The Springfield herald., 1897-04-23
THE WOOL TARIFF.
Western Senators Form "a Plan to Protect
Their COnstitutents.

Their Constituents.
Washington, April 17.-Western SEN
ators after several conferences, have
reached an agreement TO stand togeth-
er for important changes in the WOOL
schedule of the Dingley bill. The SEN
ators most prominently identified with
the movement are Messrs. Mantle, Car
ter. Shoup, Warren and Burrows. Ihey
have not only agreed upon line OF
amendments. but have decided to In
sist on their inclusion in the bills The
meetings have also been attended by
many prominent wool growers. The
proposed amendments are directed
mainly to closing the many loop holes
for evasions and fraud which wool
men agree abound in the Dingley law,
and were also found in the Mckinley
law. An amendment was agreed upon
providing that an additional duty of
four cents per pound should be levied
upon skirted woods and wools import
ed in 1880 and prior to that time. The
principal change. however, to be pro-
posed is upon wool and camels hair OF
the third class. The Dingley bill pro
poses an ad valorem duty of thirty-two
and fifty eight cents respectively upon
woods of this class, valued under and
over thirteen cents per pound.
1t Is proposed now to strike out the
Dingley bill clause relating TO third
class wOols and to insert instead the
following:
''On woods of the third class and
camel's hair of the third class. the val
ne of which. shall he eight cents or
less per pound, on the wool markets of
the United States. the duty shall be
five cents per pound. and on all the
woods hair of this class. the value of
which shall exceed eight cents per
pound in the general markets of the
United States, there shall be an addi-
tional duty of half of one cent per
pound for each increase of one cent
per pound in the value thereof"
1t is claimed for this latter amend
ment. which Is the most important of
all the amendments proposed. that it
will largely prevent the frauds which
it is alleged were perpetrated on the ad
valorem duties under the Mckinley
law. by reason of which it is asserted
hundreds of millions of pounds of wool
used in the manufacture of clothing
which properly belonged in the first
class were imported at third class rates
on the representation that they We're to
be used in making carpets.
The clause in the proposed amend
ment relating to third class woods. des-
ignating the general markets of the
United States as fixing the value Of i'm
ported wools, is regarded as very i'm
portant, as If the Senate amendment is
adopted it will destroy the opportunity
for undertakes which now exist.
Other precautions will also be urged
to this end, such as defining the mean
ing of the ciassifications so as to pre-
vent restrictions such as have hereto
fore been used. For instance. the
words Angora. Adrianople and Bag
dad. etc. will be defined as indicating
a class OF wool regardless of the spe-
cial district in which grown.
Senator Mantle. who introduced the
memorial of the National Wool Grow
ers' Association in the Senate says
that the amendment does not nearly
cover the demand made by the asso-
citation, but. in his opinion. will be
vast improvement upon the bill as 1t
passed the House of Representatives.
1t will remain with the Western sena-
tors. he says, to say whether or not
the proposed amendments shall be-
come part of the new tariff law or
whether the demands of the wool man
ufacturers. as applied to wool, shall
outweigh those of the wool growers
themselves.