The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1896-10-03
FREE WOOL.
Mr.. Mckinley Talks on tho Subject to
Ohio Farmers.


Canton, o., Sept. ga delegation
from Marion, Ind, arrived 10 Canton
shortly after seven o'clock Friday
morning and started for Maj. McKin-
ley's house before he had finished his
sleep. A delegation marching with
bands through the streets at this early
hour was something of a novelty even
in Canton. The Marion people num-
bcred 500. Many of them were former
residents of Canton, having gone to In
diana after the discovery of natural
gas.
At II o'clock 500 citizens of Meadville
and Crawford county, Pa, arrived. Maj.
Mckinley was repeatedly cheered when
he appeared on the porch. DR.. L. l..
Flood was the speaker.
The third delegation Friday was from
Wyandot county, o. 1t arrived at noon
and marched at once to Maj. McKinley's
house. The spokesman were Gen. L. Nj.
Kirby and r. Cuneo a republican editor,
who is native of Genoa, Italy.
After the speech-making Maj. McKin-
ley shook hands with his Wyandot
county visitors. He scarcely had time
to eat his luncheon when the sound OF
advancing footsteps was heard and the
fourth and last delegation of the day
arrived. 1t was from Tillin and Seneca
counties, o., and was large and enthu-
siastic.
George f. Stroth. of Tifiin, was the
spokesman for the Seneca county dele
CATION. In response TO Mr.. Smiths adj
dress Maj. Mckinley made the longest
speech of the day, talking mainly on
free wool. He said in parts
'I recall an utterance by Hon william
NJ. Springer. spoken in the house of rerre-
sentatives April 4, 1892 when he was aevo-
eating free wool There may he some
wool growers in this audience This Is
what he said: Pass this bill, and thou
sands of feet heretofore bare and tlou-
sands of limbs heretofore naked or covered
with rags, will be clothed in suitable gar
ments. and the condition OF all the pie
will be improved. II will give employment
to $4,000 more operatives IN wooden mills.
1t will increase the demand for wool and
prices will increase. and with increase
demand for labor, wages will increase.
Those who favor its passage may be as
sured that they have done something to
promote the general veal: something to
scatter plenty DER this smiling land
well, the free wool bill was passed.
Have any of you realized the promises then
made? Wool was made free and every
man in this country knows how poorly the
performances have tailed with the prom
ises then made. Instead Of adding $1,000
laborers to the payrolls OF the wooden mltls,
IL has taken off more than that number.
The price of wool has fallen, and with
what effect upon the manufacturer will
show hereafter For the woods of OHIO,
Pennsylvania, Michigan, New York. New
England. Connecticut and Missouri, "a va
rieties, washed and unwashed, the average
price In April $780, was 1913 cents per pound:
in April. 1896. ia per pound. decline of
more than AZ per cent. For the wool OF
Texas, California, Oregon. Montana. Wy
oming, Utah, Colorado, Mexico. Georgia
and the south, 26 varieties, secured, the
price in April. 1890, was 49.l per pound; In
April, 1886, ga cents per pound, decline
OF 44.2 per cent. Other woods. ten varieties,
secured, in April, 1890, 45.9 per pound: In
1896. 2s.5 per pound. decline of 81 per cent.
So great a decline cannot be found In any
other commodity. Ohio wool has dropped
from 20 cents in 1892 to is cents per pound
in 1896 This will give you some ideu Of
what free wool has done for the wool : 20
ducers in the United States.
How has 1t affected the manufactures?
1t Is we'll known that there is but one Gus
toner for the wool grower of the United
turer of the United States. The Amer
lean wool grower has no foreign market to-
day. He cannot compete In any other
market with the woods grown on cheap
lands and by cheaper labor of other coun-
tries. This is his market. and when It
is taken from him, ii entails loss and rain
to him. In the first year of free wosl. 49,
00o,0 N pounds of clothing woods came to our
pc ts, an Increase OF over 300 per cent. as
compared with the largest importations re-
ceived when duty was imposed: and the
total imports OF all classes reached 250,VDO.-
900 pounds, while l75.o00.OOO pounds was the
largest importation ever made under duti
able woods. Have these free imports OF
WOO, benefited the manufacturer? The
two years In which the manufacturers Rave
enjoyed free wool have been the most Dis
astrous in the history of American wool
manufactures; greater than the disaster
which followed the close of the war In 1872,
or the panics Of 1858 and 1851. 1t 10 a we'll
known fact that since free wool, II has not
been possible to make wooden goods in the
United States with any confidence that
they would sell in the market for what 1t
cost to make them.
THE imports Of wooden goods following
free wool were simply enormous They av-
eraged $5.O0O,OoO a month in value. so that
at the end of the first year under the new
law, the total value of wool goods imported
had exceeded $60,O0o.O0O foreign value. In
1895 II Is estimated that nearly one-half
of the woolens which entered into con-
sumption were of foreign make. We have
in this country enough wooden machinery
TO manufacture all our wants-but II Is
not all In demand under present conditions.
We must start all the machinery in the
United States. my fellow citizens Of Sem
eca county. While they are idle. working
people are looking for a job. foreign wool
growers are sending their wool to the
United States while American farmers are
selling their fiocks. Not one-half the
wooden machinery of the United States Is
employed. That is the result OF free wool
in the United Staten.
Those who promised plenty and pros
perity under free trade are now assuring
us that they can only be secured through
free silver. How will free silver stop the
Importation of foreign wool? How can tree
silver check the appalling importatioHs of
wooden goods from the old world? How
can free silver preserve the home market
to the wool producer and the wooden manu-
facturer? My fellow citizens. It Is as de-
lusive as free trade. 1t will only further
cripple every interest In the United States.
frn piIk iYnr tba Jat ..,,1