The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1900-09-27


ter said.
sheep are about the most profitable
and useful animals on the farms, If
they are well cared for; and they con-
stitute about the best property barom-
eter to indicate the condition of the
government and the people Many
farmers insist that sheep pay for
themselves in weed killing and en-
riching the soil, and that all the other
income from sheep is clear proht-a
profit that will average more than 100
per cent annually as long as American
labor receives the protection it should
have The income from that scrub
sheep would not have paid for the
Sleeps feed during any six months of
the free-trade and free-silyer agita-
ton hard times-from 1898 to 1897.
Compare the history of that scrub
sheep with any of the speeches of Col.
W. J. Bryan, and you will have proof
of the difference between principle and
theory
Ohio Farmers Made Glad.
Another remarkable illustration of
the difference in the value of sheep un-
der free-trade and protection occurred
in connection with an assignee's sale
of the estate of farmer in Jefferson
county, Ohio, in October, 1894, a few
weeks after the passage of the Will
son bill with its free-woOl clause. The
animals sold were all fine black-top-
ped Merinos. The files of the Ohio
State Journal show that 40 ewes sold
a t this sale for 50 cents each, 80 lambs
for 80 cents each, and a registered buck
was Knocked down for so cents. Other
lots chosen from the same flock sold
at similar prices, and all were line
Merino sheep. 1t is recorded that a
farmer in Fulton county, Ohio, recently
sold 125 head of sheep for $500, being
$6.4O per head. The farmer of Full
ton county will tell you that under the
Wilson law that number of sheep
would not have produced $125, perhaps
less, and that owners would have had
to look around a long time for pur-
chaser at any price.
Early this year the American Protec-
tive Tariff League sent a circular of
inquiry to sheep owners throughout the
United States asking for information
on the following points:
Number of sheep owned in March,
1896 CWilson law free wool period0
Number of sheep owned in March,
1900. (Dingley law. protected wool
period.)
Average value per head in March,
1896. (Wflson law, free wool period.)
Average value per head in March,
1900 (Dingley law, protected wool
period.)
Up to June of this year replies had
been received from sheep raisers in 80
states.
In commenting on these returns let
US begin with a section of the country
where for a time the belief was strong
that if you would see prosperity you
must look through silver Spectacles.
Take Montana for example. which in
April 1899 had 3 PTS, 1902 sheep. Seventy
two reports from Montana show that
in March, 1896, the persons reporting
owned 304 ,374 sheep, with an average
market value of $2.12 per head; where
as in March, 1900, these same persons
had increased their focks to 525, 434,
and the average value per head had
grown to $4.15, or only cents less
than double the value of 1896. For
1900 Montana will show f1ocks num-
boring fully 100000, and protection
will be worth to the sheep raiSers more
than $1O,00O,OO0 as compared with free
trade, to say nothing of an increase
of more than 50 900 900 in the value of
each years wool clip. Silver spectacles
did not enable the farmers of Mon
tana to see this immense gain in their
wealth.
Utah Blessed with Prosperity.
Fifteen Utah farmers state that in
1896 their focks numbered $500,
valued at S1.S1 per head, and that four
years later this number had increased
to ~ 800, and the value per head was
now $3.50. With a present total OF
more than 5000 900 it ought not to be
very difficult to convince Utah sheep
raisers that the country made a good
choice when it rejected free silver and
free wool for protection and a 10O-cent
dollar.
In Colorado, according to the reports
from 33 owners, the focks have in
creased from 154 ,O39 in 1896 to 1885,
524 in March, 1900; and the average
value per head has been increased
| from $2.O3 to 1884 It would take
the combined profits of a good many
| silver mines under "16 to T. ratio
| to equal the gain which Colorado has
realized her sheep and her wool.
| Idaho's showing is still more i'm
| pressive Forty of her sheep farmers
/ report 156, 1858 head in March, 1896, and
| 275, 161 in March, 1900; and they state
that the value per head has advanced
from $176 to S4.10- This year viii
see more than 5000, 900 sheep and
clip of about 20, 0OO, 900 pounds of WOO
| in Idaho Can Mr. Bryan and hi.
| free wool propaganda offer Idaho any
| thing equal to what protection ha.
done for sheep and their f1eeces?