Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-05-18
SHODDY NOW
REPLACES WOOL
Prosperity Visions Of Free-Trad-
ers Clouded by Facts.
POORER CLOTHING RULES.
The Wool Grower Sees the Price
Dropping Instead of Rising.

tariff debate in Congress, and also on
the stump in Indiana. that if he
thought wool would decrease in price
he would never vote for the Wilson
tariff bill. He declared, as did all the
other free traders, that if wool were
put on the free list that it would in
crease in value because of the greater
demand that would be created for
American woods to mix with those Of
foreign production That this was
barefaeed misstatemeut was demon
strated frequently in the Press and
was patent to any fairmiuded person.
The free traders did not expect wool to
increase in value, because il they did
wooden cloths would be dearer, in
stead of cheaper. 1t was a falsehood
similar to that uttered by many DEM
agogues now in advocating free silver
coinage.
The new tariff law has been in effect
long enough to test the truth Of those
free-trade assertions about wool 1t
largely decreased in price soon after
the Cleveland Administration came
into power. because it was then eleae
that wool would be put. on the free
list. But it has kept right on going
down, Notwithstanding the low price
reached before the tariff bill became
law. Ohio fleece. Y and Xxx, ac-
cording to the figures of the Treasury
Bureau of Statistics, sold for twenty
two cents pound in the first week of
May of last year. They are now SELL
ing for sixteen cents, and even less,
per pound. When the new tariff act
was passed the price was tweuty-one
cents, and now it is sixteen, showing
decline of five cents a pound in
eight months under the new law. But
no one will ever hear OF any explana-
ton of this point from the free traders.
Voorhees, will carefully avoid any ref
erence to his campaign assertions on
the subject of wool, just as he would
as carefully avoid, in the future, any
reference to his present statements on
the subject Of free silver coinage if the
country should be so unfortunate as to
have such calamitous statute inilict-
ed on it.
Another thing in connection with
the wool tariff will be kept from pub
licity as much as possible by the men
who passed the existing law on the
subject. The cry was sent all over
the country that putting wool ON the
free list would give the people better
clothing and stop the use "shoddy.
The Treasury statistics give an inter-
esting lesson on that subject Under
the Mckinley act only sol pounds Of
shoddy and waste were imported in
March OF last year. In the same
month this year 2,iIS,66 pounds
were imported, showing gain Of
I4o7. % per cent in the importa,ions
of shoddy and waste under the new
law. For the nine months ending
March 81, in 1894, the importatious
were 7s,o23 pounds, while for the
eight months ending at the same time
, under the new law the impoftatious
were o,7I3,IS7 pounds. That is the
way the new law is keeping out shod-
. dy--that is, by increasing It's impor-
tation 1907 90 per cent. Such impor-
tations Of shoddy were never before
known in the history Of the country.
That is the way free wool and tariff
reform" give the American people
better and cheaper clothing And
even by the use Of this shoddy, and
with free wool, the manufacturers are
unable to compete with those of Eng
land The importations Of wooden
goods increased from sLa38, 5o7 in
March Of last year 10 s4,3ao, ITO IN
the same month this year, another
enormous percentage Of increase. a
large number OF wooden mills are now
: shut down because Of strikes. the
E manufacturers being unable TO pay
even the present reduced rate Of
wages.
1t has been shown in these des-
a patches on numerous occasions that
Great Britain uses more shoddy and
other substitutes for wool than any
other nation in the world Germany
is now trying to catch up with her IN
that respect
The American Wool and Cotton Re-
! porter which was free-wool organ
before the new tariff law took effect.
said in recent issue: England is
:, the home of shoddy goods, and, nm
less it be Germany. there is no other
i. country that can come within gum
. shot range Of her Aud the Man
chester (Eng.) correspondent Of that
: trade journal has Acknowledged that
upward Of 100, 900, 600 pounds Of rags
are annually imported and collected
in Great Britain 10 be worked over
= into clothing. Stop the supply Of
!, shoddy and mungo, declares this au-
thority, land more than one-half Of
the wooden mills in the kingdom
:, would have to close
t. The English consumption Of pure
, wool was SO pounds per capita in
j. 1890, as compared with 9.z3 pounds
in the United States. The American
people were getting better clothing
!, before the gates were thrown open to
'e this Eruption Of British shoddy than
ie any other nation in the world. But
the reign Of shoddy has begun and
it will continue as long as the Wilson
:" tariff law is on the statute books. We
are not only buying vast quantities Of
% shoddy for use in this country, but
we are also buying shoddy goods made