San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-10-06
WOOL.
WHAT PROTECTED WOOL HAS
DONE FOR TEXAS.
Free Trade Means Destruction.
HOW TEXAS PETITIONERS WERE TREAT
Ed BY CONGRESS-.
Some Facts from The Congressional
Record.

No class of ulen are more intelli-
gent or understand better every
phase OF the wool question than
our flock masters. The stern logic
of facts has driven the iron of free
trade into their very souls. If they
have trusted the honied words of
democratic candidates for Congress
in the past, ifthey have relied upon
their promises, experience, bitter
experience, has taught them that
they have been made the victims Of
a cruel deception. 1t is not so par
ticularly to the Aock master, now
with ruin staring him in the face,
as to the general public, these facts
are given. 1t is unnecessary to
appeal to thesheep raiser of the 18th
Congressional district, because if
he still persists in voting for
democrat for Congress there is no
hope for him; his fortune is gone
and with it his manhood.
In every county in the 18th Con-
grrssional district, dessimated
flocks, abandoned pastures, bank
rupt flock masters, and hard-up
merchants, tell the tale. More
than that, decreased valuations
mark the decadence of wealth in
every western county.
If we seek for the cause of hard
times, loss of trade, scarcity of
money, falling off of valuations,
we will find the destruction of our
wool industry figuring at the head
of the column. Every merchant,
business man, land owner, banker,
laboring man, farmer, in this dis
trict has been hit by free trade on
wool.
For the information of all who are
not posted, to show the magnitude
and importance of the wool indus
try, and to impress the facts upon
the mind of every voter, certain
facts colated from a mass of infor-
nation is given.
SAN ANTONIO AS A WOOL. MARKET.
San Antonio has reaped a rich
harvest in the past as wool mar
ket. Millions of pounds of the
wavey fleece was turned into her
lap. Here came buyers from
abroad and left millions of dollars
among our people. That was in
the good days of undisputed repub-
lican rule-when we elected demo
Gratis to republican Congress, and
protection was forced upon us.
In 1884 it is estimated that in
this market alone twelve millions
FIVE hundred thousand poun DIS of
wool was handled and sold; in "a
it fell off to two millions seven hun
dred thousand pounds. 1t is true
other points in this Congress ;ional
districc have become wool markets,
and served to curtail our business,
compared with 'S4, but the gradual
falling off since 'eI shows that it is
due to the free trade agitation. In
'eI we handled four and a quarter
million pounds, in go, four million
pounds, in 'o3, three and quarter
million pounds, in "a, two and
three quarter million pounds
The loss of values is still more
startling, The fall clip of 10, and
spring clip of 80 sold as high as 40
cents per pound. In 81, competi-
ton brought wool down, 20 cents
was the highest, average 2415.
In 90, Cleveland's Congress sent
wool down-down-down. The
agitation of the silver question, the
panic, the threatened free wool,
made the clip of the fall of 'o3 sell
at an average of 81 cents per
pound. Spring clip of ga aver
aged a fraction below cents.
! Sheep, yewes, lambs and weth-
ers went to the butchers block by
the thousand, fockS that were
worth on an average $3.50 per
head were sold at IS cents. Mil