The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-09-10
OLITIC Al
From the Baltimore Republican
THE IRON NESS-REDUCTloN OF
WAGES

From the Baltimore Republican
THE IRON BUSINESS-REDUCTlo OF
WAGES.
Ii will be admitted, we presume, that the demo
cratic tariff has the same effect upon democratic
manufacturers that it has upon wing manuiactu-
rers and that if il has caused the latter 10 reduce
the wages Of the in their employ Il should also
have caused the former 10 do tho same thing. How
comes it, then, that whilst the ,ohg iron makers OF
Maryland have cut down the pay Of all persons IN
their employ, except their few "superntendents"
who are ready to echo their cry Of ruin" over the
passage of the new tariff, not single democrats
iron master has dealt thus unustly with the hands
engaged in his seryicel How comes 1t that we
hear ofan INCREASE OF WAGES by various democrat
&c manufacturers since the passage Of the new tar
Ill, and no attempt on their part to repeal" that
equitable and desirable measure Whence the DIFF
ference Of action between the wings and democrats
engaged in the manufacturing business isu oy
reducing their wages, that the wings show their
sympathy and regard for MEN OF LABOR, ana =
that the way they would protect and sustain "home
industryP IL democrats can afford to increase the
pay Of their hands since the passage Of the peoples
tarif, why cannot iohigs do the same thing Under
the extrayagant profits which they were all reallz-
ing under the tariff Of 1872 they were paying their
hands barely hatf the wages that they could tosa
afford 10 pay them, must be manifest TO the most
preiudced mind who will inform himself on the
subject and II their profits shall be reduced (by the
new tariff four ave dollars on ton Of iron, they
make money fster than those engaged in any other
branch Of business. II seems from the expenses OF
the last four years, that as the PRICE or IRON HAS
GONE UP, the price Of labor and Of the farmers pro
dues has come down-thus showing that the wing
tariff protected" labor with reduced reward, and
the farmer with diminished price for the products
Of the soil The Esston (Pa.) Argus, paper pub
lished in the "ron region" Of that State makes the
following sensible and correct remarks on this sub
ject
Before the tariff of 1912 went into operation
there were great number Of iron furnaces IN the
STATE, and pig metal manufactured and sold al
SIG, $50, and 500 per ton. During this period, the
farmer received from 81 - TO 81 so, and in 1881
'3s 80 per bushel for his wheat Meehslies did
well and the prices Of daily, and weekly, and
monthly labor, entirely satisfactory to the
laborer. All classes were therefore doing well, and
all prospecting together. This was democratic and
right. But how IA II now under the tariff OF 1912
Pig iron has raised from s2s to go per ton while
wheat has fallen to IS cents per bushel, and the
prices OF labor IN proportlon-an event which the
wings have always told US could not happen, fo
their doctrine in relation TO this branch of business
is that in proportion the price Of iron raised,
would the prices Of grain and labor. But quite III,
contrary is the case. For at the Crane Iron Works
an extensive furnace in neighboring county we
are crediby informed, that the price of iron went
up the prices Of labor went down-and in some in
stances as low go cents day, and find them
selves The Tariff Of l542, therefore, does not Ope
upon all classes equally; for while the manufac
turers are making immense fortunes, the farmer,
mechanic, and day laborer do not and cannot (unde
the pre- state OF hngs) prosper IN the same ratio
"Now it is said that anthracite iron be manu-
featured in this country as cheap as IN England OF
Wales, to wit: for about sl4 per ton. But, to d.,
Justice to calculation, we will say SIS per ton
It selling for from S2e to $50 per ton, but say
SIS and $50 is SIS which 10 the clear profit of every
ton at the furnace, under the tariff Of 1912, Add t.
this the tring expense Of transportation to market
and you get the clear profit there OF from 81 to sl3
per ton. At the furnace above referred to, it is said
$40 tons are manufactured every week; which, a.
SIS per ton at the furnace, makes in the aggregate
50, 100 clear weekly profit which Is $500 per day.
"But suppose the tariff of 1876 will reduce il t.
s25 per ton, it would leave clear profit at the fur
of $40 per ton the weekly profit of 81 400, and
daily profit 5000 What, it may be asked, is the
present duty on pig iron 10 produce this result Ii
is So per Under the tariff it is 30 per cent
ad vaorem that is 80 per cent. on the cash price in
England, or elsewhere. This, ii is said, has varied
during the last ten years. from $40 to slS per ton,
making its average value about Sl4 per ton. This
sum at 30 pcr cent would be 81 20, which will be
the duty unr III rev tariff. Deduct 81 20 from
50, the pre- duty, will leave "a 80 difference
which will 10 the only reduction per ton under the
bill Of 1916; and take the 81 80 from our previously
assumed avernsc price Of $50 per ton will still leave
the price less than sos per ton, before stated
and the clear profts at the furnace Of $40 per ton
Now, If this calculation is correct, which is based
upon admitted data it is clear that English iron
never compete with American in price. For, if il
can be manufactured here cheap as in England
the American manufacturer has greatly the advan-
tage nasmuch as he has no duty to pay, and the
expense of transportation being much less than the
of Importation he will always be able to realize
most excellent profits"
Now we must quote from the recent news by the
steamer Britannia ascertain the present price OF
IN, Enc md he fnIlp III .to
ject may be found in all the city papers of Saturday
last
"METALs.-A very extensive business has been
done in all descriptions of British iron. Most of the
WEIGH houses have filled their books with orders
at fS los. for common bars, and some Of them are
now demanding 60. Rails have been sold at GO
l5s to fl0, and large orders in the market unex-
ecuted. In Staffordshre the makers were never
more busy than at present Scotch pig has been in
great demand, No. at It's. Cd. to S0s mixed mum.
bers, 73s. to 75s. WEIGH pig has been in brisk de-
mand at S5s to HOS and Saffordshire S5s to l05s -
Scotch pg-iron sis in great demand" at from IL
10 90 dollars ton, and WEIGH pig at from 20 TO q
dollars ton; to which add all costs and charges
including freight, and it will bring up the price OF
Scotch pig to 25 and 81 dollars ton when landed
at wharves, and Of WEIGH pig to 81 and "a dol
lars a ton. The commonest pig (Scotch) cannot,
then, be imported free Of duty for less than 25 dol
lars a ton, the price at which the American manu-
facturers afford to make iron, and clear the
heavy proht OF ten dollars ton! III we add the
duty levied pig-iron by the new tariff, 1t will
bring the price of the common articles up to the
round sum of 80 dollars ton--the price by which
the Pennsylvania iron-master (as shown by the
Eastern Argus) can clear profit of II dollars ton!
Having thus shown, by the present value of pig
iron in England, that il cannot be imported free Of
duty for less than something like IS dollars ton
price which insures to the home manufacturer OF
iron profit Of 10 dollars a ton-what excuse can
our ilon-masters set up for pretending that the new
tariff will inurousy affect their business, and re-
ducing the wages Of their hands with the view OF
cosrcing them into an opposition to the democratic
party 1t seems to us that, when these facts are
made known, az they ought to be- to erery in
the employ Of avaricous and sl-graspng iron
masters, instead Of the democratic portion of them
being seduced into opposition to their party by
it, il will arouse the wings among them to proper
Of the injustice and outrages practsed upon the
aboring poor, and prompt them to unite themselves
forever hereafter to the democratic party. Lee
these facts them be generally circulated, and placed