The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-09-15
MAJOR M'KINLEY
Chcercd by the Wool Growers OF
Old Harrison County.
SOME PLAIN TRUTH
Aud They Punetuate Ills Splendid Talk
With Cries ofAppro,aI-Signinc In-
scriptions ON Their Banners-Farmer
Who Have Had all Object Lesson Ii, Free
Trade Ready to llor.r,s the Verdict OF
1sOa-Anothsr Big Day at Canton.

O'Clock special train OF eleven coaches
steamed Into the Canton station OF the
Cleveland Terminal and Valley railway.
1t brought delegation OF one thousand
residents OF Cadlz and Harrison county.
The crowd ls largely composed OF farm
erS and wool growers and represents
ono OF the foremost wool growing Sec
tIons OF the country. It was headed by
the CtdIz City band, very excellent
musical organization. and escorted by
the Canton troop and large cItlzens'
committee marched to the Mckinley
home, where D. A. Holllngsworth, ex-
attorney general OF Ohio. lntroduced'th
| visitors.
The train was decorated with stream
crs and the mRrchers carried numerous
campaign banners. Among the InscrIp-
tions were the following: Protection,
1891, price OF wool % cents. Free trade
! In 1895, is cents less"
Under protection we had more she =
to the acre than any county In the.Uni-
ted States"
I'm 1881 value OF sheep and wool ST.
o4I.575; 1886, t2l5,O4O: loss s,525."
Pounds OF wool in 1891, SIiDlS; In
1870 OLE, GbJs loss JGl T6J,"
First Mckinley club in the United
States organized In Cadlz."
Each OF the marchers wore n badge
composed OF buckeye. little bunch OF
wool and sprlg OF golden rod. The
committee wore badge Of blue ribbon
with Il little bunch OF wool and Major
Mckinley appeared on the porch wear
Ing one OF these.
Mckinley was given grand ovation
ms he appeared and both he and General
Holliagswnrth were Interrupted by ap-
plausa at short Intervals.
neikiniey's Speech.
Mr. Mckinley said:
"Mr. HollInGsworth. Ladies and Gen.
tlenen: my fellow cltlzens:-f count /,
very special honor to receive this visit
from my fellow citizens. composed for
the most part OF the farmers OF Harrri-
son county. would have been glad TO
have had with you that venernbie cit
lzen and statesman. the Hon. John A.
Bingham lGrcat applnuse). whose mes
sage OF cheer and congratulation and
good will YOU have brotght me (Rencw-
ed applause). beg that you will CARRY
back TO him my best wishes and my
earnest prayer that his life may be long
spared 10 enjoy the respect and honor
given him by his adm!rlng countrymen
everywhere. (Cheers).
II know OF no man In pubt5Sllfe, to
whom greater, opportunity was given
and who more admirably Improved
those opportunities than your distln-
gulshed fellow citizen In the mightlese
crisis Of our country's history and I
needed no assurance from him that he
stands now as he has always stood in the
pas; for his country and his country
men, for his country's honor and for the
prosperity OF the people. (Grcat ap-
| plause).
1t Ia especially gratifying to me TO
| receive visit from so many OF the far
| mers and wool growers OF Harrison
county. There Is scarcely a county In
the state which Is SO essentially agri-
| cultural as yours. There Is probably no
| portion Of the country Of the came era
that has supported go many sheep as
yours md for many years at least
! this was the most profitable industry OF
your farmers. 1t Is not SO good, I be-
lieve. now us formerly. Uaugh.ec and
applause and crircs OF NO, no, | guess
| noto. The last three years have been
years OF great trial, not only to the wool
| growers Of your county, but 10 the en-
tire country. You have seen your tiocks
| disappear and your fieeces diminish In
value 10 an extent that prior TO 1892 you
would not have believed was possible. I
remember In 1891 to have delivered an
address In the city OF Cadiz, to the as
setnbled farmers OF Harrison county. In
which ! undertook TO predict what
| would happen II we had free wool In
the United States. There were few
! men In that great audience who believ-
| cd my prediction then. What do you
! think OF II now, farmers OF Harrison
county2 (Cries OF I'VE think 1t all
| r!ght'). In 1891 you had. according to
your banners displayed here to-day 1884,
| 503 sheep OF an average value OF s. per
| head. In 1896 you have but 81, 900 sheep,
worth only 81 50 per head. In 1891 you
received from 80 to 81 cents per pound
for your wool. In 1896, for the same
| grade OF wool from II to 10 cents per
| pound.
AstonishinS Loss.
| This enormous loss to n great In
dustry Is truly astounding and calls far
| serious consideration and prompt rcm-
| cdy II one can be found, and the only
remedy we have In the United States Is
| by the ballot. and IL II is protection you
want you know what party carries the
banner Of protection. Cheering and
| cries What's the matter with McEIn-
ley? He's all rightly. PrIor to the en-
actment OF the Wilson thrift law YOU
had enjoyed almost without Interrupt
tIon from the beginning OF the govern
ment tariff on your QrHduct TO protect
| you from the competition OF the cheaper
| lands and the cheaper labor ot other
\ countries. BY that act your product
| was made free and opened up 10 the
| unrstrlcted competition of all The wool
Of the world. What makes TINT act
| more inIcfenSlble Is, first that Il was
wholly unnecessary. and second. that II
was singing out one OF the greatest In
dustrIes OF the country for immediate
sacrifice, leaving other industries hav-
ing no greater claim upon the consIdera-
ton OF the government practically un-
| harmed. (Cries Of That's right'D.
mo oinsa OF our citizens have sut-
| fercd SO much from that tariff law as
the wool growers OF the United States
and none more deserving Of generous
| treatment than they. So lnpxcuSable
| was this act thnt President Cleveland,
| who favored n reduction OF tariff along
the line und4who believed In free raw
material, was unwilling TO sign the bill
and used these characteristic words
against II: ut may well excite our won-
der that Democrats nre willing TO de-
part from this (frrc raw material doc
drinc) the most Democratic OF all tariff
principles, and that the Inconsistent
nbsurdIty OF such n proposed departure
should he emphasized by the eugges-
tIOn that the wool OF the farmers he put
on the free list and the protection Of
tarlfr taxation he placed around tho
iron ore and coal OF corporations and
capitalists"
But this did not avert the fatal blow
In all the years In which the Republic
can party was In power y3u know Tint
1t gave protection to wool. and In the
,,f 1gQn unpa IN IpIpstry In