The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1894-02-10
Free Wool,

In the House on Thursday Judge
Pearson who represents the 10th
Ohio district spoke as follows as to
free wool, after an effort had been
made to show that free wool was not
made distinctive issue at the last
congressional election. Judge Pear
son, most effectually disposed of
that question in briefly addressing
the committee. He said:
"Mr Chairman, / desire to say,
before the vote is taken upon this
amendment, that | have the honor to
represent on the floor of this house
one of the largest wool producing
districts in the state of Ohio, that |
was sent here as the representative
of that people. with the distinct I'M
Outstanding and fully com missioned
by them to vote to place wool ON the
free list. Applause on the Demo
cratic side. Sir, they have been
trying to produce wool under the
supposed protection afforded it by
the Mckinley law, and they have
learned from sad experience that the
statement of their Senator, Mr.. Sher-
man, to the effect that any increase
of the rate of tariff on an article
tends to decrease it's price, is at least
true when applied to the wool they
produce. Under the present law the
price of their wool has been reduced
each successive year since that law
was enacted, until to-day it is lower
than ever before.
I'm that district the issue was
squarely presented in the election of
1892. If there was wool grower
within the district who did not know
that l had voted for free wool in the
Fifty second congress he read no Re
publican paper published within the
district during the campaign and
listened to no Republican orator
there. If there was a wool-grower
within the district who did not know
that l would vote for free wool if re
turned to this congress, he attended
no meeting which l attempted to ad.
dress and made no effort to inform
himself on that subject. The ques-
tion was there made an issue, and on
it, notwithstanding the large Repub-
lican majority in the district, the
people said by their votes that they
favored free wool; and not only free
wool, but free raw materials general
ly, and substantial reduction of the
present rate of duties on manufact-
ured articles. Applause on the
Democratic side.
"Sir, the fight to preserve the tar
if on wool is not made by wool grow.
ers alone, but it is made at the in
stance of those who are benefited by
high protective tariff, the protect
ed manufacturers. Applause on
the Democratic side. They are be-
hind all this fight, for the reason
that they realize that the tariff on
wool is the keystone of the arch of
protection; that once the duties on
this article are removed, and the
people enjoy the benefits accruing
not only to the wool-growers but to
all the people by the removal, the
arch itself must fall, and that pro-
lection for projections sake alone is
doomed. Applause on the Demo
cratic side.
They realize that they will then
no longer be able to deceive the peo-
pie by appealing for protection to
the American farmer and wool-grow-
er. / am not one of those who would
abandon the custom houses of this
country; nor would l cripple any Of
the industries of this country by
taxing the foreign raw materials
which they must have when by tax
no benefit accrues to the American
owner of the article.