Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1850-08-23

III llldl 6ldIe. L HCy nave IdlClJ, Ill d
great manner, ceased operations; some of
them entirely and others partially, and the
consequence is that the people formerly
employed in manufacturing iron and min
ing coal cannot resort to the cotton mills,
nor to agriculture for the means Of sub
sistence for the first, as he had stated, have
to considerable extent gone out of opera
ton, and the markets for the latter have
been largely diminished by the reduction
of the production of these articles Of iron,
coal, and cotton fabrics to which he had
referred.
There is, therefore, as the memorialists
state degree of suffering prevalent among
them which has not existed at any period
within many years past-not even in 1912,
previous to the passage of the act known
as the Tariff act of that year. They
pray Congress that some modification of
the present act may take place at the
present session. They do not ask for the
repeal of the act of 1916 but they ask
that what was the intention of the trainers
OF that act may be carried into effect, and
that they may have such protection as it
was designed to afford at that time. They
state that owing to this condition of affairs
at home and abroad, the provisions of that
act, sufficient at that time, ceased to be so
at present, and for some time past; and
they ask that Congress may take up the
subject and put them in the position in
which it was designed to place them at
the time the act of 1916 was passed
They set forth many facts that are import
ant TO every Senator and member of Con-
gress desirous to make up a correct iudg-
ment on the subject; but he would not
detain the Senate now with a recapitula-
ton of all that is stated in the memorials,
and in the letters of intelligent gentlemen
accompanying them. 1t was sufficient to
say that the state of things existing abroad,
especially on the continent of Europe, has
brought down the price of iron in England
to point lower than it has ever been be-
fore, except on one single occasion. He
did not think that it was necessary to ad-
vert to them, for it would be at once un-
derstood to what he referred, namely, the
revolutions there, the abandonment of the
contracts for making railroads, with which
the whole continent was checkered over.
This state of things has obliged Eng
land to sell her iron at these low rates, and
great amounts of it have been thrown in
upon us. Iron is now manufactured there
at S22, S23, S24, S25. S26, and s27 per
ton, according to quality, and sent here,
thus breaking down our establishments,
and taking employment and bread from
the American laborer. The memorialists
state that if this condition of things pre-
vail for great while, there will be gen.
eral cessation of operations in the iron
manufactures of this country, except in
certain favored localities and that the
consequence will be that all competition
between the foreign and domestic producer
will cease, and that, eventually, in the
course of year or eighteen months, con-
sumers will be obliged TO pay more for
the iron used by them than they would do
under a duty which would afford a Just
protection to the domestic producer. The
history of the iron manufactures of this
country proves the fact that when England
supplies the whole quantity, we pay the
highest prices for iron. He desired to de-
tain the Senate no longer, and moved that
the memorials be referred to the committee
on Finance.