The daily union., 1846-08-29

dent class Of men exists nowhere in the world
Why have they not Scomplained Of oppressloni
most satisfactory answer IL 10 be found in their
silence il is the indubtable evidence Of content
ment, of satisfaction, and Of prosperity Why, sir,
their iron establishments msrepresented as monop-
olles and Oppressors, furnish them with market for
Everything Let me show you calculation, made
by an intelligent ironmaSter in Pennsylvania, of
the agricultural products consumed in the manufae-
ture of ton OF iron:
20 bushels wheat and rye, IS cts. per BUSH SIS 90
81 pounds of pork, cents per pound...... IS
43 pounds Of beef cents per pound. ...... l ~
10 pounds OF butter, l2l cents per pound. i 25
bushels Of potatoes 30 cents per bushel.. 90
ton OF hay, 81 per ton. n............,.... 50
Loss on teams by death and inJury........ 1 43
Fruit, vegetables, &c. ..................... 90
sea 25
Now, make this calculation upon every ton OF
iron manufactured in the United States, estimating
the whole at five hundred thousand tons, and the
result will exhibit the immense consumption OF agr-
cultural products Of SIS, 500 900 in the iron business
alone. One-half Of the entire manufacture Of iron
in the Union is produced in Pennsylvania, perhaps
more This exhibition accounts for the silence, the
aequiescence-nay, more, the actual active support
given 10 the tariff policy by the farmers Of Pennsy-
vania, and everywhere else where the subject is un
derstood by the result Of actual experience. IL
proves more, sir; it proves that wherever manuhe-
lures exist the farmer is their friend, because they
are his.
IL has been said that the prices Of everything on
which the tariff has operated, has been reduced.
This assertion has been denied, laughed at, ridl-
culed; and yet man has undertakens the task Of
showing, by actual results, that it Is not so. will
now proceed TO show that such is the effect Of the
system on Ton and this is amongst the highest pro-
tected class Of articles in the tariff Ii has always
been so. | will concede, that at hrst in the outset
ofthe workings OF the system, that 1t is not So but
II Is the effect and operation Of IT, to produce the
result Give ample protection to any one branch Of
manufactures, and at once you encourage the In
'estment Of capital in the pursuit. the more money
that IL made at II, but stimulates investment, untl
competition reduces the price OF the production to
the lowest standard Of profit at which the operator
can exist This is the theory-it is reasonable
self-eydent; yet will show, from actual statistics
that cannot be disputed or doubted that such is the
practical working Of the system. For the purpose
Of proving this, let us first what the price OF bar
iron was at Pittsburg at different periods.
In lsl8-l9-'2O, it was 5000 to 1920 per ton.
1881 do 100 per ton.
1916 do 60 per ton.
This sir is the result under the operations OF the
tariffs of 1924, 1923, and lS42. The first OF these
acts continued the duty of $50 per ton, on rolled
IRON as imposed by act of 1916; the second a duty
of s37 per ton; and the last s25 per ton But again,
let US look at the prices the manufactures of
nun m ioSoi anu compare tnem Win Ptesenl Pfi-
ces.
In 1920, at Pittsburg-
Axes, per dozen, s24 to s25; now, best cast steel,
$40 TO $40 so.
Iron hoes, 50 per dozen; now, steel plated, So
Small iron, brazers rods hoop iron, &c, 1918 per
ton; now, Sl00.
Nails, l3 to l6 cents per pound; now, cents.
Grass scythes, S25 TO S26 per dozen; now, 50.
Sir, could proceed the whole day with similar
exhibition, but time will not permit If the tariff
has the effect Of keeping up the prices, and burden
ing the community, how does II come that | am
able to make from the most authentic sources such
an exhibit as the foregoing' But | will not stop
here; let me compare the prices under the compro-
mise act, so much admired, and boasted of, and la
mented in certain quarters, and will take period
when il had nearly reached its destination on the
road to reduction and ruin. | will first give the
prices Of English iron in lS4l and lS42.
Jan. ls4l English rolled bar, SIS to so per ton.
Aug. 1S4l, 70 to rs per ton.
Jan. 1892 " IS to 70 per ton.
American bar of much superior quality is now
selling at $50. What does this show' For | will
make my application as go along. 1t proves two
things: The first, that when without protection our
establishments ceased to produce the foreign article
rose in price, and thus we were the losers by the
approximation to free trade. The second is, that
under the tariff of lS42 instead of the price ad-
vancing, it has greatly diminished. These things
cannot be disputed, and their effect cannot be ex-
planned away by theorists, however ingenious.
But said would proceed to compare the prices of
l84l with those of 1886 for the purpose of satisfy
ing every that the effect of the tariff of lS42 has
been TO reduce prices.
AL Plttsburg.. ...lS4l. 1S46.