The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-06-19

SILVER AND WOOL.

This Country Cannot sustain tho Price of
tho Latter ANY More Than 1, Did the
Price OF the Former.
Bottom AGrti4:r
The silver men argue most enthusias.
tically to-day that when the United
States opens its minis to tho FREQ and
unlimited coinage OF silver the other
nations cannot stand out as gold u,cra.
To quote from tho latest edition OF the
creed OF tho free silver enthusiasts:
ANY nation that is big enough to take
all the silver in the world aud give back
merchandise and products in payment
Tor 1t, will at once establish tho parity
between it and gold" 1. is also stated
with some disregard for history tina. I'll
France could lit the commercial value
OF siiver above that fixed by the other
nations OF tho world and at a premium
over gold, tho United States can hold
its commercial value at par with gold"
This argument, 1t will be coon. Is not
altogether unlike that put forth by the
tarii refornora who insisted that with
FREQ wool the American purchases OF
the worlds wool would put the pricos
OF woolt Including American wool) high
or than they were before tho advent OF
trco wool. To adopt the Language OF
tho silver school: ANY nation that is
bi. enough to take the worlds wool and
TO give back merchandise aud products
in payment may fix tho price OF tina,
WOOL Tho argument was at leas.
L., III b ,,,l kn
farmer TO give II temporary support to
tho party OF tariff reform. and tho result
was the enactment Of FREQ wool law in
tho German tariff act.
The result may be seen in any com.
pari.on OF wool prices for tho last ten
years. Taking tho different grades OF
washed clothing Ohio fleece wool as q
basis. because Of tho general reliability
Of statistics on that grade OF woos, II
will be seen that ton years ago tho prices
ofsuch woods varied from s cent. to 80
cents per pound, according to the char.
aCter and conditions OF the product. In
the next half decade loading up to tho
enactment OF the Mckinley tariff law
tho price advanced slightly, tho 1890
prices being higher than those OF 1885
Since tho tarin.rcform victory of 1872,
however, it is to be confessed that tho
bright antici pations havo not becn full
filled.
As compared with tho % cents to 80
cents which tho Ohio farmer received
for his clothing wooli ton years ago, and
tho 90 cents to 80 cents received only
five years ngo, tho market reports now
show llBt OF quotations OF from Is
cents to l0l conts for Ohio clothing
wools." In'othor words, tho nc. Of tho
United Stntos in breaking down trade
barriers" and in going into tho mar
kots Of tho world" to Fix tho price on
IN American product, has been fiat
and llagrant !iasco; and tho wostorn
farmor, who looked for higher wool
prices as result OF FREQ wool, has boon
disappointed bitterly.
An oven greater disappointment,
howoror, would await tho western farm.
0rif h0 should SUCCESSFULLY endeavor 10
bring about free coinage in tho hone Of
restoring tho parity" Of silver aud
gold. Mt the old ratio OF 10 to |. Tho
experiment would only show. rs in tho
case OF FREQ wool, TINT tho Unitod States
alono and unnidcd cannot fix tho price
OF any article Of whose production this
nation ha, no monopoly.