The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-01-07

a wool dealer OF fhllaueip -
stated that while the trial OF Tree Woot
under the Wilson law had sligntly Dehs-
fitted The consumer by reduction IN
,,,,',., ,bo saving had been greatly
ag,tt,ysirbed BY the loss in purchasing
nower Tho gain by lower prices mad
l,,"ra ,,ed "a cents per capita. while inc
Ioas omounted 10 more than 81. The
avern 20 IOss to the wool grower mad
Non 800 Sg while the mill hands ana
iaborers OF the United states had LOST
$50 OOO. 900 during the past year.
The Mckinley law had gwen the
cheapest priced clothing ever known up
10 rs time. He gave figures snoWIhs
The effects OF the tariff In 1861 under
which flocks had increased - per ceht
in four years; that OF lSSJ, the MuIst
ever known" the Mckinley law under
which Gocks increased 10 per cent, ana
thc Iast period, under the Wilson law.
He gald: "When II was known that
Grnver cleveland meant TO continue MS
assat,its on this Industry with the as
sistonce OF both branches of Congress,
farmers began 10 dispose OF their
'JS,,,,i From 1899 TO 1886 the number Of sheep
had decreased 90 per cent, ana lhere
we're now fewer in the United states
than In 1865. Had the Mchinley law
beau continued the United States woulu
be able TO produce its full consumption
Of 659,009,000 pounds Oh WOOL ..,,,a,
Mr. JustI :" presented elaborate tables
showing variations in the production
and prices OF wool In different countries.
illusirating among other points that
american wools had fallen In prices un-
der free trade and Australian WOODS had
risen The per cent Of sheep east OF
ibe Mississippi in 1870 was Il and to-day
IN ner cent No harm would be done
ihr American business II wools costing
under 10 cents were admitted free. Tor
these never would be raised prohtaOly
In the United States:
In the course Of his statement Mr
Justice said that Mr.. Mckinney hau
told the wool growers and manufactur-
ora that n they would agree upon a
schedule he would accept Il. Accord
lngly the schedule had been framed by
n convention OF representative manu-
factnrers and growers and both had
prospered under it,
..It would be strange II they did not
prosper when they mado their own
schedule" Mr. Mcmillan commented
and he asked. "Was 1t not a fact that
the manufacturers got the beneilt OF a
part OF the specific rate imposed for the
benefit OF the farmers:
Farmers ProEpereu.
Mr. Justice asscnted. and continued
that the farmers had disposed Of all
their clip under the Mckinley law TO
the American manufacturers, who in
turn had increased their exports.
Referring TO shoddy. he said that
while the annual importatlons OF II un-
der the Mckinley law had been 100000
pnunds, between August and December
of the year the Wilson law was en-
acted there had been 100000 pounds
imported and In the first full calendar
year under that law 20.TlS,000 pounds
The theory of the trainers of the VIII
son law had been that free wool would
stop importntlons OF shoddy. No ma
tion had ever used as little sh0ddy as
the United States under the Mckinley
law The explanation OF the Increased
use OF shoddy was that the Increased
impOrtatiOns Of cheap clothes under the
Wilson law compelled the American
manufacturers to make such cheap
clothes TO compete that they Were.
Obliged ia use shoddy Moreover, there
had been less money earned by all
classes under the Wilson law TO spend
The next speaker. b. c. Moses, an
inuortar OF Australian and South Amer
lean wools. contendCd that the duties
asked by the wool growers association
were prohibltlve and would mean death
10 the manufacturer. He did not be-
lieve public opinion nor the good sense
OF the committee sustains such n com
mitlee. but he did believe that good
tari1 was demanded ON WOO.
Delegate Catron. Of New Mexico,
stated that the value Of the wool pro-
duced by three million sheep In that
territory had decreased on an average
OF II cents pound since the enactment
Of the Wilson law.
Senator Carter and W. C. Conrad, OF
Montana. appeared in behalf Of the wool
growers OF their state and filed state
ments with the committee.
Jesse VI. Smith, Of Utah, president Of
| the state wool growers association, as
| serted that as sheep raising east OF the
Mississippi was greater than west. the
western men would be satisfied with
any tariff which the easterners would
accept
Wilson II. Brown, OF Philadelphia,
/ protested against discriminating
against the manufacture by any scheme
involving duties on coils and waste.
John Ridgeway, OF Philadelphia,
/ spoke for protection to the wOrkiugmen
| by schedule which would exclude
! slSirtcd wools from Australia and give
| employment 10 the wool sorters who
were now walking the streets.
During thirty-one years experience as
/ n wool sorter In the United states he
| had never seen as much suffering and
| loss Of time among the craft rs In the
| past three years.
ri N