Enlightened Wool Growers

The farmers are beginning to underBtand this natter. The Wool Growers and Sheep Breeders' association, of Ontario and Livingston counties, in New York, is one of the oldest and strongest and most representativa organizations of that kind in the United States. There, 6ir, is one of the great centers of the fine wool growing and sheep breeding industries. The members of that association are in the main Reptiblicans. They were protectionists. They are so now on everything but wool - the one thing they know about. But when they got together and looked each other in the face in January, 1891, they conclnded to stop political wool growing and to look at that matter in a practical way. They had not neglected the,ir political duties as they sawi them. They had only a short time before elected to represent them from Ontario connty Mr. Raines, and from Livingston Mr. Wadsworth. But when these wool growers and sheep breeders got together after election, and their party was not at stake and all they had to consider was the wool business, here is the conclusión to which they came: Whereas, It has been the poliey in the past for this assooiation to annually pass stereotyped resolutions praying congress to restore the wool duty of 1867 or its equivalent; and Whereas, This association finally recognlzes tho i. !: oundness of its past position on this ■■! lm. and, ever ready to correct any error lnto u Inch it may have fallen, we beg leave to subinit the following: First- We recognize that the wool duty Is a delusion and a snare to the wool growers, and that it has been largely instrumental in drivlng to the wall an industry it was calculated to benefit. Second- Prior to 1867, under the various changes of the wool duties, the price of wool fluctuated not in sympathy with the triff, but by reason of the ever controlling law of demand and supply, the grower having reeeived high prices and low prices under high tarifls, and, conversely, low prices and high prices under low tariffs. Third- The success of tho wool grower dependa on the success of the woolen manufacturar, while the American manufacturer is eeriously handicapped by reason of being compelled to pay exorbitant t&riff taxes on every pound of clothing wool iraported for necessary ftdmixture, while all foreign countries of aiy oonsequenco have the benont of free wool, and are thus enabied to undersell the manufacturera. Fourth- The great wool tarift of 1867 resul'ed in driving from tho eight chief wool producing 6tates- for whose special benefit said tariff was conceived and passed- more than 60 per cent. of their sheep in a single decade, while the prico of wool declined in a nearly corresponding ratio. Fiith- The importation of foreign wool increased from about 26,000,000 pounds in 1867 to more than 120,000,000 pounds in 1871, just four years succeeding the highest duty ever imposed m wiiol and woolens. iSixth- Diirinii eight of the past eighteeu years the foreign price of imported clothing wools at the last port of export actualiy cxceéded the prico of our domestic fleece in the markets of Boston, New York or Philadelphia, while in uo single ycar did tho domestic wools bring tho foreign price, plus the duty. Seventh- Euglaud, France and Oermany are the only thrce countries in the world that export woolen uiauufiicturob in excess of the imports of raw wool; in othor words, these countric- faj admKtlng wuol free have created a demand for their home wool in excess of all wools rrii'.iin il to rlothe their people, and after giving eioijlorment to labor export more wool than they have imported. The United Sta'os, on the other hand, by imposing a high duty o" raw wool has not only destroyed our export trade, but so throttled our manufacturera 4 to ruin tbe market for domestic fleece and give to the English, French and Germán manufacturera the creaiu of our markets for clotltó. Eighth- The free importation of raw wool into the l'uiicil rttates would knock out the imports of woolen goods, and would revive the present depressed state of our own manufactures, thus giving employment to labor here and créate an increased demand for our strong wools for neces=ary admixturu. Ninth- Recognizing the truth of the above facts, therefore, we, the membera of the Oitario and LiWngston Sheep Breeders and Wooi Growers' association, in eonvention assembied, most respectfully petition congress t immedintely place wool and woolen manufactures on the free list, in order that their industries may again thrive and assnme the magnitude corntaensurate with a nation of 63,000,000 of people.