Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-10-19

Another Practical Wool Man Talks.
In the line of the foregoing interview
and strongly supporting the views there
in expressed the annexed interview is re-
produced from recent number of the
Albuquerque Democrat:
In view of the fact that the Republicans
Of New Mexico are trying to make the
most of their political capital in this cam
paign out of the "wool tariff" repre-
sentative of the Democrat conversed free.
ly with the wool men of the territory
when they we're here in attendance upon
their convention last Tuesday, and the
following report of an interview with Mr..
W. A. Skinner, one of the prominent
wool men of the southwest, fairly repre-
sents the general opinion of the wool men
of the territory upon the tariff and other
matters directly affecting their business:
"To what do you attribute the present
depression in the wool business, Mr..
Skinner"
"To the general depression in all other
kinds OF business in the United States.
We can't expect to sell our wool at
good prices if the mills are all closed,
and are not using any wool, and we can't
expect the mills to buy our wool and
manufacture it into goods unless they can
sell the goods after they are made"
"Do you think tariff on wool at the
present time would improve the price re-
ceived by the wool grower in New Mex
ico?"
GA tariff would not improve the price
at all under present conditions. A tariff
of 10 cents a pound, or even 81 pound
would not help things in the least as long
as there is no market for the wool, and
don't see how putting tariff tax on wool
could increase the demand for it. If the
mills can't afford to use the wool at the
present price, don't see why we should
expect them to use it at a higher price,"
"Don't you think tariff on wool is
good for the wool growerY"
PRICES OF WOOL.
Anything that helps to raise the price
of wool is good for the wool grower, but
the tariff is only one element in the situ-
alton, and not the most important one.
There are many other things that have
more to do with the price of wool than
the tariff, as you will readily see from the
fact that some of the highest prices we
have received for our wool in this terri
tory were under the lowest tariffs, and
the very lowest prices we ever received
were under the highest tariff we ever had.
In 1884, when the tariff was very low, the
price was down to and 8 cents pound,
and 1888, under the same low tariff the
price was up to 18 cents pound,
and then in 1928, under the Mckinley
tariff, the highest tariff we ever had, the
price went as low as 8 cents, and during
the present year, with no tariff at all, it
has been up to 81 cents. So you see
there are other conditions which effect
the price of wool great deal more than
the tariff"
"Wsll, what do you think i. is then that
We need to relieve the present depressed
condition Of the wool market, and bring
better times to the New Mexico wool
growerW
"First of all, We must have a demand
for wool, and we can't have that till the
manufacturers have demand for their
goods and commence buying wool, and
there can never be demand for goods
till the people have employment and are
able to earn money to buy goods with,
and this we can not hope for as long as
the present gold standard policy prevails,
and prices of all kinds of property CON-
tinue to depreciate, because men will not
20 into new enterprises, giving employ
ment to labor, ON falling market.
Therefore, think the way to relieve the
distress in the wool business, and the dis
tress in every other line of business, is
by the free coinage of silver, giving us
money enough to make a sufficient basis
for the business of the country, and 80
long as we refuse to do that, and continue
to maintain the present gold standard,
We must expect that the price of wool, as
we'll as the price of everything else, will
continue to fall until We reach the level
of European countries, because until that
point 10 reached II will not be safe or
profitable for men to invest In any kind
Of new enterprise, and while the shrink
ing process continues to 60 on many of
the enter prises that have held on thus far
will be forced to 60 under, and thus more
men will be thrown out of employment,
there will be still less demand for goods
and the price of wool, along with the