Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1897-05-04
WooLEN MANUFACTURERS
URGE MODERATION.

Admit That High Duties and Consequent
High Prices VIII Restrict the Use of
woolens.
Some of the severest criticisms not
only of special duties and clauses, but
of the whole accursed protective sys-
tenn, come from the protected manufac-
turers themselves in their struggle with
opposing interests. Mr.. S. n. d. North,
secretary of the Woolen Manufacturers
association, is now and always has been
a stanch protectionist. AS such he be-
lieves that the 20, 600, 600 consumers of
this country are legitimate subjects for
plunder and that the manufacturers
are the proper persons to enjoy the pro-
lection plumber.
The free wool experiment which we
have been trying for three years, besides
being an object lesson in the way of
cheap woolens, has taught the woolen
manufacturers that they can make as
much or more profit with free wool and
moderate protection, which permits peo-
pie of moderate means to wear real
woolen goods, than with high duties ON
both wool and woolens, which restricts
the use of wooIens to people in good cir
cumstances. The manufacturers there
fore display more than their usual mod
esty and patriotism in the advice which
they are giving to congress. Mr.. North
is in Washington to voice the manufac-
turers' patriotism. Here iTpart of his
advice as taken from the Washington
correspondence of. The Dry Goods Econ
omist:
am free to say the bill is far from satisfac.
tory to the woolen manufacturers. The chief
fault is to be found with the raw wool duties,
which are so high that our manufacturers VIII
find themselves sorely embarrassed. 1t is true
the committee has provided compensatory
duties which are probably sufficient to offset
the duties ON raw wool, but the difficulty win
be, in my opinion, that the very considerable
Increase in price which must be mado to cover
the additional cost of raw material viii have
the effect of cutting down consumption to an
extent that will be disastrous to the mnnufnc-
turers. do not contend that the rates on
yyoolen manufactures in the bill are not sufh-
cient to protect US against too severe foreign
competition, but the limit OF the consumer
purchasing power must control him In buying
woolen manufactures, and fear the rates OF
the new bill will very materially restrict con-
sumption.
This is practically saying to Dingley.
Aldrich and the other servants of the
protected manufacturers at Washington:
''Go slow with your high duties and
don't try to protect too many. If you
let everybody into the protection ring,
there will be nobody outside to prey
upon and we will have to prey upon
each other. Don't make the mistake Of
taxing raw materials too high. We
wouldn't mind it if we could sell our
goods and charge the tax over to the
consumer. But when the tax is so high
that we have to make our prices almost
out of sight we have found that we can
not sell so many goods, because the peo-
pie can't afford to wear clothes-that
is, woolen clothes, which are the only
ones worth considering because they are
the only ones which we manufacture.
Our solioitude for the dear American
consumer is such that we do not wish
to compel him to clothe himself in the