The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1896-09-24
FARMERS RIGHT
70 Demand Equal Protection
With Other Producers
II THB ooUNTRY's: TARIFF LAW

Ably Championea In an Address BY Mo.
Kinley to Delegation of Farmer,
From Harrison County-The Terrible
lose Of the Wool Growers of the State,
Under the Wilson Law-Protection Fo,
This Great Industry Was Refused.
In an address delivered by Major Nc
Kinley to o large delegation of farmer
from Harrison county who visited him
On Sept. IA he said:
''The last three years have been year
Of great trial, not only to the woolgrow
ers Of your county, but to the entirt
country. You have seen your crops dis
appear and your feeces diminish in
value to an extent that previous to 1885,
you would not have believed was posi-
BILE. remember in 1891 TO have deliv.
cred an address in the city of Cadiz t.
the assembled farmers of Harrison coun
~, in which I undertook to predict what
would happen if we had free wool in
the United States. There were few men
in that great audience who believed my
prediction then. What do you think Of
Il now, farmers of Harrison county
[Cries of we think it all right.']
''In 1891 you had, according to yom
banners displayed here today, l63,50s
sheep of an average value of $5 pei
head. In 1896 you have but $4,000 sheeI
worth only 81 80 per head. In 1891 you
received from 30 to 80 cents per pound
for your wool; in 1896, for the same
grade Of wool, from ID to 16 cents pei
pound. This enormous loss to great
industry is truly astounding, and calls
for serious consideration and prompt
remedy, if one can be found, and the
only remedy we have in the United
States is by the ballot, and if it is pro-
lection you want, you know what party
carries the banner of protection. EN-
thusiastic cheering and cries of What's
the matter with Mckinley? He's all
right.']
"Prior to the enactment of the Wilson
tariff law you had enjoyed, almost with.
out interruption from the beginning OF
the government. tariff on your prod
uct to protect you from the competition
Of the cheaper lands and the cheaper
labor of other countries. By that act
your product was made free and opened
up the unrestricted competition Of all
: the wool of the world.
"What makes that act more indie.
fensible is, first, that it was singing
out one Of the greatest industries Of the
country for immediate sacrifice, leaving
other industries having no greater claim
upon the consideration Of the govern.
Ment practically unharmed. [Cries Of
"That's right."l
"As showing the importance of your
industry. 1t is only necessary to say that
in 1892 there were 100000 woolgrowers
in the United States-7OO, 900 people
whose 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, be-
sides those who owned the flocks, 1t is
estimated, at least 500, 900 laborers, rep
resenting, with those who were depend
ent upon them, nearly $500, 900 people
There were 700, 900 farms, averaging 100
acres each, devoted to this industry and
the mountainous regions and the vast
plains of the great west, which are net
adapted to other kinds of farming, have
been utilized in this great industry and
made valuable. Every one of these
farms. comprising 100 acres of land
liz, ,O00, 900 acres in all-have been seri.
ously injured by placing wool upon the
free list.
"In one of the agricultural papers of
the west have seen a statement that
in Oregon, Utah. Washington, Idaho
and western Montana there were 6,710,.
746 sheep. which were worth in 1892
elS, 42l 900, and which in 1895 were
worth only $6,71O,0OO. In 1899 we had
~ 1878, ,553 sheep in the United States
valued at $125, ,OOO,O ,OOO In 1895 we had
68, 298, 900 valued at $50, ,OOO, 600; and
the total imports of woolen goods in
1892, under the Republican protective
tariff law, was little above 437 ZOO, 900.
and in 1895, under the Wilson tariff
Law, these imports amounted to more
than $8O, ,0O0, ,OO0 [Cries Of "Hurrah for
Mckinley and the Republican party."].
Defended the Farmers In Congress.
"On the second day Of April, 1881. in
presenting the minority report in oppo.
sition to the Mills tariff bill in the ma.
tiOnal house of representatives said:
"'Wool on the free list is a deadly
assault upon great agricultural inter.
est. and will fall with terrible severity
upon million people, their households
and dependencies. It will destroy in.
vested capital, unsettle established
values, wrest from flock masters their
life time earnings, bankrupt thousands
Of our best and most industrious farmers
and drive them into other branches
of agrfcu1tnre already overcrowded.
fOries Of "yhat's what it has done."].
Il is vicious and indefensible blow at
the entire agricultural interests of the
country (Cries of "You are right"l
Alexander Hamilton, in his report
upon manufacturers made to congress
J04 years ago, said: This idea Of an
extensive domestic market for the sur.
plus produce Of the soil, is of the first
Importance. It is, of all things, that
which most effectually conduces to q
6ourishing state of agriculture
Thomas Jefferson said Experience
has taught me that manufacturers are
- necessary to our independence a. to
our comfort. The duties we lay on all
articles Of foreign manufacture. which
prudence requires us to estaSatsh at
home, with the patriotic discrimination
Of every good citizen to use no foreign
ARTICLE which can be made at home, Sc
cnFss % against relapse into foreign
dependency. My own idea is that we
should encourage home manufactures
70 the extent of our own consumption