The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-01-31
BUREAU OF THE SENTINEL.
WASHINGTON. u q Ian. "a.

| correspondent the following resolutions
sent by the wooden manufacturers to
congress and his letter in reply. The
resolutions read:
George Merritt e Co, wooden manu-
| facturers and wood dealers. Flannel
skirts, fanuels, blankets, yarns.
INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. Is 1894.
| THE Hon. John L. Brett, Washington,
! D. c.:
Dear Sir-Inclossd I hand you copy
Of the resolutions adopted at the meet
| ing of the Indiana manufacturers asso-
citation in Indianapolis Jan. ,. 1894:
ITO the Honorable House Of Representa-
| tives and Senate of the United States:
| The WOODEN manufacturers of indiana
! in convention assembled. hereby most
! emphatically protest against the passage
| of the tariff measure known as the vii
| son bill, and we earnestly pray our rep
! resentatives and senators to vote against
| said bill or any similar measure.
We believe the passage OF said bill
! viii impose 4 serious injury on our
| whole industrial system, as indeed it
| will prove entirely destructive to many
] of our industries.
! Its Discrimination against the farm
! ing interests is an assault on the very
! foundation of all creative industries.
| Free wool would result in annihila-
! ton of one of the most important farm
| industries. which at once reduces the
! purchasing capacity of the farmer and
/ changes the base Of material supply Of
! the western wooden manufactures from
their own locality TO foreign countries.
| Not one manufacturing class ia this
| country has asked for such a law; farm
| ers have not asked for it; then why
| should it he forced upon us?
| Therefore we repeat and respectfully
1rsfff f
| use their influence and vote against the
| Wilson bill. Yours truly.
! HARRY S. WILLARD. Secretary
Mr. Brctz Replies.
Mr. Bretz has mailed the following in
reply;
| HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
WASHINGTON, d. G.. Jan. -.
| Harry :. Willard, Secretary Wooden
Manufacturers Association, Indianapo-
lis Ind:
| Sir am in receipt of yours of the
! 18th inst, containing the resolutions and
| protests Of the Indiana wooden manu-
! facturerS' association against the pas
| sage of the Wilson bill or any similar
! measure. You say. We believe the pas
/ sage Of said bill will impose a serious
| injury on our whole industrial system
/ as. indeed. it will prove entirely desruc-
| tive to many of our Industries. The
! first Is an old prophesy which never has
! been fulfilled in the least particu-
! lar. but for a long time was used to
/ brighten and befOg the minds of the
! farmer; but he has heard the cry Of
| wolf so often when none was near that
! he has ceased to be alarmed when the
! beneficiaries of a protective tariff utter
! it. Its ghost fails TO frighte1 him now.
/ He is more enlightened and better post
! ed on economic questions now than when
- fkf.fn M Err IN varf4fI IN
| successfully their little three-card game
| on him. The second is no less a
/ prOphesy than the first. and Of equal
! antiquity. but if there is any truth i'm
| the belief that the passage of the bill
/ putting wool on the free list and cutting.
| your bounties IN two VIII destroy many
| OF your industries, that only seems to
| condemn the system of hot-house pro-
! lection If the four corners of your in
| dustries are built upon the backs of the
| farmer and labor and depends for an
J existence upon the time he can endure
! its burdens, Their I for one am in favor
/ Of resting the farmer for awhile and
| substituting for him the advocates of the
] system of protection for the corner
! stones. / want to see how long he will
/ stand it till he s0ueels.
! Again YOU say: It's discrimination
/ against the farming interests is an as
| sault on the very foundation OF all Gre
alive industries What discrimination
| against the farmer does it make? Name
| one. If you say wool, then [ ask you
| why it is that wool is selling now for
! less than it ever sold for before, far less
/ than the tariff on it? ] viii tell YOU
what it does do for the farmer. II en-
| ables him 70 buy his clothing for him
| self and family with tax upon it of
! less than one-half of what il is now and
Will enable him to get all of his tools
| and farming indictments free of d,,tv
! nd for h
! ing with the Canadian farmer. who now
! buys American-made farming impia-
/ ments for much less money than the
| American farmer. IL benefits the farmer
| in many other ways that will not allow
4 Of an explanation in a short letter
| Again you say: Free wool Will result
/ in the humiliation of one Of the most
! important farm industries which at
| once reduces the purchasing capacity
| Of the farmer Now, If free wool will
annihilate the sheep industry, then why
| is il that, as you have increased the
| tariff on wool the number Of sheen
! have decreased and the price OF wool
! has continually been declining? Why
was ii that I'm Indiana in 1865 at about
/ the time the first protective tariff on
wool was passed We had 2SS2176 sheep.
! with a constant decrease in numbers
| from that date down TO 1890 at the time
| Of the passage Of the Mckinley bill
| when we had I'm Indiana 1,27S, 900 sheep
and in 1898 only 1,0S0,OOO, in less than
| three years after the passag e OF the
| Mckinley bill increasing the tariff on
| wool? Why Is it that in 1889 wool sold
| for 81 cents a pound and Is now selling
| for about TO cents a. pound In some
| OF our markets? If this is the effect Of
/ a protective tariff on wool and the
sheep industry the farmer doesn't want
| any more Of it, and YOU cannot hood
| wink him any longer with all the calam-
| ity howlers you can station around his
! house. There was a time when you
| did the farmers thinking, but now he
| does his own thinking and reading.
Again you say: Not one manufacture
| ing class in this country has asked for
| such a law'-meaning the Wilson bill.
| No, nor nobody expected a manufacture
| ing institution in this country to ask
| for IL, who is now reaping an average
| bounty OF 90 cents on every dollars
! worth of wooden goods he produces. On
| the contrary, everybody expected the
| manufacturers to fight the bill at every
| step Of its foundation and TO pour into
a common fund literally of their i'll
| gotten gains to defeat it's passage: but
| this democratic house intends to ram il
| down their threats. Get ready for it
| And again YOU say: Farmers have not
| asked for it, then why should il be
| forced upon us% I have the honor to
represent in congress an agricultural
| district for the most part. My mail
| each day contains a score or more of
letters from farmers in my district who
| think understand their own business
| and know their wants better than any
| manufacturer does for them, urging me
to vote to put wool on the free list and