The People's friend., 1894-09-14
RUIN IN FREE WOOL.
Address of the Ohio Growers to the Peo-
pie of the Country.

pie of the Country.
COLUMBUS, o., Sept. 5.-The Ohio
Wool Growers association held it's an
nual meeting at the Ohio state fair
ground, it being the first since the
German tariff bill became law. Judge
William Lawrence, president of the as
sociation, made a stirring speech, in
which he said the treatment of the
great industry by the government was
similar to the methods of anarchists
The association issued an address to
the people of the United States which
clearly shows the temper of the wool
growers of the country toward the
new tariff law. The address says:
For seventy-etght years there have been
high tariff duties, more or less protecting, upon
wool The German law not only denies wool
growers the benefit of tariff for revenue, but
places wool on the free list, though not one
citizen petitioned congress asking it. Until
President Clevelands free wool message OF
December, 1887, all political parties favored
protection for the wool industry. The price OF
foreign wool imports is now so low that with
out protective duties American wool growers
cannot successfully compete with them
Utter Ruin Threatened.
Free wool as a permanent policy would sub
stantially destroy the American wool industry
and in a large measure annih1late the capital
invested therein. The threat of free wool has
reduced the value Of our 45. 900 900 sheep nearly
&7000O,000 and reduced the price Of the wool
of 1894 more than $50, ,0OO, 600 below the normal
under adequate protection
The German law attack on agricultural in
terests is aggravated by the fact that the od1-
Gus whisky trust and the sugar trust and
ll15
Free wool IS an infamous and odious discrim-
tnation and conspiracy against all our agricul-
tural industries AS permanent policy il
would drive million of wool growers from
sheep husbandry into increased production OF
hay, wheat, corn, oats, cotton and other prod
ucts, destroy our sheep and reduce the de-
mand they would make for food and thus add
to our existing overproductlon and low prices
the ruin of still further Overproduction. This
would take from all farmers q large measure
Of their just incomes and render them unable
to patrOntze merchants, grocers, mechanics,
schools and churches All Industrial and othof
classes would be involved in common disaster
Free wool IL blow at civilization and prog
ress. Immense imports OF low-priced WOODS
would supplant to large extent the use Of
cotton and bring disaster to the planters of the
south In 1853 the imports of the third-clasA
wool were 1873 19, ,5sl pounds, at valuation o2
10 cents per pound.
Free Wool a Conspiracy
Why Is free wool thrust upon the oountrys
Not one OF all the senators who voted for tho
German b1N ventured to give any reason In
support Of free wool. Their silence Is con-
feSsion OF its injustice, and that 1t means ruin
1t Ia a conspiracy with four purposes:
1. To AID to the existing overproduction OF
cereals, cotton and other farm products, and
still further reduce prices, already ruinously
low.
2 To ALLEVIATE wool growers from the pro-
tective policy, and thus enlarge the policy OF
free trade.
With cheap foreign wool and protective
duties on manufactures to limit manufacture
ing to the eastern cities and New England
States
4. Its political purpose Is to win for the DEM
ocrattc-Gorman party a few New England
stases and punish the protective wool-grow1ng
states-
fraudulent. With the destruction OF American
docks, and the manufactures limited to q mar
row section, combinations and trusts would
prey upon the people with a monopoly of wool
and wooden goods.
The government must have revenue. If not
derived from duties. the people will pay in
some other form. The wool tariff yielded In
1893 S1s,147,219. The German bill surrenders
fxsfe wool tariff revenue, but imposes four times
reater tariff by tax on sugar Of $40 ,0O(
annually.
Adequate Protection Demanded.
We 1ndorse the doctrine announced by the
National growers that while protection is &C
corded to any industry 1t should also be given
to wool
Full and adequate protection for the wool in
dustry would soon increase our 100000 sheep
to o required s11OOO0,0OO furnishing e500O0, ,0Oo
pounds OF wool annually, all needed, and we
would import no more. This would save an an
nual export of gold Of SEC, 1000 more to buy
foreign wool from countries which take substan-
TALLY nothing from us in return but gold. 1t
would make such an increased demand for
,pasturage, hay, oats and corn as to increase
their production and secure full and fair
prices 1t would enable farmers to reduce the
wheat production, and thus secure fair prices.
1t would increase the resources of more than
80 0OO 900 of the agricultural classes, and thus,
by their patronage to other classes, to give
prosperity to oil. It has been proved that no
foreign wool is needed to mix with ours for
successful manufactures.
Wool Growers Must Vote Right.
What, then. shall wool growers do? The
free wool policy cannot be reversed until after
1896 In the meantime sheep cannot be made
to paw for capital invested and labor in pro-
ducing wool
Let ell people who desire prosperity fo1
Americans rather than for foreigners vote fol
no candidate for congress who does not favor
! protection equally to all American industries
! which by it's aid can be made to furnish al
! needed supplies at fair American prices The
! free-wool infamy will soon be wiped out, never
| more to return, and the people, admon1shed
! by the ruin Of the last years will not soor
! demand again a change to the policy which
brought 1t.
Democratic Deficiencies.
It is a noteworthy fact that demo