Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1895-09-05
WOOL AND WOODEN INTERESTS

ton, is nos,meetin3 with abundant
success in ~ efforts to induce the
wooden manufacturers, to join the
sheep raisers in th,SR demand for
protection. If the fudge were en-
dowed with only an average amount
of courage and confidence, he might
give way to despair; but there is no
such word as despair in his diction-
airy. lie will keep right on with
his episto!ary ysmbardment, and
will never adm1Sthe possibility of
failure.
A letter to the Industrial Record
of Boston, is one of the recent out
puts of the indefatigable president.
That journal had expressed its be-
lief that the wool tariff as polite
al issue is dead, at least for the pres
ent, and that the manufacturers will
not care to aid in an effort to Sc
cure the restoration of a wool tariff.
This declaration may not have sur
prised Judge Lawrence, but it
grieved him, and he wrote to the
editor of the Record as if he expect
ed to secure a recantation. He got
no such thing. Instead of backing
down, the Record braces up. In
stead of recanting, the Record reiter-
ates with increased emphasis, thus:
eff the Ohio wool growers, for
the agitation would come almost
wholly from them, desire to force
the question of wool duties upon
Congress, we do not think wooden
manufacturers would manifest any
decided opposition to their efforts,
but they would not extend to the
wool growers their cooperation.
They would look on in silence. The
position of the wool manufacturers
is that with the wool duties off let
them remain off. This is conserva-
tism."
Having given his opinion as to
the attitude of the wooden manufac-
turers on the proposition to restore
the wool duty, the editor proceeds
to show why the manufacturers
deem free wool necessity. He
says:
"From manufacturers point of
view, confined to his ideas of per-
sonal advantage, the privilege of
selecting his wool from any and all
the markets in the world OIL equal
terms with their competitors is of
immense benefit to him. There
can be no gainsaying this. With
this acknowledged fact before us,
would it not be strange if it did not
exercise some influence upon the
sentiment and action of those af-
fected? Manufacturers desire to d.
versify their products with as much
freedom, at least, as their competi-
tors, wherever they may happen to
exist, here or abroad; and it is an
undeniable fact that this cannot be
done if they are unnaturally restrict
ed in the purchase Of their raw
material that an import duty must
necessarily involve. If the wool
growers of this country could and
would raise all the kinds of wool
wanted by our manufacturers, they
would have an argument of some
potency upon which to ask for a
restoration of protection more con-
vincing than the necessity of exist
ence." ....
The reader will bear in mind that
the Industrial Record is not a free
trade journal, but the organ of one
of the highest protected industries.
The wooden schedule of the new
tariff was arranged with great care,
and with the intent to give adequate
protection to labor. It was believed
that, with wool on the free list, and
a tariff covering the difference in
labor cost between this county and
Europe, our wooden mills would
enter upon an era of great prosperi-
ty. This hope has been realized.
The manufacturers are satisfied with
the tariff as it is. 1t will be a long
time before thew will iOin President