessary on foreign
wool, and whether IL would not he bet.
ter to have free trade ia wool altogether
He also raises the q les lon as 10 the ef
feet OF wool duties ON the price Of cloth
ing. We will answer him rs briefly a.
possible but IL would take an hours
speech to do the subject justice. There
are few facts however underlying the
whole subject that no one, be he free
trader or protectiOnist can ignore. First
Is the great fact that the price of wool
10 the London market has declined
steadily for twenty years. London ir
where most of the worlds surplus
stocks Of wool are taken by the shipload
TO be sold for whatever they will bring.
The world market for wool has gone
down in 20 years about one-half. The
production of wool in Australia, South
America and other countries, besides
in the United States, has doubled and
trebled In the same time. Now il can
not be assumed that II there had been
free trade 10 wool with our country
these facts about increased pr Iduction
and constant reduction in price would
been been different in the other coun
tries above referred to. Wool has de
clined 10 the London market aud the
production of wool has increased the
world over regardless of American
wishes or legislation. Now with that
rs basis of argument what conclusion
can be drawn as to the effect of the
foreign market upon the market of the
American wool producers. Would we
have as many sheep In our country,
would we produce as much wool as we
do now, If we had enjoyed free trade
In wool all these years? We doubt 1t
very much. After all that IS said of the
low price Of wool, the price in London
and other wool markets is still lower
than ours. Lands, labor and the keep
Of sheep Is less In Australia and South
America than In the United States and
they can supply US with cheaper wool
than we can grow.
A tariff has simply prevented the
wool growers Of other countries supply
log the hone markets of our country
which are now supplied mostly by
American wool growers. The tariff
has been q wall that has shut out the
food of surplus woods now forced
upon London market for what they will
bring. instead OF being dumped upon
the American market aud still further
depressing prices Of wool to the Amer
lean farmer. The tariff, If it could not
keep prices from declining when they
declined all over the world, at least al
lowed our farmers to supply our mar
kets as far as they could do 80.
For the benefit Ofour free trade friend
we will say we do not admit that the
price Of raw wool bears any relation Of
importance 20 the price Of the manu-
factured product. Five pounds of wool
makes cloth for suit OF clothes.
Whether it be ten or twenty cents IA |
pound matters little In the final cost OF |
the suit Of clothes which at the stores
Is from ten TO thirty dollars. II l. |
never felt In the retail cost to the con
sumner, any more than the retail price
OF beef Is affected by the price of beeI
alive, whether It is two or three cents
. pound. A good Illustration of the
operation ofa tariff Is shown Ia tn,
sase OF hides. BY representations OF
New England manufacturers If boots
Ind shoes, and with the aid of IRE.
rade votes In congress, hides We're put
10 the free list a few years ago. Tue
'ther day farmer brought hide t.
he Salem market aud the butchers re
used to take Il at any price. They
aid they had great diffi ulty in dis
'oslng OF the hides OF beeves they
laughter. Hides used to sell at Salem,
/ from 2 to s cents pound. In the
istern states, nearer the tanneries aud
Ig centers ofthe shoe aud leather trad,
ley brought from TO 7 cents, aud
aud l2 cts. for dry hides. Since the
lty was taken of the entire Pacific
'ast 10 supplied with hides and hide
'oducts from South America wher,
ey can be bought by the thousand foI
,m ten TO twenty cents apiece and ,
B brought here by the shipload.
The farmer was very much disgusted .
Dause he could moi sell hides at Sa-
b, IL he was a free trader he coulu
'iit BY the object lesson Ia competing
% free raw materials. Now We do 1
kn W for certain, and never eau !,
ow until Il 10 tried, but We imagine
( II wo0l were placed on the fire. |