Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-04-09
POLITICAL.
f4om The "Repu1litan Sentinel

From he "RspuJlitan SentHsi.'
.uIGl DUTIES MAKE Low PRICES"
.,A Planter" in to day paper, sheds much light on
ib;s WHO falacy All his Arguments flow inevitably
from Wb7r evidence resented to Congress in lis most
mnosinr form The heavy burthens imposed upon the
farmers by the heavy duty on iron orclng them to pay
nenry double of what it could be procured with rea
son,be duties) are admirably exposed, and must meet
hearty response from the agricultural class, the bone
and slnew'' of the land There is no humouggery
obout these views Facts land Wkig facts too iorc
bv presented and reasoned upon and there is no escape
from the concluslon that the present high Tariff is u
Of oppression TO an overwhelming majority OF 'he Peo
Pile
In our next we shall give another No. of "a Plant
err" discussing in the manner the duties on su
gar ufac,ures of shoes, cotton, c-al tending 10
Drove the unjust operation of this Tariff the boosted
fruit OF the Wing victory OF 1910!
is highly proEcr to introduce here calculation
made by MIR Woodbury. land sustained by Professor
George Tucker Of The University of frgnia,) as to
the relative profits Of farmers and manufactures. In
aeric ture on capital of S235 per head, the income
per head is S6a; while in manufactures, on ca
pital of only 5000, The income per head amounts 10
The large sum of $ l59-tha is, the profits Of the manu-
laclurer arc than twice great those of the
farmer and still the manufacturers ask for pro-
teciion Farmers Of Virginia you remain dead 10
your Interests, and will you imPoverlsh your
selves still MORE by voting for Henry Clay, who has
not single principle in common with the old Rcpubli-
can notions Of Virginia. but is the Father of the sys-
ten which is wasting away your substance /:
FOR TIE REPUBLICAN SENTINEL.
FACTS FOR THE PEOPLE.
The Effect Of High Duties on Prices.
So many absurd propositions now urged in behalf
of n Protective Tariff tina, minute examination is ne
cessary to show their falacy. We have 1t broadly
stated that high duties tend to diminish the price OF
the protected article; and the Wing papers parade the
prices of articles at different periods prove,
that the high Tariff Of 1912 had caused decline in
prices by lis operation. We are not only called on TO
believe the preposteous absurdlty, that the Yankee
manufacturer desires TO exclude foreign competition,
for the very purpose of reducing the price of his
manufactures and will actually sell them lower
he excludes the foreign goods that enter into compe
li,ion but mpndently told, contrary to the ex
perence of the whole world and the concurrng testI
mony of political economists, that a monopoly will
UNFAIRLY sell cheaper than unlimited competition could
effect This really setting at defiance the truths and
wisdom Of all enlightened experience.
They would have us believe, the Yankee Desieges
the Halls of Congress session after for the pas
sage Of Tariff laws TO make him sell his goods lower
that protection was afforded by reduction of prices
that Me Otc duties Of IS4 his goods sold high
that almos, every manufacturer broke; and the manu-
featuring interest most deeply depressed, IN con-
sequence of selling their manufactures high. But
in eighteen months after the passage of the high Tariff
such had been It's 5enehcent and miraculous agency,
that the manufacturers in a most furnishing
don, making large profits, and realizing fortunes, by
selling their goods much lower They were most
depressed condition under the prices of 1871 but in a
prosperous condition under the lower prices of 1914 -
No further proof need be adduced to show that they
make more profit by selling low than selling high
The Wing has satisfactorily proven, that the Tariff of
1912 reduced The price of all manufactured articles,
and by that very reduction the manufacturers have
made fortunes They could not support themselves
under the prices Of -12 but they reazs large pro-
e., Jor H. IF hos
vellous and ncomprehensb results. These things
they put in PRINT and am little curious TO look on
the face OF that Wing, who will use the arguments be-
fore n crowd Of treemen.
II is true these dogmas are contrary to the expert
ence of the enlightened commercial world to the con-
curing testimony of statesmen and political econo-
msts; and upset the fundamental principles OF malhe
NAUTICAL science that the smaller price is more than the
.rger-yet ia certainly true that these opposite con-
tfary incredible and wonderful effects have been Gre
aied by the boasted Tariff of 1912.
II is surprsng TO see how far they Will attempt to
pra elise on popular crednty; and we might amuse
ourselves by rIdculing such monstrous doses 1t reaec
ton did not bring in its train Illuminating shs Of the
low estimation which they place on the sagacty OF the
peope Of Virginia Gloomy forebodlngs will creep into
the breast Of the patriot to witness the degradation OF
the press and the blush Of modification VIII sniiuse
his cheek to mark the low efforts 10 dupe the ople
In the progress of these numbers the proof will be
furnished that the United States cannot by possibility
cheap as foreign nations This be done from The
evidence Of the manufacturers themselves. Whatever
disputes may about the relative prices before and
after the Tariff it is hoped the testimony OF the manu-
facturers endorsed by committee OF Congress, both
favorable TO Tariff, will be received as correct
have before me the report of Mr. Saltonstall, from
the Committee on Manufactures, made on the 3lst OF
March, 1912, TO Congress, on which was based the la
riff bill 1t was high Tariff committee which made
the report and The manufacturers themselves who iur
nished The evidence Let take the article OF 'ron
the most indispensable i'll every occupation OF lie, and
see the effect of the Tariff on its price.
The first witness (pnge 20, Satonstall's repoD who
testies the subject of iron is the Hon Gouverneur
Kemble of Cold Spring, New York. He states " the
price of English common iron at f6 Tor S25 SOY per
ton in England" This is less than one cent and a
half per pound
Col. Joseph Jackson of New Jersey stated, that
Bark's refined English iron is about equal to ours,
and at duty Of $50 per ton is IN price about equal 10
ours, md comes in competition with il" Inc meaning
of which is by adding $50 the price OF English Iron
and then the costs of transportation, it will then sell
here cheap The same witness proceeds,
(page 30:) 81 have been obliged TO sell small, round
and scroll ron since January last 1S420 ut $50 per
ton in New York, which we sold in 1852 at Sl2o per
ton and down to 1888 at Sll0 per ton 1t must be
seen at once that great decline must stop our ope
rations." This reduction effected und-r the Com
promise act and prices had declined so much ny the
reduced Duty to threaten "to stop their operations
Yet we are told, since the Tariff Of 1s42, that prices
have still further declined and instead Of stopping
their operations they in furnishing condition and
making fine profits. The iron master petitioned Tor
higher duty, because the price of his iron reduced
low by English competition as to threaten ITO stop
his operations and the Wing tells us, by these very
high duties the price of iron rendered still lower, and
yet the iron master prospers. ltrequires monstrous
exercise of faith to believe both statements 1t is ex
ceedngy pnzzling 10 reconcile both to the standards
of truth and fair argument. Butle US proceed with
the evidence.
w. Young another iron manufacturer (pagc $50 tes-
titles: "Upon the English price of November last (ls4D
ond duty Of 30 per cent bar iron could be delivered
on the docks of New York for S37 per ton At these
prices and under existing circumstances, who then will
say the iron masters Of this country sustain them
selves"
Here is the proof brought forward by the Tariff COM
mittce that bar iron could be delivered at New York,
Boston, Norfolk any seaport town, at S37 per ton,
after paying cost Of passage and duty into The Treasu-
ry Of 30 per cent This about dollar and seventy
five cents per hundred pounds, or cent and three quar-
tiers per pound after paying revenue duty. They very
nnoceniy ask what iron masters could sustain them.
selves such prices: can only say, though the iron
masters could not g sustain themselves the low price
would be no cause of complaint amongst the farmers