The Coconino weekly sun., 1894-10-18
FREE WOOL,
Democrats Trying to Show an Increase in
 Prices Under the New Law.

Democrats Trying to Show an Increase In
 Prices Under tho 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 oth- CTS are making prominent in their speeches statement to 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 it would seem impos- sible that the price of wool could re- main where it was found on July 1, 1894. In some of the northwestern states it was being offered at prices which were really less than the cost of clipping, packing, etc, and yet with al, there has been no advance even in the most notable cases. It may be ar gued that wool was offered as low as six cents in Arizona and some of the western territories and that it is still being offered at those prices. This may be true as 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 l, 1894, confirms all that is claimed concerning the price of wool. To the following extracts, taken from their circular, with the following statement and dia- gram of prices, we challenge the oppo- sition to confirm to the people of this country the absolute fact as claimed by them, that wool is advancing while the figures show a continual decline in this country. We reiterate that the average decline in the nineteen months from March 1, 1893, to October 1, 1894, is 37.0S per cent, while the av- craze decline since the passage of the free wool bill in thirty-fve days is TEA 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 wools of the same kind and | quality as near as may be, although a good Port Phillip is rather the best, | and in order that it 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 27 per cent The decline in | fine or merino wools 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 wools. which have declined very little and which are only 25 per cent. of the whole American clip But if you take fine or merino wool, which is 75 per cent of the whole American clip, you will find that the decline has been from II to l6 per cent. in the thirty five days since wool was put on the free list. And, although wools are advancing in Europe, American wools are still go- ing down at a 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 1, 1895. These are unassaila- ble facts.