Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1894-06-29
WORST TO ROACH.
Senator J. H.. Worst Answers Sena-
tor Roach's Arguments For
Free Trade In Wool.
Tells Him a Few Things About
Sheep, and the Results of
Free Wool.
How Flocks Have Alternately In
creased and Decreased Under
High and Low Tariffs.
Roach

Roach Reviewed.
EDITOR TRIBUNE: Some weeks ago
Senator Roach replied to a former letter
of mine, through the TRIBUNE, and I
wish to disclaim any intention of i'm
pugning his motives or integrity by his
vote on the revised Wilson bill, when
ever that time may come.
From the tone of Mr.. Roach's letter
he intends "to subserve the greatest in
dustrial possibility Of the state" by
voting for free wool (?) whether it
pleases Grover Cleveland or not. He is
convinced that protection on wool is a
humbug, that it lowers rather than raises
the price of wool, that it has gone down
under the generous protection afforded
by the Mckinley bill" and as a friend
of the farmer and in the wool growers
interests he will vote for free wool, and
whether it affects his influence favorably
or adversely with the president cuts no
figure. This is the substance of his let
ter in the TRIBUNE of June 9Th. In all
this my friend Senator Roach assumes
to tell the sheep owners of North Da-
kota, Ohio, Indiana, Montana and Of
every other state in the union that they
do not know what is good for the one
industry they have nursed and studied
all their lives. That his judgment is SUI
roriNr RI tho ,,rt$o1 ovror;oro1 @leor
walton and investigation of a hundred
thousand men whose interests are at
stake, and who are supposed to know
what is for or against them l n the way
of business success.
MI. Roach assume no severity. He
does not intimate that in Justice to the
consumer of wool, the producer should
forego the benefit Of the tariff, as they
all did during the campaign of 1892,
when the democratic stump orator
paraded the sympathy of his party for
the poor mar who could not afford a
WOODEN suit on account of the unconsti-
tutlonal and robber tariff on raw wool.
If, as he says, under tariff protection
the price of wool steadily declines, and
that under the Mckinley act "the price
of wool not only did not advance but
fell off" then surely the effect of the
tariff, according to his own logic, was
precisely what democracy championed
in 1892; and that being the case the only
object he Ear have in voting for free
wool is to enhance its price; but is doing
that he destroys the eastern promise of
cheap clothing.
But the judgment of the wool growers
of America is against him and the logic
of history refutes his statements.
When the price Of wool went down in
the markets of the world our protective
duties could only maintain a relatively
higher price for wool here, and that it
sustained until the Chicago platform
was elected in 1892.
While the price of wool in London fell
off about 30 per cent. during the last
two years of Harrison's administration,
it depressed the wool market here but 7
per cent for the same period, while since
the democratic party has had absolute
control of the government, the price Of
wool has remained about stationary in
London, but fell off here about 80 per
cent. 2
Protection maintained a relatively
higher price for wool until democracy
came into power, pledged to It's absolute
repeal, since which wool fell to the free
trade basis in spite of the Mckinley
act. Democratic ascendancy naturally
rendered null and void existing duties on
wool, from the fact that the party is
pledged to free trade, and the time that
must elapse between purchasing the raw
material and disposing of the finished ar
ticle is so great, wooden manufacturers
cannot afford to pay more for wool than
what it will cost laid down in New York
from London.
Prior to the election of 1892, wool and
mutton was a very profitable industry.
Wool sold on the Missouri slope, in the
grease, at from Is to % cents per pound,
and stock sheep at from $3.50 to $500
per head. In 1893, wool dropped sud
denly to from 7 to 10 cents per pound,
and sheep went down accordingly. To
CURES OTHERS
To purify, enrich and vitalize the blood,