The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1906-10-13

[NSON, STARK COUNTY,
give due consideration to the costly con-
sequences OF our last experience in cut
ting down the tarif-in 1894.
OUR LAST "cUTTING DOWN" EXPERIENCE.
In the first place, outside OF the partial
destruction of the wool industry. which
was done to satisfy the demands for free
raw material, the woolen manufacturing
industry was sadly crippled because the
revenue duty upon manufactures of wool
was an ad valorem duty, and this is
easily evaded.
Grover Cleveland, with his usual fore
sight and rugged honesty, foresaw that
the Wilson tariff act was to be serious
blunder and he refused to sign it, but
with his characteristic haccidity he per-
mitted it to become a law without his
signature. The result was that this
method of tariff revision cost the nation
in actual loss through industrial depres-
sion and prolonged period of business
| stagnation and panic more tnan the
whole cost of the Civil war.
The conaagrations of Boston, Chicago
and San Francisco might have occurred
annually and done less harm, caused less
loss to the American people, than was
caused by the tariff revision downward
in 1904
If the tariff act of 1867 had continued,
with its 12H cents duty we would now
have produced all the clothing wool
needed for the use of our mills, instead
OF producing today only about IS per
cent of it.
DOMESTIC WOOL AS A MUN1TIoN OF WAR.
The protective policy cannot be main
tanned without the aid of the wool grow
ers, but there is another consideration
which should appeal to the people of the
United States as a reason outside of po-
litical consideration for maintaining by
means of the policy of protection the
wool flocks of the United States-that is,
'the necessity of domestic wool as a
munition of war"
Imagine our condition if we destroy
our aoeks and so become dependent on
British colonies for our wool supply
Having no mercantile marine, our woods
from Australia are being carried today
under the British flag. In case of trouble
with England what would be our predic-
ament? We would be without wool,
which is as important to US as a muni-
ton of war as it is to our personal comfort.
Possibly it would bring the importance
of the matter more plainly before you if
| allude to the difficulty which the South
ern tonfederacy had from that cause,
which quickened the breakdown of that
rebellion. But that was small matter
in serious peril in comparison with what
happened to General Washington S
army. There had been no pretense of
uniforming his first troops. The only
regiment that was uniformed at all at
that time was the red feather militia
regiment from Philadelphia-wearing
Imported" cloth
Previous to the Revolution there was
not wool factory in America. Clothing
was made from yarn spun in the house.
hold The women spun the yarn and4he
itinerant weavers, mostly from Yorkshire
England, did the weaving on hand
were fulling mills, where goods were
sent to be finished.
| When Washington crossed the frozen
Delaware in snowstorm and fought the
Hessians at Trenton, his troops were in
threadbare and ragged clothing. They
were wearing homspuns they had started
from home With when they enlisted.
wAsH1NGToN's FIRST OFFICIAL ACT.
At Valley Forge 1000 of Washington.s
soldiers were relieved from outdoor duty
because they were practically naked. A,
the time Washington doubtless reflected
on the importance of wool factories as a
home industry necessary to provide
munitions of war. This thought mus,
have been present with him ever after
for his first official act after becoming
president was to sign a protective tariff
law.
If it could not be done otherwise the
people of the United States could, as a
matter of wise public policy, we'll afford
to pay for the maintenance of domestic
aocks out of the public treasury; but this
is unnecessary, for the sheep can be
maintained through the operation OF a
protective tariff.
| By the tariff revision in 1894 under the
Wilson act, the stab was worse because
it removed the duty on wool at a time
when the world was producing annually
a surplus that was almost equal to the
woool production of the United States.
. Messrs. Hellmuth & Swartze of Lon.
don, in their circular of March, 1896
stated that there were over 100000 ,ooc
pounds increase in the worlds produc.
tion of wool during the four years pre-.
ceding that time. Hence the lowest
prices on record.
This has bearing upon the future
outlook for wool, for to some extent, as
/; the result of period of current high
prices, the industry may be again stimu.
lated and the worlds production of wool
may some day rapidly increase. In Aus
tralia it is already increasing.
. 1t certainly will in the United States
if we come back to the condition tina,
existed under the tariff law of 1867. Dur
ing the last four years of that law the
number Of sheep in the United States
increased IS per cent, and the increase
, was only checked by the tariff revision
; downward of 1883, when the duties were
; reduced from 12H cents per pound to Il
cents in the next four years.
Owing to the influence of this decrease
the f10ckc Of the TIpitod Ctatoc bod do