Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-09-20
The farmers Losses on Sheep.

The Farmers Losses on Sheep.
Statlstician Dodge estimated the total
number of sheep in the United States in
1884 at jO,G2G.63G. The census of 1890
placed the total number, exclusive of the
spring lambs of that year, at ~, 1872, ,074.
The January report of the department of
agriculture for 1898 made the number
A, PA, 900 in that year, and the Septem-
Der bulletin of the National Association
of wool manufacturers places the num-
Der of sheep on the first of April, 1895,
after two years of the practical effects of
free WOOL agitation and legislation, at
80, 9l0, ,3SS sheep. The number of sheep
slaughtered in Chicago alone, since Jan
uary Ist, 1895, has been by count 1,S20,-
40G. This is more than a fifth of the to-
tai slaughter of sheep for the period,
not more than half of which is offset by
the years production of lambs. 1t is
quite probable that the total decline of
sheep up to date has been about 35,OOO,-
600 sheep.
The decline in numbers from Al, ,273, 533
in January, 1898, to 1894, ,064 in Janu-
ary, 1895, was attended and perhaps
caused by decline in value very much
greater-namely, from value of S125,-
100000 in January, 1898, to "A value Of
only S66 1000, 900 in 1895. In short, the
farmers have got to lose one-half the val
ue of their sheep before they will consent
to the sacrifice of one ninth of their num-
Der. Thus, if the entire sum of gold
loaned by the Rothschild- Belmont Nor
gan syndicate to the Government should
be presented to the farmers out and out,
it would no more than idemnify them
Tor the loss sustained by them on the
principal value of their sheep alone in
two years after Mr.. Cleveland took office.
Theodore Justice of Justice, Blteman
& Co.. the leading wool authorities of
Philadelphia, in their last circular of Au-
gust 2Sth, showed beyond doubt that
during the chief period in which the de-
cline in the value of wool and of sheep IN
the United States has occurred, no per-
ceptible fall has occurred in foreign wools.
Between Oct. 1st, 1891 first year of the
Mckinley tariff and Sept. 1st, 1895 (af-
ter one year of the Wilson German law,
American woods of all grades fell by from
I " - COuIS pei pOullu. WhllO lOlOlSu
woods retained their previous prize with
in cents per pound.
The American decline in wool and
wool production is therefore purely a
National fact due solely to National
causes and, there is no National
cause at work except Tariff Reform in
its direct onslaught on wool in particu-
lar, aided by the panic which has been
produced by its Simultaneous onslaught
on thirty or forty other special indust-
ries.
There are a few who think the Demo-
cratic parry will even nominate for third
term the unctious political Chadband
who vented his venomous spleen at a
congress of his own party because few
men in that party had just a fraction
too much sanity to make the assault on
a good many other of the Nation indust-
ries asd estructive as it is on wool.
There are also few who think that the
approaching Congress will not restore
the SS,0O0,000 annually of revenue which
ought to flow into the Treasury from
competing foreign wool. Such are mis-
taken. Democrats enough will vote for
it to override the Presidents veto.-New
York Press. F