Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1908-10-02
r. S. Monnett Talks on
Wool.

umbus, ex-attorney general OF Ohio,
delived an address to the wool grow
ers of Muskiugum comfy.
After lexplaining briefly his sper-
sonsl Investment in sheep and wool
industry in Crawford county, and
showing that ne was feeder Of from
1000 to l, 200 sheep and lambs annual
ly, Mr.. Monnett launched into the
subject from dual standpoint, first,
a personal and experienced investor,
and second as citizen and voter
He said in part: 81 am asked to dis
cuss the wool trust and freight rates as
affecting the wooden and the meat i'm
dustry of the farmers f Muskingum
county. We should first understand
the meaning of the word monopoly
as applied to modern business and
economies. Monopoly originally
meant or signified zone seller in a
given market. The term is very an
cient and the offense has always been
complained against. and every state
and sovereignty has provided for its
suppression. Whenever any dealer in a
given csmmodity can SO manipulate
the market that he becomes 1.-THE isole
buyer of any class of goods, it then be-
comes an offense agai stIbusihess ethics
and good morals whether he be enc
buyer or one seller.
This offense becomes more compli-
Gated as society advan ces in its meth
cd o. doing business. In the days of
Queen Elizabeth the monopolist would
send cut his agents along thelby-ways
and roads to the peoples market and
on given date would buy up the en-
tire belongings of meat, butter, or salt,
so that when produce reached the
market he would be the sole owner of
the give1 commodity aid the public
that was the buyer would be obliged
to pay the monopolistic price that such
criminal would fix upon his ware
This was buying in gross, which af-
terward obtained the distinct name of
'ensrossing' the market. 1t was a SIM
pie method of taking advantage OF the
dealers or purchasers on the one hand
and the consumers of the pred act on
the other. The gist of this offense then
as now, consisted in putting the price
down to the producer and raising the
price to the consumer by the same
method of Iover-reach in leaving theS
two classes of victims helpless, name
ly the grower of meats and vegetables
and The retail purchasers Of the same
on the market places.
THE WOOL TRUST
In the feeding season Of 1907 and
1908 the shsepmsn had very sxpen-
sive products to convert into ooI
Corn was high and oats was higher,
because Of aim est total failure of both
last year. Tho ordinary laws Of supply
and demand would have made the by
products, mutton and wool, higher.
As wool growers we found that the
wool prices were cut of one-third.
Last year we took monopolistic prices
for wool-30 cents for Ohio unwa shed
wool. In 1908 we were early warned
from the wool market reports that
wool was dull and the price would be
Is cents to Is cents for Ohio un washed
woods; territorial woods from cents
to II cents.
In Crawford county and Aarisn
county the bulk of the wool was &C
tually purchased from Is to 20 cents
upon unwashed basis. No man that
fed grain got market prices for his corn
hay and oats in Ohio this year, es-
peeially if he purchased his, feed lambs
in the market last fall. His labor was
all lost and in many places rs per cent
Of his feed was oonfiscated by the sud
den and unexpected depreciation in his !
wool and mutton.
/ have made some Investigation into |
the cause of this loss to myself and to |
all wool growers. L have Investigated
Tue lml srtance of this industry in ,
Ohio.
L find that Ohis sheep men ewne
last year 2,e70,325 sheep The wool
produced or the shern yields 1879, 451 .
Every county in the state
grows sheep and wool. More than half
Of the counties exceed %, 900 sheep per
Your county of Muskingum
had $4,000; Guernsey county, 62,911;
Licking county, 81 APO; Knox county,
81 900; Harrison county, $4,000; Mol
gan county, $4,000.
Many counties have above $4,000 /
sheep per county Fifty out of the So .
coualies are deeply affected by this
loss in wool and mutton this
year. This subject is important to all
" ooi and mutton growers. If we have
been wrongfuIly deprived at all of our
ne. pf"nss, it is the duty Of the wool