The record-union., 1896-09-01
WOOL AND THE TARIFF.

The "Oregonian" says the sheep will
all vote up in Oregon and Washington
this fall That is to say, the interest in
wool-growing is SO great that it may
well be said the sheep interests will
vote, and as represented by men will go
for Mckinley and Hobart.
There are 2,500,000 sheep in Oregon.
They are owned by people who have bit
terly suffered under theWilson bill, and
the statement Of Mr.. Bryan in recent
speech has set them to thinking very
seriously. Mr.. Bryan said:
Speaking for myself, it is immaterial
in my opinion, whether the sheep-grow-
er receives any benefit from the tariff
or not. am for free wool, in order that
our woolen manufacturers, unburdened
by tax upon foreign wool, and unbur-
dened by a like tax upon home grown
wool, may manufacture for a wider
market.
But it is not matter immaterial to
the wool-growers, and should not have
been to Mr.. Bryan. Now the very idea
advanced in the quotation from the can
QAQdLC W dS CiAiOO0IG1 III lllG w llSOll JILL
and has had nearly four years of trial.
What has been the result? The imports
Of woolens have doubled, ard to the
Both of June were 46 per cent. greater
than in the preceding calendar year, and
the latter exceeded by 242 per cent. the
imports under the last year of the Nc
Kinley law.
OF course the import of manufact-
ured woolens means the cessation Of
just SO much manufacture at home. The
"Oregonian' quotes from the August
circular of the chief wool commission
house of Philadelphia that the increase
alone in the imports Of foreign woolens
since the repeal of the Mckinley law
represents a quantity of wooden goods
which, IL made in America of American
wool, would have absorbed more wool
than Is now annually raised In the
United States" This is the way the
tariff has worked, which Bryan sup
ported, sin order that our manufactur-
ers might manufacture for a wider
market" Under it they have not only
had no wider market, but have been de-
prived of our home market, thereby de-
stroying the only customer that the
American wool-grower ever had"
Our Portland contemporary concludes
Its review of the subject in these words /:
There are two parts to the indictment
against the Wilson laws raw-wool feat
ure. One is that the home market has
been hurt, and the other is that the for
eign market has been helped. Every
Oregon farmer knows how foreign COM
petition has upset prices. Oregon fine
wool. shrink brought at Boston, August
/, 1892, in the second year of the Nc
Kinley law, II cents; August 1, 1896.
the second year Of the Wilson law, s
cents. Oregon fine secured wool brought
at Boston, August /. 1892, in the second
year Of the Mckinley law, 81 cents; Au-
gust 1, 1896. in the second year Of the
Wilson law, 30 cents. What is the situ-
alton abroad? Consul Meeker at Brad
ford, England, has just reported to the
State Department that American wool
can scarcely be sold there -Four hun
dred packs, or 100000 pounds, of Ohio
fleece washed wool, held at % cents
was sacrificed for Is cents. A large
quantity aggregating several hundred
thousand pounds. of Dakota, Montana,
Washington, Wyoming and Iowa woods
were sent over for sale, but the prices
offered were so low they were returned
to the United States. A large quantity
Of United States wool is now stored in
the warehouses of the Midland Railway
Company at Bradford, hoping for a
chance to be sold. This is the position
in which free wool puts the American
wool-grower. His home market is
given to the foreigner. his foreign mar
ket proves a delusion and snare. His
only recourse is to vote for Mckinley.