Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1894-01-19
FACTS ABOUT WOOL.
PROTECTfONISTS WAkED UP THE
WRONG PASSENGER.

TariH Enables Manufacturers to Depress
the Price of Domestic Products.
The lamentations Of the prophets Of
high protection over the placing Of wool
on the free list by the Wilson bill fine
ly illustrate the homely old English
saw, 'sGreat cry and little WOOL"
With view to demonstrating, with
all the painful particulars, the blue
ruin which would overtaken the poor
woolgrower as soon as the new tariff
went into effect, a Republican firm of
wool brokers sent out circular to q
number Of sheep farmers asking them
to write their answers to series of
questions and send them to Hon. julius
G. Burrows, the Michigan apostle of
McKinleyism. Incidentally, it was in
timated to the woolgrowers in this cir
cular that they would do we'll to show,
in their answers to the questions sub
mitted, how greatly they had thriven
and prospered under the present alti
tudinous tariff rates.
One Of the sheep farmers thus called
upon to supply the ammunition Of
facts for the artillery Of debate now to
be unlimbered ON the floors Of congress
and trained upon the Wilson bill re-
spends in an open letter, printed in the
New York World. This letter con-
tains mass Of useful information
which, though not at all what Hon.
julius c. Burrows and his associates on
the opposition side of congress will care
to use in their coming speeches, is Of
timely interest to the general public,
who only want to get at the truth about
these tariff problems and are not con-
cerned as to whose pet theories are
damaged thereby.
This particular woolgrower dates his
instructive letter from Carbon, Wy. Re
plying to the request that he should tell
Mr.. Burrows just why wool cannot be
grown as cheaply in this country as In
Australia or other foreign countries, he
says, "There is no reason why we can
not grow wool as cheap, if not cheaper,
here than any other place in the
world" In response to the vital ques-
ton, "What did wool net you on the
farm or ranch during the past season in
comparison with previous ones?" Mr..
Burrows gets some most discouraging
disclosures. This Wyoming woolgrower
states that he netted 915 cents per pound
for what he has sold of his 1898 clip; that
the clip of 1892 netted him IA cents per
pound, and that the clip Of 1891, sold
before the Mckinley law went into
| effect, Melted him the best price Of all
III cents per pound. This fact, quite
unavailable as it is for high protection
list orators, is clinched by the further
testimony of this candid Wyoming WOOL
grower. my experience" he writes,
"during the past season is that it is the
dullest 1 have had, in spite of the fact
that there is duty on the foreign wool
| that amounts to more than the value Of
| mine.'
Invited by another of these questions
| to state how he could overcome the adj
| vantage Of the foreign woolgrowers if
the Mckinley duty of II cents per
| pound was removed, this plain spoken
sheep farmer replies: 1.-The American
| has the advantage Of the foreigner in
| Woodworking. And wool sells for less
under the Mckinley law than ever be-
FORE" And to still another question,
intended to lead to a Qualification Of the
| Mckinley wool duties, he says: IF by
taxing every man rs cents who buys a
suit of clothes we could get II cents
extra for our wool, we would not kick
about it, whether the men so taxed
would or not, )" but the fact is, he in
sists, that he gets much less for his wool
now than before the Mckinley act was
passed.
Very significant are the closing SEN
fences of this notable reply to Mr.. Bur-
rows questions, which Mr.. Burrows,
we may be sure, will not care to quote.
Says this honest sheep farmer Of Wyom-
ing: SIN summing up the whole bust
ness have come to the conclusion that
we have nothing to hope for from pro-
lection, as the duty on foreign wool is
more than the price of American wool.
| We have nothing to fear from the for
eign woolgrower. The cause of the de-
preston in the wool business is that the
manufacturers and commission men
have taken advantage Of the tariff agi-
tation and general business depression
to put down prices, SO that they can
get wool for their own prices"
There is of course quite another stand
point from which free wool can and
will be justifed-the standpoint of the
wooden clothing and carpet manufac
turers, whose business will be built up
by it, and the yet broader standpoint of
the general mass of consumers, whose
clothing and carpets will be thereby
reduced in cost. It is nevertheless re-
assuring to the friends of true tariff re-
form, who do not desire to injure any
American industry in the process Of re-
ducing and equalizing tariff burdens,
to learn from the testimony Of the men
who know best-the woolgrowers them
selves-that Mckinley duties have
not really helped them at all, and that
the transfer of wool to the free list will
not hurt them; moreover, that it will
hberate them from the grip of the pro-
tectionists, who are now able to COM
bine. under the shelter of the high tariff
on foreign woods, to dictate low prices
for the American clip.-Balti,nore Sun.
Too Severe q Test.
Congressman Harter, who Is himself
| q large manufacturers Is Of the ODiniOn