Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-06-16
WOOLEN MANUFACTURERS
 URGE MODERATION.

Admit That High Duties and Consequent
 High Prices Will Restrict the Use of
 Wo0aens.
 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 Wcolen Manufacturers association, is now aud always has been a stanch proteetionist. As such be be- lieves tn at the 70, 900, coo consumers of this country are legitimate subjects for plunder and that the manufacturers are the proper persons to enjoy the pro lection plunder.
 The free wool experiment which we have been trying for three years, besides beirg an object lesson ill the way of cheap woolens Las taught the woolen manufacturers that they can make IS much or more profit with free wool and moderate protection, which permits peo- pie q moderate means to wear real wo01en goods, than with high tuties on b>th wool and woolens, which restricts she use of woolens to people ill good cir cnmstancts. The manufacturers there fore display more than their usual mod esty and patriotism in the advice which they ne giving 10 congress- MT North Is 1n Washington to voice the manufac- turers patriotism. Here is part of bis adViee as taken from tie Washington correspondence of The Dry Goods Econ- omiEt:
 am free 10 ~ the bill is far from satisfac- ioty 10 tl4e wooden manufacturers. The chief fault l. 10 F found with the raw wool daties witch are so high that our manufacturers will hid themselves sorely embarrassed. IL is true tue committee has provided compensatory dutles which ire probably sufficient to offset the duties on raw wool, but the difficulty will be, ln my opinion, tkat the very considerable increase i'll price which must be made to cover the additional cost of raw material will have the effect of cutting down consumption to an eXtert that will he disastrous to the manufae. tufefs. do not contend that the rates on woole1 manufactures in the bill are not suffi- cient to protect Us against too severe foreign competition, but the limit of the consumer g purchasing power must control him in buying woolen manufactures, and fear the rates ot the new bill will very materially restrict con sumption.
 This Is practically saying to Dingley,
  Aldrich and the other servants of tie 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 cur goods and charge the tax over to the consumer. But when the tax is so high that We have to make our prices almost ont of sight We have found that We can not sell so Eany goods, because the peo- pie can't afford to wear c1othes-that is, woolen clothes. which are the only ones worth considering because they are the only ones which we manufacture. Our solicitude for the dear American consumer is such that we do not wish to compel him to clothe himself in the