Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1896-10-14
Some Figures Showing What
West Virginia Farmers Lost
BY FREE TRADE AND FREE WOOL.


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After three years of the Wilson Demo-
cratic free wool aud free trade law the
assessors books in 1895 Chose for 1896
are not completed but show still greater
reductions) showed as follows:
Value.
Horses, 0. 9o8. .siO6, ,9Ai
Cattle, s,2Oi 9o.67l
Sheep, s,69S. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. i0,777
Total. ..........,........,.. SOS, ,392
The total value Of all personal prop
erty in 1898 was 1924, $50, and in 1S02
was $65i, ,S46. This shows net loss of
Sl26,9 ,966. OF this loss $S4.03 was OH
the three items Of livestock given above
This is the direct result of the Wilson
tariff law and the destruction OF the
wool and cattle industry
Harrison County.
In Harrison county the loss is even
greater as the following figures show:
LOSS FROM 1899 To 1895.
Horses, etc.. .......................s .sl45, 09f
OatIlo ...-....... ................,..... H,223
Sheep 3oO3o
Total losses on these three items of
livestock $277, 7,262.
Total loss on all kinds of personal
property, including the above, $630.5l9.
Free trade hit Harrison county very
hard.
Free silver would hit her even harder
Lewis County.
Take Lewis county, where we have
only the figures at hand for the losses on
sheep.
In 1892 there were "a, 1856 sheep valued
at $63, ,I5715.
In 1896 there were only 10. $50 sheep
valued at $26,6l1.50. Net loss in value
of sheep, s36, ,545.65.
And this does not include the loss in
tho value of the fleeces by the drop in
price of wool by free trade. which
amounts to many thousands of dollars
yearly.
Rosne County.
Take Roane county. The assessors
figures for 1892 and 1896 show losses on
values of cattle. sl1 ,775; horses, S28, 1878;
sheep, $i,574-with only 1l,472 sheep
now i'll the county valued at $12,9l3.
Roane county farmers have lost in the
value of their livestock $75,297.
Berkeley County.
Berhely county is also interesting In
its figures. Its loss on horses, cattle and
sheep is 1924, 1886 from 1899 to 1896.
The loss on horses was S57, 1876; ON cat
tie $2l. $50, and on sheep, $l5,845. The
total loss on all kinds of personal prop
erty, including the above, was $343, $40.
Richie, Summers and Doddridge.
In Ritchie county the shrinkago from
free trade and free wool from 1892 TO
1896 on livestock was SOL ,S06.
In Summers county the personal prop
erty fell off $59,I4 from 1899 10 1894;
the Summers county merchants carried
$4,000 less stock in 1895 than 1893; the
cash held by individuals dropped from
&67, 110 in 1898 10 &47 400 in 1896. And
Summers county wants no more free
coal, free wool, free trade.
Then there is Doddridge county that
lost Sl4s, l62 on sheep, cattle and horses
from 1899 10 1896, of which $3G, ,05O was
In the value Of sheep alone. Docs bod.
bridge want any more free wool? Nit.
In the Panhandle.
Take the great sheep counties of tho
Panhandle and adjacent thereto. In
1923 there were 1000. 900 sheep yield
ing 100000 pounds Of wool, which at
tho average price Of 2S cents brought in
81 400, 900 10 the farmers. The value of
the fiOcks was estimated at 81, ZOO, 900.
Today there are only half as many
sheep, which produced $500, 900 pounds
Of wool for which the average price Of
10 cents brought the farmers S375, 900
instead Of eI, 400, 900 four years ago, and
tho loss in value Of the fiocks has been
frightful.
Are the farmers Of Hancock and
Brooke bowling for more free wool, free
trade and free silvor7 Not much.
- The State II Large.
On farming animals the loss for the
State of West Virginia has been fright.
ful. Let the bulletin issued by the
agricultural department at Washington
tell the story. We quote from recent
speech ON this subject by Editor Hart.
The dry statistics plead oloquontly for
the cause u protection. So much a. 70.
lato % our own state IS eloquent enough
and illustrates the whole. In the single
matter Of the value Of farm animals West
Virginia has been thrown back 10 years
in 1893 wo have less wealth in farm ami.
mails than In 1881 We have t7,OOO.OyO
less than we had IN 1919, the year tho pros
ent administration and its pnrty went
into power. For eight years West Vir.
ginia has been gaining On this respect.
For the three years just passed we have
been losing, and losing heavily. We
gained without free coinage. We have
lost under free trade n We had time 10
would b. worth while 70 tnke up each
item that touches West Virginia bus the
decline Ia the number and value Of our
sheep is striking enough Ia itsclf In this
industry as natural 10 West Virginia a.
hor mountains are, We have gone back
more than 10 years. We have now tower
sheep hy 800 than We had ia IsS and
the value j. t39i ,O0J less.
In 1873, the high water mark Of our
sheep husbandry, We had in West Vir.
ginia &5,6oi more sheep ghan we have to.
day, our present numbfr boinQ Bit55g.
Iio value hna faii1o ffnto - 10 i.a -,