American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1908-10-24
REPUBLICANS HAVE
GOOD MEETING
Interesting Talk by Thomas
Ross, Of Oregon.
Tariff Discussion Calls Forth Personal
"reminiscences - Philbrick Talks
on County Matters and Tenn
perance Legislation.

The Republican meeting at the Audi
torium Friday evening of last week was
not largely attended owing to unfavor-
able weather and delayed train bring
ing the speakers, but the addresses were
excellent, and it is doubtful if better
will be heard from local speakers during
the campaign. The train bearing Hon.
Joseph Davis and Hon. Geo. D. Caste,
of Preston, due to arrive at 8:27, did
not arrive until $50, and many people
left the hall before their appearance.
Those who remained, however, were
we'll repaid for the long wait.
Hon. Thomas Ross, of Portland, Ore
gon, wool buyer and manufacturer
who was visiting in the city, pending
the arrival of the speakers, was induced
to deliver short address. He was
just getting fairly started when they
came, and to the regret of the audience
cut his address short. He came to Ore
gon from Las Vegas, New Mexico, two
years ago, where he was one of the ter
ritory's prominent men, having been
mayor of Las Vegas, president of its
Chamber of Commerce, trustee in the
territorial asylum for the insane, and
the largest buyer of wool in New
Mexico.
''You are in the center of the largest
wool growing section of the United
States, he said, "a section which an
nually produces more than 100. 900, 600
pounds of wool. Montana heads the
list with $4,000, 600 pounds, Wyoming
comes next with 25, 900, 600, Utah, Ne
vada and Idaho follow with about 15,-
100000 pounds each. Oregon is a heavy
producer also. There is nothing that
can benefit western people more than
continuation of the present policy of
protection to this industry. During
Cleveland's administration | bought
millions of pounds of wool at prices
ranging from six to ten cents a pound,
with an average price of probably eight
cents per pound. During the last year
of Cleveland's administration, shortly
before the election, | bought for one
firm about 5000, 900 pounds, which was
held until the Dingley tariff bill was
passed the next spring, and sold for IA
cents per pound. Beginning with the
Mckinley administration nearly twelve
years ago, and continuing until the pres
ent time, the price of wool has ranged
from IA to "a cents a pound, with an
average, of probably Is cents, or 10
cents more than during Democratic
rule. This means that Idaho is receiv-
ing 81, 500, 900 more every year for this
product than under low tariff, and to
this and adjoining states it means more
than $40, 600, 900 annually added to the
money they receive.
1.-THE price of sheep was also affected.
During the Cleveland administration
sheep were selling at 81 per head, and
no demand for them at that price. They
are worth three or four times as much
today. Then sheepmen then faced
bankruptcy by the thousands, and
many who were wealthy, or at least
well-to-do, lost every dollar they pos
sessed, and were compelled to begin
life anew"
Mr.. Ross began general discussion
of the tariff by saying that it was a
complex question which few people un-
derstood, and he could not say that he
understood the question. But under
stand its effects, he said. ''If busi-
ness firm was to pay out more money
every month than it took in, there
would be no question about what the
ultimate result would be. It's the
same way with nation. If we send
our money abroad to pay foreign labor,
our own labor will be idle and depres-
will be sending more money abroad to
pay for the manufactured articles than
we get for the raw products we sell
abroad, and thus create hard times and
national bankruptcy. While interest
ing the audience along this line, the
speakers arrived and Mr. Ross hastily
concluded
Deorge d. Caste followed with
splendid talk on national issues and
national candidates. Mr.. Casio is a
fluent and eloquent speaker, and was
heartily applauded.
County Attorney Joseph Davis was
the next speaker. He had been so inn
pressed by the tariff talk of Mr.. Ross
that he related his experiences in Eng
land, during the Mckinley administra-
ton, where he visited two large manu-