The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-09-15

the United States, and none were
more deserving of generous treatment than
they. SO 1nexcusable was this act that Presi-
dent Cleveland, who favored a reduction in
tarln all along the line, and who believed in
Tree raw material, was unwilling to sign the
Dill and used these characteristic words against
1t: ut may well excite our wonder that
democrats are willing to depart from this free
faw-mater1al doctrne), the most Democratic
OF all, tariff principle, and that the inconsist-
ent absurd1ty of such a proposed departure
should be emphasized by the suggestion that
the wool of the farmers be put on the free list,
ana the protection of tariff taxation be placed
around the iron ore and coal OF corporations
and capitalists" But this did not avert the
fatal blow. Less organized than other indus
tries in the country you were unable to secure
the recognition TO which you were justly enu-
tied to, and your great product was made the
victim of free trade. [Cries of That's right. u
The platform of the National Republican
party, upon which we stand this year, mucn
to my qualification singles out the wool indus
try and makes of it special mention as entitled
to full protection under our revenue laws.
loud applause and cries OF GOOD, good?'l
This is the language of the National platform:
"To all our products-to those of the mine and
the field, as well as those of the shop and fac
tory-to hemp, to wool, the product of the
great industry of sheep industry, as well as to
the finished woolens of the mill, we promise
the most ample protection" tGreat APP
plause.1 And what the Republican party
promises 1t is in the habit of performing.
[Cries of That's 1ightF1 1t does not
make promises to be broken. 1t says
what it means and means what it says. Ii
clothed with power in all branches Of the
Government it will give to this great indutry
fair and just protection with all other indus
tries Of the country. But, my fellow-citizens,
what we want, whether we produce wool or
any other agricultural product, is to preserve
the splendid home market to our own Amer
lean producers [Great applause.l 1t is the
best market in the world. There is no other
market like ii and upon every principle of
justice and fair play it belongs to Us. and to
nobody else before us. Applause and cries of
"Thats right."l
Protection to the farmer has been recognized
from the beginning of the Government until
now. AS showing the importance of your in
dustry it is only necessary to say that in 1892
there were 100000 wool-growers in the United
States-700 900 people whose chief occupation
was that of wool-growing. There were prob
ably one-fourth as many more who were own
ers OF small focks OF sheep in the United
States. This industry employed besides those
who owned the flocks, it is estimated, at least
SOC, 900 laborers, representing, with those who
were dependent upon them, nearly 100000
people. There were 700, 900 farms, averaging
$50 acres each, devoted to this industry; and
the mountainous regions and the vast plain
of the great West, which are not adapted to
other kinds of farming, have been utilized in
this great industry and made valuable. Every
one OF these farms, comprising $50 acres of
land-112, 900 600 acres in all-has been
seriously injured by placing wool upon the
free list. In one OF the agricultural papers of
the West 1 have seen the statement that in
i
Montana there were 6,710,746 sheep, which
were worth in 1892 $13, 421 900. and which in
1896 were worth only $671O,000. In 1892
We had AT ,273, 553 sheep in the United Sta ties,
valued at 1925 ,OoO, 600. In 1895 we had s.
29S 900, valued at sos 900 900; and the total
imports of wooden goods in 1892, under the
Repub lean protective tariff law, was a little
above $37oO0oo and in 1895. under the
Wilson tariff law, these imports amounted to
more than $6OO0OOOo [Cries of "Hurrah for
Mckinley and the Republican partyP'l
On the second day of April, 1888, in pre-
senting the minority report in opposition to
the Mills tariff bill in the National House of
Representatives 1 said: ''Wool on the free
list is a deadly assault upon a great agricul-
tural interest and will fall with terrible sever
ity upon million people, their households and
dependencies. 1t will destroy invested CAPT
tal unsettle established values, wrest from the
fock-masters their Lifetime earnings bank
rupt thousands of our best and most indus
trious farmers, and drive them into other
branches of agriculture already overcrowded.
[Cries of, That's what it has donep'l II is q
vicious and indefensible blow at the entire
agricultural interest of the country" [Cries
OF You are right."l
Major Mckinley quoted Alexander
Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson in effect
that the duties we lay on all articles of
relapse into foreign dependence. Con-
tinuing he said:
My own idea is that we should encourage
lshome manufac lures to the extent of our own
consumption. [Applause.] 1 have said that the
home market is the best market You know
that from experience; and the home market is
made better by increasing our factories and
giving employment to idle workmen. [Great
cheering.l Put every idle man in the country
to work and your consumers will be increased
Ieheers and cries OF That's right"l and when
your consumers are increased then your mar
ket is improved and the better the price you
receive for your products. [Cries of "Good
goodY1
1t was said that if we opened up this coun.
try 10 the free use of the wool OF the world
the farmers would be benefited. 1t was done
and with what benefit you know better than 1
can tell you. Now they tell you that free sill
yer llaugnterl Is the panacea Tor all your ills.
[Renewed laughterl And you have the same
money in circulation now that you had four
years ago, but you wool-growers have not got
much of it you had then. ICries of
That's right AS free wool degrades your
industry so free silver will degrade your
money. IApplause and cries of THAT'S right,
loo."l You have already been feeced by loss
on your focks and you don't propose to be
feeced further by loss on your money. [Cheer-
ing.l
Ny fellow-cit1zens, am glad to receive you
and welcome you here at my home, and it viii
afford me sincere pleasure to shake hands with
each one of you personally if you desire me to
do so. [Great applause.l
Major Mckinley dined at the residence
of Isaac D. Harter this evening. Mr.. Har-
ter is brother of the late Congressman,
Michael D. Harter.
Major Mckinley read the reports from
Maine during the evening with evident
satisfaction, but without very great sur
prise, for his advices from Augusta had
prepared him for victory of more than
ordinary proportions.