Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1898-11-16

S0E 10 FUN McA1NkGY.
He was arguing with his wife. |
He wanted his wife to point out to
him benefits derived from the elec-
tion of Mckinley.
"Tell me-" he cried, pointing
his finger scornfully at his wife,
s'Tell me, if you can, what McKin-
ley has to do for the prosperity of
the farmers; point out, if you
know how, where the tOiling mas
ses on the farms get one direct
benefit from him and his PrOtec-
tive Tariff policy"
ssOh, husband" and she stamp
ed her foot lightly, betraying the
impatience which she felt, chow
can you be so inconsistent :! Where
did you get the money to buy the
few hundred d ollars' worth of Gov
ernment bonds, which made you
feel so good What did you SELF"
''Sheep," and he flinched before
the argument which he knew was
coming.
eyes, sheep. Your business
sense was better than your politi-
cal sense, thank goodness. When
McKinley's election was assured
didn't you buy sheep! Didn't
you think they would go up!I
What made you think that. Was
ii because you thought that more
wool OF less wool would imported
under the laws he would give us?
Didn't you know that his Tariff
law, his Protective Tariff law, on
wool would shut out most of the
cheap wool that was coming from
the four corner of the earth, and
that the law would enable our
home farmers to raise wool at a
profit! HASN'T that made sheep
go up in price! Isn't that where
you get you profit! Answer me-"
But he answered not.
"Now, think of this" she pro-
ceeGed. "Taking the average of
all our people, the country over, it
takes the wool of one sheep to sup
ply the needs of each person, pos
sibly trifle mole. In 1897 it took
about 81 pounds to each person,
while the average weight of fleece
of wool was about 81 pounds. Yet
on basis of the amount used in
1894, 1895 and 1896 that quantity
would have very nearly supplied
each person. Then we have it,
one person, one sheep needed.
We have over 10000, 900 inhabi
tants, but how many sheep! Look
up the Government records and
you will find that in 1898 we had
about 41,000,0O0 in the entire
country, enough to supply little
over half our wool. Did the Tariff
reform party that was in power
then try to help you and me by
saving our home market for us
You know as well as do that they
put wool on the free list, so that it
could come from everywhere ; and
in four years our tiOcks dwindled
down so that in 1897 there were
only about sc, 600, 900 sheep in the
country, cot enough to supply half
our wool.
"Why this decline! 1t was be-
cause the American farmer could
not produce wool at a profit and
compete with the cheap wool OF
the world. Think of it, husband
think of it. We, an agricultur-
al people, suffering hardships dur
ing those Tariff reform times, look
ing for diversified branches of ag.
riculture, actually sending every
where for wool. when we could
have produced it in abundance or
our own pastures. Why, that Goa,
that you have on. you don't know
whether the wool came from Ser
via, or Turkey, or China, or some
other country Of cheap labor and
cheap living. In the last year o.
that Free Trade in wool policy
England sold Us over S2S, ,000, GOO
worth, not raised in England, but
bought of Russia and Servia and
|Spain and Turkey and Argentine
and Peru and Falkland Island anG
Africa and Australasia, and good
ness only knows where not. Thai
wool was gathered from all Over
and brought here for You and Other
! farmers to wear.
'.Think of it. What nonsense
Yet too true: over #53, 900, ,00t
worth in a single year. That is
raw wool alone, to say nothing o
the nearly 500, ,000,OG0 worth O
manufactured goods that came in
Can you wonder that there was {
great reduction in the size o
American tlOcks and a greater re
ductiOn in their value, which wen
from over SI25, 900, 900 to abOu
S67 900, 900 in those same foul
years {! Think of that, will you
and then say that FreeTrad'
doesn't hurt the farmer
"What maaes sheep values goot
} again! You know and | know tha
it was the Protection given wool b.
the Dingley law. Taking int
e consideration the raw wool used il
our factories and the manufactured
D wool imported, our focks will hav,
5 to get considerably above the IS,
0G0, 600 notch before they will pro
duce enough wool to supply on
4 own people, with but about 36,
OO0, 900 left from our Free Trad
experiment to start on. Any on
can see that it will take some tim
: to get up to that notch, and we cal
look for continued profit in sheel
o and wool raising. That is one wa,