Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-08-15
Mr.. McGiIlicuddy on Wool.

iuHlh6 OiL III SAiC AuIHbCi VI oIICSp III
Maine, and gives his readers to under
stand that this result has been due to
the Dingley tariff.
He says: The Mckinley tariff levied
a duty of from 80 to so per cent. &C
cording to the value on wool On all
goods made wholly, or in part of wool,
(mark you in part of wooD, there was
a tariff duty Of from so to 100 per
cent. The present tariff law which
went into effect in 1897 levies over
40 per cent. on wool, and over 80 per
cent. on wooden goods. Surely these
tariffs were enough to stimulate wOol
growing and sheep raising if tariff
would do it.
Now what are the results?"
He then goes on to show the extent
to which the number of sheep has de-
creased in Maine since this law went
into effect, and gives his readers
to understand that this result was due
to the Dingley tariff law and that that
wise measure of protection did moth
ing ito stimulate wool growing or
sheep raising"
Inasmuch as Mr.. McGillicuddy was
discussing a national law wouldn't it
have been a little fairer if he had
stated the results that have come from
it's national application"
Wouldn't it have been fairer to
have told the whole truth instead of
using small fraction of it from which
to draw wholly false and erroneous
conclusion?
We think so.
What are the facts?
We do not think that Mr.. McGilli-
cuddy will deny that the Wilson tar
if law put wool upon the free list
although he appears, strangely enough
Kngfield speech. 1t said to the for
eign wool grower you may have free
entry into the great American mar
ket, the best in the world"
1t undertook to help the American
wool grower by putting him into I'M
restricted competition with foreign
wool growers!
What was the result?
The Wilson tariff law was passed
August q. 1894. The United States
Agricultural Department in "A Re
view of the Progress of American
Sheep Husbandry," published in 1900,
reports the price of wool in 1896 at
from to II cents a pound, which
corresponds to the Boston prices of
that year
Wool was piled up in the far West
in 1896 begging purchasers at six cents
pound, and the same conditions ex-
listed up to the passage of the Dingley
tariff law, at the special session of
Congress in the summer Of 1897.
+ This was the way the free wool
. section of the Wilson law helped the
American sheep raiser!
The prices we have thus far quoted
were for unwashed wool. In the fiscal
year 1897, the importations of wool in
to this country had reached the enor-
nous total of 35O.852,026 pounds. In
other words. the sheep industry in
this country had been killed off to
such an extent that we were import
ing 57S of all our wool, whereas in
the fiscal year 1904, the last year OF
the Mckinley law. only 14.2 of the
wool used in this country was brought
from abroad. This increase of 43.6 per
cent in our importations of wool under
the Wilson law meant that, with wool
on the free list, we were sending
abroad in payment for wool millions
of dollars that had formerly gone into
the pockets of American farmers.
Report No. 66 on sheep and WOOL
issued by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture in 1900 says:
In 1894 was enacted law making
wool absolutely free. as well as all
forms of shoddy used in its adultera-
ton The effect was instantaneous.
1TlCeS OI WoOl anu vi Silccp ucClIHtu,
resulting in destruction OF tlocks, and
Indifference and neglect in their care.
THE law of 1897 followed, restoring
customs duties on wool. The effect of
this act has been to restore confidence
in the future of wool growing and
larger degree of prosperity though the
enormous accumulation of foreign
wool has retarded manufacture and
sale until quite recently. For two
years the mill stocks and the wool
markets were weighted down with for
eign wool Estimates of the trade au-
thoritics made the supply in January.
1900. 25O.OOO.000 pounds less than in
the preceding January. Consumption
has been unprecedented, and manufac-
ture extremely active. Tho value OF
sheep is nearly doubled"
Mr. McGillicuddy gave his Kinsficld
hearers to understand that the Dingley
tariff law did nothing ito stimulate
wool growing and sheep raising;" but
the United States Department of Ag-
riculture in 1900. two years and a half
after the passage of that measure. de-