Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-10-31

IMAM could nave been Obtained without
It, while the mixture of cotton and cot
ton yarn with wool has made possible
the production of soft, light weight
fabrics we'll adapted for use where
hghtness, moderate warmth and low
cost are desired, and consequently the
people are better clad than before these
combinations were devised"
In discussing the hosiery and knit
goods industry the census report says:
1.-THE quantity of wool used has de
creased 1855, 4S6 pounds. The
use of cotton and cotton yarns has in
creased greatly, and in consequence
the whole character of the industry has
altered In 1890 32,432,61T pounds of
cotton and 80, 24S,S49 pounds of cotton
yarn We're used in this industry In
1900 the demand for cotton goods had
so increased that 4,451 ,301 pounds of
raw cotton and 131 ,S20,06S pounds of
cotton yarn were necessary, which
would require approximately 100000,
600 pounds of cotton for its production,
making the total quantity of cotton
used in this manufacture 209,000,000
pounds, costing %, 766,51O, compared
with 1885 07 pounds of wool used,
which cost s., 262, 135.'
In our underwear we now have only
two-thirds as much wool as in 1890,
and the average underwear contains
eight times as much cotton as wool
The paragraph from the census ex-
tolling the virtues of sheddy (old rags
ground up displays the happy temper
Rment and optimistic mind of the pro-
tectionist when his party is in power
and his wonderful skill in transform
ing adversely to prosperity on paper.
He puts his protection glasses before
the shivering shoddy victim, and i'm
mediately the poor fellow begins to
feel moderate warmth" He is then,
supposedly, ready to give thanks to
the Republican party, which, having
made it impossible for him to wear
real wooden clothes, did not compel him
to go stark naked, but kindly and hui
namely permitted him to wear soft,
light weight and low cost" shoddy and
cotton clothes. Well may we feel
proud of our sanguine census makers
for their ability by inserting these side
remarks to give warm and color to
what would otherwi be cold and
gloomy statistics of adversely. We can
have nothing but prosperity while the
party of protection and shoddy is on
deck.
The greatest prosperity experienced
by the wooden industry in many years
was during the three years of free
wool and low duties on woolens in
1895, 1896 and 1897. More wool was
consumed, both domestic and foreign,
and more yards of wooden goods pro-
duced than before or since. During
these three years the per capita con-
sumption of wool averaged $50 pounds.
During the five years since it has aver
aged only 500 pounds. Thus during
the three Wilson bill years we con-
sumed far more wool than in any four
years since and almost as much as
during the whole five years since.
Deprived of wool by high tariff du-
ties, the people have taken to wear
ing shoddy and cotton. Ours is the
only important country that taxes raw
wool All other countries recognize
that no one country produces all kinds
of wool and that many varieties of
wool must be mixed to produce sub
stantial, well finished and marketable
goods. AS Mr. William Lloyd Garri-
son says:
''To expect to make the United States
supply all grades of wool by passing
congressional edict is as vain as to
declare by statute that Massachusetts
shall have the climate of Italy or South
Carolina that of Russia. 1t follows of
necessity that our manufacturers must
either import the woods not grown in
this country or limit the range and
quality of their product
Free wool, then, does not mean less
ened demand for home grown woods
nor does it mean lower prices for them
In fact, it is difficult to detect any eff
feet upon prices of domestic woods OF
high or low duties on wool.
Protection having proved a fat fail
ure both as to the wool grower and |
the wooden manufactures, the Repub-
licans of the agricultural department
at Washington are now advising the
farmers try to raise Angora goats as !