North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1852, 1851-03-15

take some notice oil the POSITIONS OF Inc Senlieau
from Pennsy wanna, mr. tiamPson-I VINO sPoKe
some lime since in favor of laying additional .du-
ties on such foreign productions as come IN CON-
ne,;,;on with our own manufactures. He discuss
ed esnecially the iron and coal Interests. In this
he has followed the example OF the advocates OF
hioh duties, generally, who seem to suppose that
they can make their strongest point with reference
to iron and therefore place it in The foreground OF
the aroument If l should be able to show that
thew fail upon this the point selected by them as
their strong est, shall have accomplished part
of nv present purpose The argument of the
gentleman, and those who agree with him, is sub
stantialIv this Admitting that the raw materials
out of which iron is made, TO w.t. ore. coal, &c.
can be had at as cheap rate in the United States
as elsewhere, he affirms that the labor employed,
constitutes ninetenlhs of the cost of making iron,
aud that this the main element in its production,
is four times as cheap in Great Britain it is in
the United States. That the British capitalists,
therefore, can obtain as much labor for 20 or Is
cents per day, as the American manufacturer can
get for one dollar He asks therefore, that such
duty be imposed upon the foreign article, will!
make it as dear as American iron, produced by
laborers who receive the above hi rate of wages
| regret that the gentleman did not state at what
price per ton the Pennsy lvania iron masters would
undertake to deliver railroad iron in New York.
or other cities the sea board From other
sources, however. and especially the iron conven-
tons, in his State and in New York, am of opin-
ion that they would not feel willing so TO deliver
at much less, if any, than $50 per ton. Let US
suppose, however, that they could afford it at only
$50, which is certainly favorable calculation for
them. Nineenlhs of this cost is, according to
his own showing, to be set down 10 the item of
labor, being S45-leaving $5 only for the cost
of the material; but according TO his figures
the English manufacturer will obtain he same
labor at n cost of only Sll.25 Adding s.
for the material, ton of~ralroad iron, therefore,
could be made in England for Sl6,25 In sup
port Of this calculation, 100, it may be remarked
the convention Of lion workers, which met at
Albany, in the State of New York, little more
than year ago, stated in their published pro-
ceedings that establishments favorably situated
| in Great Britain did deliver such iron tide
water at cos; from Sl7 10 $50 per ion. The
usual p,ice however, is omewhat higher and
may be commonly set down at IS TO 1927 per
ton. There is doubt of the fact that if railroad
iron admitted free of duty entirely, it could
| be had in our sea port towns. at cost not above
$50 per ton. After paying the existing rate of
duties, and NIL the incidental costs of importation,
it is now obtainable at $40.
If railroad company, therefore, should buy
domestic iron $50 per ton. instead of the foreign
article at $50, it is obvious that such company
would lose $40 on every ton Of iron so bought
| Does the manufacturer gain this sum According
to the case supposed and their own showing. he
would in fact realize nothing; being obliged to
pay out fully that amour; during the production.
! If it were even conceded that he in this way
cleared s. per ton. this would be only onefourth
as much the purchaser would lose. 1t is OBJ
viOus therefore, that both the seller and the buyer,
being alike entitled TO protection and favor,
the taking of $40 from one TO give the other but
| S. would be losing business to our countrymen.
If this be the whole case, it is admitted by every
| body that such policy would be shorl-si ehted
and ruinous in the extreme. The gentleman from
| Pennsylvania, however, says, that while employ
ed in the production of this iron a number Of our
| laborers find employment, and are better paid than
| they could otherwise be- He tells MS that fur
mace capable of making annually 10000 tons of
railroad iron. will i've support, including both the
workmen and their families 10 six thousand per-
sons. But the ten thousand tons of iron uffi-
cicnt for railroad of more than hundred miles
in length; and everybody knows the expenditure
made in constructing n railroad of that length, is
! greatly more than sufficient support this num-
Der of persons. The gentleman says further how
ever, that such furnace affords home market,
and enables the farmers 10 get better price for
their produce than they otherwise could do. Ii is
undoubtedly true that the persons living in the vi
cinity of such furnace would be thus benefited.
But 1t will be denied that railroad of one
hundred miles in length, properly laid out, would
|
The railroad would not only be accessible to a
greater number of persons by of its pgth,
but would also lead 10 markets less easily guued
than the furnace. Railroads are therefore, justly
regarded by our people as the greatest stimuators
of industry and enterprise of all sorts. Such is
the extent of country and the diversity of its
productions, and strong is the desire OF peo-
pie TO be travelling from point to point that the
energies of the community are everywhere direct
I'd to the opening of these highways Of commerce
and travel. We admit their importance ourselves,
when here give large bodies of the public
lands to facilitate their construction. Yes, sir, and
at the very time when we are devoting the public
money, or property, which is the same thing 10
such objects, we guilty of the folly of throw
ing obstacles in the way of individuals and States
who are engaged in executing the works On one
day we declare that railroads are such favorites
with US, that make appropriations to secure
their construction. and on the next we sacrifice
these our proteges for the benefit of few wealthy
capitalists. | say few, for do not believe that
there dozen establishments in all the United
States, that ever have made, now disposed TO
engage in the making of railroad iron.
The gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Hamp-
toni admitted the other day in reply 10 question
from the other side of the House, that in his own
State and the immediate vicinity Of these works,
the7 using the foreign iron for their railroads.
Those engaged in making them, rather than pur-
chase the domestic article, prefer to pay the duty
on the foreign and the ofiunportati on, amount
ing together to 6fy.seven and a half per cent.
| Great Britain takes cotton free of duty, be-
cause bv its manufacture she oives EN- novment 10