Omaha daily bee., 1896-09-26

their highest and best interests. We cannot
but remember the promises that were made
to the people in 1892 OF the universal ben
ehcerce which was TO follow the Inaugural
tion Of a tariff for revenue cniy policy and
with what prodigal bounty 1t was to benefit
labor, Increase the purchasing power Of
wages and decrease the price of everything
1t bought, and Increase the price OF every
hing it made. | recall an utterance by
Hon. William NJ. Springer, spoken in the
house OF representatives April (. 1892. when
I've was advocating free wool There may
be some wool growers in this audience.
Cries OF There are He said Pass the
bill and thousands OF feet heretofore barc
and thousands Of limbs heretofore naked or
covered with rags will be clothed in sui'a-
Die garments and the condition of all the
people viii be improved. MaUghtcrD It
VIII give employment to $4,000 more upeTa-
tiycs in woolen mills it will increase the
demand for wool, and prices will increase,
and with increased demand for labor wages
VII Increase. Those who favor its passage
may be assured that they have done some
ming to promote the general veal some
ming to scatter plenty Der smiling land.
well the free wool bill was passed. Have
any of you realized the promises then made? d?
lCries OF No, no. Wool was made free
and every man in this country knows how
poorly the performance has tailed with the
promises then made. Instead of adding
$4,000 laborers to the pay roll Of the wooden
mills 1t has taken off more than that num-
Der. The price of wool has fallen and
with what effect upon the manufacturers I
will show hereafter. The wools of Ohio,
Pennsylvania. West Virginia. Michigan
New York, New England Connecticut. In
diana and Missouri, twenty-four varieties
washed and unwashed the average price in
April 1890, was 30.3 cents per pound; in
APRIL 1896 IA cents per pound, Il decline
of more than AZ per cent. The wool of
Texas, California, Oregon, Montana, Wyo-
ming, Idaho, Colorado, Mexico Georgia, in
the south, twenty-six varieties secured. the
sprice in April, 1890, was 40 cents per pound !;
In April, 1896, 27.4 cents per pound, a de
cline of 442 per cent. Other woods ten va
rieties secured, in April, 1890 45.9 cents per
pound; in 1896, 2S.5 cents per pound, decline
of 3S per cent. So great decline cannot be
found in any other commodity. Ohio Xxx
wool has dropped from 80 cents in 1892 to
IS cents per pound in 1896.
BIG IMPORTS OF WOOLENS.
This will give you some idea of what
free wool has done for the wool producers
In the United States. How has it affected
the manufacturer? It is we'll known that
there is but one customer for the wool
growers OF the United States and that GUS
toner is the manufacturer of the
grower has no foreign market
today. He cannot compete in any
other markets with the wools grown on
cheap lands and by cheaper labor of other
countries This is his market and when
it is taken from him, it entails loss and
ruin to him. In the first year of free wool
El20 ,0OO, 900 worth of clothing woolens
came to our ports, an increase of over
800 per cent as compared with the largest
importation received when duty was i'm
posed; and the total imports of all classes
reached 25O, 900 600 pounds, while 1S5, 900 900
pounds was the largest importation ever
made under dutiable wools. Have these
free imports of wool benefited the manufac-
turer? Cries of mo. no.'D The two years
in which the manufacturers have enjoyed
free wool have been the most disastrous
in the history of the American wool man
ufactures, greater than the disaster which
followed the close of the war In 1912 or
the panics of 1887 and 1857, Applause)
1t Is a well known fact that since free wool
has been introduced It has not been possi-
States with any confidence that they would
sell in the market for what it
costs to make them. The imports
of woolen goods, following free wool, were
simply enormous They averaged So 900 0OG
month In value. so that at the end of the
first year under the new law the total
value of woolens imported had exceeded
500, ,OOO, 900, foreign value. In 1895 it is es-
timated that nearly one-half of the woolens
that entered into consumption were of for
eign make. We must start if possible, that
machinery in the United States. While idle
American workingmen are looking for a
job, foreign wool growers are sending their
wool to the United States. tApplause and
cries of That's right.D. Bradford, Eng
land. sent us in 1895 s27 745 900 worth of
goods. an increase OF q per cent over the
value of their largest previous export. So
great was the demand for these foreign
goods that the English manufacturer could
not find enough weavers to run their
looms. While this was going on American
looms were silent and American working
nt -ha1f nf thn
chinery of the United States is employed.
That is the result Of free wool in the
United States.
STUDY THE WORD FREE"
my fellow citizens, you want to study
that word free when 1t is applied to goods
or money--it is delusive Until the fall of
1892 mon were constantly employed, and
at higher rates of wages than they had
ever before enjoyed. (Appausel The man
ufacturer was looking for workmen. Now
the worlSmen are looking for work. Then
the manufacturer was hunting the employe;
now the employe is hunting work 1t is
said that there Is enough wool machinery
in the United States to give employment
to 23O 900 men and women. and their wages
down to 1898 amounted to $4,000, 600 an
nually; $40, ,00O, 900 has been taken away
from labor's funds and from the homes of
labor Contemplating these figures and this
condition, what do you think of Mr. Spring
cr's prediction? Great laughter). Every
word OF his prophecy has proved false,
every promise has been broken. applause
and cries Of That's right."). If this is
scattering plenty DER a smiling land we
pray God to spare us any more of It, Great
laughter and applausel Those who prom
ised plenty and prosperity 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? Cries of at wont.') How
can free silver check the appalling i'm
portatons of wooden goods from the old
world2 How can free silver preserve the
home market to the wool producer and tho
woolen manufacturer? My fellow citizens
1t Is as delusive as free trade. Cries OF
That's right.'D 1t will only further cripple
every interest in the United States. How
can free silver increase the demand for
American labor and American products
Answer me that (Cries of Il cant do it"
Remember my fellow citizens, that money
does not make business. 1t never did and
it never will, Business makes money. Poor
money never helped legitimate business in
the history of mankind. 1t has always hurt
you. 1t is destructive to every interest
but that of the speculator, What is true OF
wool is in a measure true of other in
dustries. If not to the same extent, it Is
because the blow on other industries was
not so severe. We want in this country
a sound government, a sound tariff and
sound money And we want to take care
of this goodly inheritance of ours ami keep
il what II has been, for the most part IN