The Portsmouth inquirer. [volume] (Portsmouth, O. [Ohio]) 1849-1855, 1851-12-19
For De Inquirer.

cation which you did me the favor to publish,
Il hinted that If the price Of iron was mate
rally increased BY the laying Of heavy du-
ties on the imported article, il would have a
tendency toparalyze other departments OF
business and be more injurious to the gene
raj prosperity Of the country than to suffer
the iron business to take care Of itself sail
kinds of business have TO do at present.
Iron 10 this country is what cotton always
has been to England. During all the re-
strictions which were opposed to the intro
duction Of our products into England, Cot
ton was always admitted duty free, because
lit formed the basis Of some of their most
profitable manufactured articles. Now my
own opinion is, that iron is an article of alb
solute necessity, both in unlimited quanti-
ties and at the lowest possible price,, in Or
der to enable this country to develop its re-
sources at an early period, and prepare the
wilderness for the comfortable habitation OF
civilized man.
From the smallest cambric needle which
a lady uses, up to the ponderous steam ell
gine and powerful locomotive, iron has TO be
brought in requisition, in some shape or 9TH
|er, in order successfully to carry on the bu-
siness of life. In every new country like
ours, an immense amount of labor has to
be expended before we are prepared to even
live in comfortable manner. This labor
may all be performed on the ground among
ourselves, or q considerable portion Of it
may be performed in other countries ard
brought to us. all the manufactured goods
requisite to enable us 10 subdue the wilder
ness may be brought from distant country,
so that we may bestow our whole and undi-
vided energies upon the wolk necessary to
make the country habitable. Now the ques-
ton arises whether we had better employ
this foreign capital and foreign labor in the
shape of manufactured goods, to assist us
in developing the resources of the country
al the earliest possible moment, or do eve
rything ourselves, prohibit or restrict the
importation of all manufactured goods, and
thereby progress very slowly in the improve
ment of the country. Both kinds Of labor
has to be carried on at once under any cir
cumstances; and if we can avail ourselves
of the cheap labor Of foreign countries to
enable us to develop the resources of our
own country at an early day, we place our
selves In comfortable circumstances before
our lives are worn out, or two or three gen.
eations pass away in suffering and harship
as our forefathers had to do before they got
the wilderness subdued.
Labor never was in greater demand since
America was discovered than it is now.-
Do We not frequently see il the papers ad.
vertisements for 500 hands to work on par
ticular sections of railroad? Yet, almost
every whig paper is raising the hue and cry
against the Government for suffering the
iron to come into the country, without
which railroad could not be built. Sup
pose for one moment, the whig policy of
restriction were put in practice, what would
be the consequence One half OF the rail-
roads now in course of construction would
have to be suspended for an indie finite peri
cd. Because if we should now subject all
railroad companies to pay heavy cash duty
on railroad iron, or pay the price ii would
cost to make it in this country at the pres
ent high prices of labor, there are very few
companies would be able to do it. 1t is as
much as the best of them can do to procure
money sufficient to prepare the road 70 re.
ceiye the iron, and if they had to pay one
third more (which is the cost of the iron) it
would be long lime before we would see
railroad in Portsmouth.
What greater calamity could fall upon ths
business prospects of the country than the
stop ppage of the free and unrestricted impor-
tation Of railroad iron into this country at
this time? Thousands of hardy laborers
would be suddenly thrown ont OF wofk
where they now get cash and high wages,
and have 10 60 to the Iron Works and take
scrip for pay. Farmers living in remote
districts who now find ready home mar
ket" for all their surplus produce would be
cut off not only from their present market of
supplying the hands who are employed in
the construction of the different roads, but
all prospect for the present of having any
means OF transporting their produce TO a
distant market. Capitalists would refuse TO
loan money when they would see that the
Government was doing all in its power to
check the Improvements which the people
were making to bring the interior and re-
mote districts of our rich inland country
within reach Of some reliable market. Yet
the wings claim to be the exclusive friends
OF the working men, when their avowed pol
icy is to increase the price Of iron, which
enters more or less into the expenses Of eve
ry working man and woman in the country.
The blacksmith would have to give a higher
price for oil his stock. Farmers would have
10 pay more for all their agricultural imple-
ments. Stoves, castings of every descrip-