The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-05-07
THE SHEEP INDUSTRY
Open Letter from Judge William
Lawrence TO Senator Voorhees,.
He Corrects Someo of the Latter's Errors
and Tells Why American Wool
Growers Should Be Protected.

OF PUBIC policy in the Senate, would de-
servedly carry great weight. but. when on
the wrong side. must correspondingly be
productive of injurious results. OF your
views and votes on matters relating solely
to Indiana 1t would be Inappropriate for
me TO write. but when they concern the
whole Republic they are proper subjects
of discussion by any American citizen.
L. Sheep husbandry Is one OF the great
agricultural industries Of many of our
American States. The newspapers announce
that you have written a letter on the free
wool question to a Chicago friend. in which
you say:
1T is my understanding that very few
carpet woods are produced in this country
and that they aggregate about three
be true. then as to carpet woods there could
be no disadvantage and must be a certain
advantage to carpet manufacturers OF the
country and the consumers of their goods
in free wool. Second, / am further advised
that the largest proportioni OF fine woods
imported to this country are woods which
cannot be produced here, owing 10 climatic
conditions, and that they are essential 20
the MANUFACTURER In the production Of fine
fabrics. If this be true, they should also
be admitted free OF duty. This would leave
but a small proportion OF imported woods
which compete at the present time with
First-I nave nor Seen your estire letter.
but it is my purppss to point out to you
O the grave mistakes OF fact fnfthe quoted
extract, and hence CD the erroneous con-
illusions you have drawn that there Is Cd
mo disadvantage TO American wool grow
ers by the importation OF foreign carpet
woods, and CD that 'but a small proper
ton of imported woods compete at the
present time with domestic woods"
In this communicate it will not be pos
sible to present in extenso the evidence on
which I rely. but reference will be made TO
documents in which 1t will be found, to wit:
United States Senate Miscellaneous Docu-
ments numbered IS. 77 and l24. OF the pres
emit (second) session Of the Fifty-third Con-
gress. which those desiring to do so can
fully examine.
Second-The wool circular OF Justice.
Bateman & CO. of Feb. i. 1884. entirely re-
| liable, Svs:
cal yea ended June 80, 1893. was about
$50. 00. 600 pounds in addition. TO the. i'm
portation of about $Ss.o00.0W worth OF Inn
ported cloth at the foreign value. II IS
| estimated that the wool required TO produce
these goods was over three pounds or un-
washed wool per dollars worth OF goods.
This would therefore make q total consump-
ton by the American people or nearly
65O.o00O0 pounds of raw WOOL
Third-In the year 1893 there were in the
United States AZ. 273,553 sheep. producing 364,-
| LOO, 900 POUNDS Oh WOOl On inc dllWucnC4
basis, including pulled wool from sheep
slaughtered for market, etc, or a fraction
over one-half Of all consumed In this coun-
try:
year 1893 were as follows:
Class Raw wool. chiefly Merino.. 43,sl1.55
Wool in wool manufactures 10000
Class 2-Chiefiy the long wools.... 6.736.200
Glass 3ICheaper woods, which in
clude carpet and coarse clothing
WOODS ttf Va
Total OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES, 1875 3
Domestic product. as stated. ...... 1864. 1866
Total consumption, 1893 ............6 50. 1904
Now % IL American wool growers can
produce. all the woods needed in this coun-
| try, and () IL American wool manufactur-
ers can manufacture all wooden goods need
ed, the result would be that our present
number of sheep would be increased from
4 47,273, 553 in 1893 TO about 115, 100000. and in
stead of paying S3S, 100000 for foreign WOOL
en- goods all would be made by our own
manufacturers.
CAN FURNISH OUR OWN GOODS.
If the present duties of the Mckinley
law on wooden goods were permitted to re-
main in force, undisturbed. in fact. or by
threat of reduction, in three years our
manufacturing Industry would be sufficient
ly increased to produce all needed wooden
manufactures. 1t is now proved that the
best wooden goods in the world are pro-
| duced in this country Tariff hearings be-
| fore House committee on ways and means.
| Fifty-third Congress, p. 9S4; Boston Wool
Manufacturers Bulletin, December, 1893. p.
27s; Switzler's United States Treasury De-
l,artment Wool Report, 1897, p So; United
Doc. No. 30, second session, Fifty-third
Congress. p. 6I) If any American citizen
will have foreign goods IL will be no mis-
fortune if he should be required to pay
even double the present duty for the priv
ilege of patronizing foreign manufacturers
Your letter says you are advised that
the largest proportion OF fine woods I'M
which cannot be Produced here. owing to
climatic conditions, and, second that they
are essential to the manufaefurer in the
statements, and you have been wrongly
advised as TO both. The finest wool in the
very expensive. comparatively little used.
but 1T is grown to- a limited extent by Hon.
COUNTY Pennsylyania' some In Ohio and
elsewhere, and the American product Is
equal to the bsst in the world. The wool
to which your advice refers. which can
not be produced here owing TO climatic con-
ditions," is the Australian Merino. 1t Is
an American wool bred from American
sheep. chiefly exported from Vermont by
Albert Chapman and others to Australia.
Our best clothing goods are made from
woods embraced In the Mckinley tariff law
as Glass l Merino, etc. and Class 2 South
down, Cotswold, Shropshire, etc. You have
the evidence OF the Democratic free-wool
chief of the Bureau OF Statistics OF the
Treasury. Department under President
Cleveland's first administration. who. In his
wool report of 1887, said page 36l: 1T Is the
current popular opinion that English and
Australian wool surpasses American In
quality, but the reverse is true.
American wool and American manufactures
excel those OF the rest of the world"
To the same effect is the testimony OF "a
cloud of witnesses" CSee Senate Mis-. Doc.
No. So. chapter i. PIP. 1l-62; Mis-. Doc. No.
124, p. 2.)
That eminent and candid manufacturer
Charles Fletcher. OF the Providence WOr-
sted mills, in a letter Feb. IS. 1890, TO the
Boston Home Market Club. said: The talk
of mixing Australian wool TO make goods
required for this market is all nonsense.
as Australian woods are only used largely
here when they are cheaper than domes-
tic wools."
Thus IL is shown that you are in error
In supposing that there are any foreign
woods Essential to the manufacturer ir
the production OF fine fabrics. and you are
In error when you say but a small pro-
portion Of imported woods compete with do
mestic wools."
The imports OF 1898, as shown. were: raw
merino. 4s, 81. SOS pounds; wool in manufac
lures, 114,0o0.o00. and Class 2 woods. 6.736,-
POI, or a total Of 4.0i7, 166 pounds. This II
not "a small proportion" But N the inn.
ports were much less than they are. with
free wool the foreign low free wool price
would fix the American price for all our
woods made into clothing goods
AS TO CARPET WOODS.
Your published letter says: Very few
carpet woods are produce in this country