The herald., 1896-09-15


dent. who favored reduction of tarite
all along the line. and who believed in
free raw material, was unwilling to
sign the bill and used these characters
tic words aginst 1t: at may well ex-
cite our wonder that the Democrats are
willing to depart from this Gree raw
material doctrineG the most Democratic
Of all tariff principles, and that the in
consistent absurdity of such proposed
departure should be emphasized by the
suggestion that the wool of the farms be
put on the free list and the protection
Of tariff taxation be placed around the
iron ore and coal of corporations and
capitalists"
But this did not avert the fatal blow.
Less organized than other industries of
the country, you were unable to secure
the recognition to which you were justly
entitled and your product was made the
victim of free trade. (Cries Of That's
right"). In all the years in which the
Republican party was in power. you
know that it gave protection to wool
and in the act Of 1890 gave to this indus
try increased protection. That law, the
law of 1890, gave to every agricultural
product Of this country, every farmers
product in this country, the best protec-
ton it ever had. Every protection that
could be given to them against outside
| competition, and to preserve the home
| market, was always cheerfully and gen.
erously accorded by the Republican
| party. (Great applause and cries Of
That's right''). The platform of the
Republican party upon which we stand
this year. much to my qualification, sin
giles out the wool industry and makes
| of it special mention as entitled to full
protection under our revenue laws.
cloud applause and cries of That's
! rightly.
| This Is the language Of the national
platform: ITO all our products-to those
| of the mine and fields as well as those of
| the shop and factory-to wool, the pro-
| duct OF the great industry of sheep
husbandry, as we'll as to the finished
woolens of the mill, we promise the most
ample protection" And what the Re-
publican party promises, 1t Is in the
habit of performing. (Applause). 1t
| does not make promises to be broken.
| 1t says what it means and means what
l
with power in all branches of the gov
| ernment it will give to this great indus
| try fair and just protection with all
other Industries of the country. But,
| my fellow citizens. what we want,
whether we produce wool or any other
agricultural product. what we want is
| to preserve the splendid home market to
our home producers. (Applause). 1t
| Is the best market in the world. There
is no other market like it. and upon
every principle Of justice and fair play
! 1t belongs to us and nobody else before
us. applause and cries of That's
| right")
| Protection to the farmer has been
recognized from the beginning of the
government until now as showing the
Importance of your industry. 1t Is only
4 necessary to say that in 1892 there were
1000 900 wool growers. 100000 whose chief
occupation was that of wool growing.
There were probably one-fourth as many
more who were owners Of small flocks
| Of sheep in the United States.
This industry employed, besides those
who owned the flocks, it Is estimated.
| at least a half million laborers. repre-
senting, with those who We're dependent
upon Them nearly 2,500,000 people. There
were 100000 farms, averaging 100 acres
| each, devoted to this industry, and the
| mountainous regions and the vast plains
| of the great west, which are not adapted
| to other kinds of farming, have been
utilized in this great industry and made
| valuable. Every one of these farms
| comprising 160 acres-112, 100000 acres in
| all--have been seriously injured by
| placing wool upon the free list. In one
| of the agricultural papers of the west
I have seen the statement that in Ore
| gon, Utah, Washington, Idaho and
| Western Montana there were 6,710,746
| sheep, which were worth in 1892 S13, ,421, :
0o0 and which in 1896 were worth only
| $6,710,0O0 In 1892 we had 47,27S,5 553 sheep
| in the United States, valued at $125,000.-
| OOO In 1895 we had 3S,29S0 900, valued at
$4,000, 900, and the total import of wooden
| goods in 1892, under the Republican pro-
tective tariff law, which was a little
over $S7 COO, 900 in 1895, under the Wilson
| tariff law, these imports amounted to
more than $6O,OO0,OOO (Cries of "Hurrah
| for Mckinley and the Republican par
ty!'O On the second day of April, 1883,
| in presenting the minority report in op-
position to the Mills tariff bill in the
national house of representatives,
| said: "Wool on the free list is a deadly
assault on a great agricultural list and
| will fall with terrible severity upon a
| million people, their households and de-
| tendencies. 1t will destroy invested cap
| ital unsettle established values, wrest
| from flock masters their lifetime earn
| ings, bankrupt thousands of our best
| and most Industrious farmers, and drive
them into other branches OF agriculture
already overcrowded. (Cries Of That's
what it has done.') 1t Is vicious and
indefensible blow to the entire agrl-
cultural interests of the country"
(Cries of "You are right.")
| Alexander Hamilton, in his report
on manufactures, made to congress 104
years ago,said: This idea of an exten-
sive American market for the surplus
products of the soil is of the first i'm
portance. 1t is of all things that which
most effectually conduces to a flourish
ing state of agriculture"
| We have opened up our mills to the
| wool Of the world and both the wool and
wooden mill have suffered. The Ameri-
! can farmer has seen his wool displaced
! by the foreign clip. The American wool
manufacturer has seen his goods dis
| appear from the American market to
| MI