, 1900-09-20

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-silver agita-
ton hard times-from 1898 to 1897.
Compare the history of that scrub
sheep with any of the speeches of Col.
w. ]. 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 I'M
der f~ree-trade and protection occurred
in connection with an assignee's sale
of the estate of a 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
at this sale for SO 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 fine
Merino sheep. II is recorded that a
farmer in Fulton county, Ohio, recently
sold 125 head of sheep for $500. being
S6.40 per head. The farmer of Full
ton county viii tell you that under the
Wilson law that number of sheep
would not have produced s125. perhaps
less, and that owners would have had
q. I~-1u $500 - 1AA1 tfpNA for q ntnF-
chaser at any price.
Early his 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,
1886. Wilson law free wool period.)
Number of sheep owned in March,
1900. (Dingley law, protected wool
period.)
Average value per head in March,
1896. (Wilson 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 .2lS, S02 sheep. Seventy
two reports from Montana show that
in March. 1896, the persons reporting
owned 304,374 sheep, with an average
market value of S2.l2 per head; where
as in March, 1900, these same persons
had increased their flocks to 525, 434,
and the average value per head had
grown to SAILS, or only 8 cents less
thar double the value of 1896. For
1900 Montana will show fiocks num-
boring fully 5000, 600, and protection
will be worth to the sheep raisers more
than $40, 0OO. 900 ds compared with free
trade, to say nothing of an increase
of more thai 81, 600 900 in the value of
ZACH 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 hat in
1851 lLtlA HUNS huLlDtASu OosDbup
valued at S1.S1 per head, and that four
years later this number had increased
to ~, 500, and the value per head was
now s3.S9. With a present total of
more than 5000, 600 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 100-cent
dollar.
In Colorado, according to the reports
from SO owners, the tiocks have in
creased from 154 ,O39 in 1896 to 1885,
524 in March, 1900, and the average
value per head has been increased
from s2.03 to 1894. 1t would take
the combined profits of a good many
silver mines under a ''16 to l. ratio
to equal the gain which Colorado has
realized on her sheep and her wool.
Idaho's showing is still more i'm
pressive. Forty of her sheep farmers
report 1876 ,35S head in March, 1896, and
275, 161 in March, 1900; and they state
that the value per head a advanced
from S1.76 20 $4.lO. This year will
see more than 5000. 900 sheep and a
clip of about 1000. 600 pounds of wool
in Idaho. Can Mr.. Bryan and his
free wool propaganda offer Idaho any
thing equal to what protection has
done for sheep and their fieeces?
Prosperity Reaches Texas.
Now let us turn our steps toward the
banner state of bourbonism and free
trade, a state which a year ago had
2.3S3 $50 sheep and sheared about Is
SOC. 900 pounds Of wool, but which will
this year show we 5000, 900 sheen
and over 5000, OOO pounds of wool.
From Texas we have 60 reports. and
they tell US that in March, 1896, under
the administration to which Texas
gave such a tremendous majority
these owners had 100, 953 sheep, worth
to them S1.45 each; and that in
March, 1900. under an administration