Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1849-10-02
RICHMOND, VA.
saturday Morning, September 30, 1919.
rnE rARlEF ANp rnE IRoN INTEREST.


BILE and good. na,ured citizen. how these pro
misses have been falsiied and these hopes Vio
lated need not be told. How the VOL has
deyoured The lamb and usurped all The pubic
efiees-and how the lion has taken ms hons
share of governmen, provendcr IS wei KNOWN
How The party, which used TO morai'zs WIN
such holy JUNCTION upon the words, "Io VIC
tors be long tie spoiIs'--has carried out their
s,;r;t 10 the Utmost letter, is also sufficiently
known.
Another chapter is now opened in The history
of Taylorism. Ihs measures which !; PROMISED
should never be touched, are 10 be assaicd. hh
signs indicate seIIlcd purpose in The Admins
,ration 10 destroy rhc present Tariff. TheMienni-
um is 10 be signalz'd by bitter struggle over
subject which has excited the mos! angry and
pro,rac,ed controversies tina, ever asiiatcd the
Union. Circulars have gone ont trcm the TTea-
sury Department to lords of The Northern looms
and lorges, seeking Information and sahcing
materials for the onslaught. Meetings OF capt.
laliss, 10 settle The order OF battle have been hsio
at fashionable watering places-wheIe 6egSarc2
ABBOTT Lawrcnces have collected during the sum
mer in search Of relief from The Iuinaus effec.s OF
The present Tariff. The President hasiaken anex.
cursion into Pennsylvania, TO witness the deness
OF it's foundrics, closed for the nonce 10 excite us
sympathy. The bakers dozen oil ironmaslefs 10 BE-
te,ourt, Virginia, have called meeting "to take
into consideration The present condition OF the
iron business, and respond 10 The recent more oil
The PENNSYLVANIA iron.men." Wing papers ale
,eeming with stories OF distress among The manu-
ialuriDg classes, with snears al Free Trade, With
slereotyped cant about .4me'tean industry and
foreign paupcr labor, with homilics about The
duty of seli>pIeservaiion, and with all The clap
trap appeals usually played eff upon their Size
of the Tariff question. The battle, therefore, is
fairly begun. The armislice which they promis-
ed is violated by themselves. The scli-s!yled
peace.makers OF 4S are asgressois in 40.
They sound their first notes npon The lfcn lale-
rest oil The country. We shall meet them upon II,
not because wc fear anything from The agitation
OF that subject in Virginia; bu, because we are
willing to NEE, all objections hey may choose
10 produce against the present Tariff The iron
interest ranks below too many others in Virgil
MIA in the capi.al il employs and The wealth II
brings 10 The State, TO be mailer OF general con-
Germ with our people. Our tobacco planters for
instance, 10 whom foreigners are now paying
such handsome prices for their staple, will scarce
ly object 10 a Tariff which enables those tor
eigpers b. shipping their iron 10 this country 10
pay such prices; nor will they look less iagora-
bly, upon The matter for The reason that those fol-
eisneIs are willing 10 accept half prices for their
iron. They will BE slow 10 arpfehend ruin %
the Stale from an operation in Which foreigners
pay them unprecedented prices Tor tobacco ard
furnish them iron al seveniy>fve per centum ct
frs, cost. The question does no: Interest Viz
ginia alone, for cotton and every great staple
o. the Union are commanding unusually high
prices. However iaunticsd view iron
masters, ard others whcss rrcii.s arc Immediate
ly affect, may take oi III, operation, the pso-
pie al large vii scarcely object 10 a state a
things in which they receive unusually high
prices Ter their exponp, and pay unprecedented
~ low prices ius their imports. Factory pfopri-
e.ors lay the 6lsne Of all his upon the Tariff Ct
&c. We shat! mol cavii abon' that. The b.a;uc
may lie where they place II. We sag q The Ia
riff as the topper said Of his cup I'll This te run
give me plenty eli" II ruin is 10 ovenake
The country from he Tariff i, will be he
result Of prosperity. SUDDEN siiaence hot
unrequenly produces, by The extravaganza
hegets, pecuniary ruin. For The came cause,
general prosperity is very oi!en followed
by general dislIcss-an abundance Of me-
ney BY an abundance of fetl. Eu suiFcen!
unto Tie day is the evil hereof, il these ccaseQaen-
ccs are TO result fiom the laiifl OF &C. This is
10 view il only On lis dark side, while PhioSC,
ply cnjoins US 10 look upon he bfigh, side o.
things. We arc satisfied ihz people o! he cpun-
Try resaid tha, sjte Only ot the present Tariff.
We see 10 reason Tor changing cur Ia.
ril' 20 suit every fuc,aaion in the prices OF Tor
eien commodities. Various causes have been al
work in England during The las! year OF two Ia
depress is iioa interests. They are explained
BY the Lynchburs PaIiio thus:
The railroad mania whilh prevailed there
about thai Time Gin 1876 Icd 10 The invsslmeLi
OF an ,u meOsc capital in the formation ol com.
panies AMI he erection oi works !uf he p:u-
tucion at iron, to supply toe prospective de-
mand to Which he vast numbrr Il raiir0, CO.
lc.prises cumme:ccd and contemplated gave rise
The pr; ;Iuciion ct ,his article las stimulated Il
the h;ehes, roia;. Bat lie railroad lever has
sub>i..d The anticipated demands have moi
baen realised. a vast surplus tas been left 1n
hana with unlimited powers oi producing, eEa5-
ling them for the present 10 sell al The most re-
duced prices, and making il their Interest, ;s we
have shown, 70 submit 10 this temporary depres-
sion OF price in view Of a future advancement.
They are more fully explained By a Stafford
Shire Iron master wiring Tor The London Eve
ming Jorrual, July 23h las, as follows:
"'this safe fittings has hecn bToush, abcu by
An unnatural stare ol Inc trade. Since The de-
nand for railway iron has become 50 large, ira.
nv join stock companies have been formed; to
make iron, some million: oi capital have lren
brought together, and large woks bull, aui put
in m1iun BY boards OF directors; aud these men,
knt wing no.iine abou, making lion, AMI havire
NJ connection 10 take their iron. have 10 force
sales ty lUwer prices han are asked Icy The pri.
yatc lton-maser working with his own money
and 10 follow these common Cesirucuges, he Is
ot'iscd 10 resort Ia The u an ia.eEJr mia'eIi-
AL or 20 10 rain; and this II has Come, in seif-
defence, Instead OF rising li.e very best pis.iron
that could b. made, to using tie ve.y wur>; ant
cteapes; that could be 60; and thi- accounts ior
the deteriora.cd qualify ct The Ias.
Ii is Obvious, therefore, that tie causss which
have depressed The prices Of English iron ale
temporary. They viii cease II operate perhaps
in be present year, and may not oeeaF again lor
a century. VIVA, will avail, then, six-moaih>
discussion in the next Congress about The ma
ter. These Causes will cease and b. over long
before The debates can be closed. Meantime Tie
commerce OF The nation will suffer ali the evils
which uncertainty in The laws teee;'; question
oace fully discussed, ard, as was supposed
finally settled, will be opened ~ aitesh; and
another source of ill.fsc!ins between sections
aud OF ctim nation ami discrimination G.lueen
classes viii! lie ADDED TO h Sc now existing.