The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1894-10-20
FREE WOOL.
Democrats Trying To show an Increase I'm
Prices Under the New Law.

Democrats Trying to show an Increase I'm
Prices Under the New Law.
Since the close of the second session
of the Fifty-third congress, prominent
democrats throughout the west, nota-
bly, Hon. Franklin MacVeagh. OF
Chicago; Representative Bynum, OF
Indianapolis. Ind; Senator Voor-
hees, of Indiana, and very many 9TH
ers are making prominent in their
apeeches statement 10 the people
that the price of wool is advancing;
that there has teen an advance all
along the line since the passage OF the
Mckinley law.
At first sight IL would seem impos-
sible that the price of wool could re-
main where II was found on July 1,
1894. In some of the northwestern
states il was being offered at prices
which were really less than the cost of
clipping, packing, etc, and yet with
nj, there has been no advance even In
the most notable cases. IL may be ar
gued that wool was offered as low as
six cents in Arizona and some of the
western territories and that IL is still
being offered at those prices. This
may be true us to some of the locali-
ties, but we are prepared TO say, from
the most authentic sources, that there
is general decline in the prices of
the American clip everywhere.
The circular of Justice, Bateman &
Co., wool commission merchants OF
Philadelphia, issued October /, 1904,
confirms all that is claimed concerning
the price OF wool. To the following
extracts, taken from their circular,
with the following state ment and dia-
gram of prices. we challenge the oppo-
sition TO confirm 20 the people OF this
country the absolute fact as claimed
by them, that wool Is advancing while
the figures show n continual decline
i'm this country. We reiteratc that the
average decline in the nineteen
months from March /, 1898, TO October
/, 1894, is 3z0S per cent, whilc the av-
erage decline since the passage Of the
free wool bill in thirty-tive days is IA
per cent. Attention is now called to
the following statement:
The Bateman circular of October 1
shows by diagram the course OF prices
for American wool since the advent OF
President Cleveland's administration.
The same diagram shows the course OF
prices In the London market for wool
OF the same kind and quality. This
diagram takes for comparison Xxx Ohio
and good average Port Phillip,
which are woods OF the same kind and
quality as near as may be, although n
good Port Phillip Is rather the best,
and In order that IL may not be claimed
that we have taken only one grade or
quality. We also show that the decline
on all kinds of wool since President
Harrison left the white house has
been over % per cent. The decline in
fine or merino woods alone (which con-
stitute the bulk of the American clip)
has exceeded 40 per cent. In the three
outside columns OF the table Is shown
the average decline which has taken
place since wool was put on the free
list, including coarse woods, which
have declined very little and which
are only % per cent of the whole
American clip. But IL you take fine or
merino wool, which is 70 per cent. OF
the whole American clip, you will find
that the decline has been from 1 / TO
10 per cent in the thirty-five days
since wool was put on the free list
And, although woods are advancing "a
Europe, American woods are still go
ing down az time when our mills are
the busiest wooden mills in the world,
for they have free raw material and
the Mckinley law protection until
January /, 1895. These are unassaila-
BILE facts